Hellebores are beasts
rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
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rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Winters of past, last year - what did you lose?
Comments (63)CMK, I remember reading you have drainage issues. We had a little bit of that ‘wet without draining’ in early spring, a couple of times when it rained and the ground was still frozen. I thought I was going to have trouble and I don’t know why I didn’t. I normally have good drainage though, so that must make the difference. I’m sorry you don’t. :-( That must be a particularly aggravating problem. I wonder if you’ve ever considered raised beds? I had plants very slow to show up this spring, so I was considering that I might have lost them, and at the time, I was thinking maybe I should add more conifers, until I visited the Conifer forum in the spring and they were posting long lists of plants they lost! So, if you are thinking about it, I’d read some of their posts on which ones they lost. :-) Mnwsgal, sorry to hear of your losses too. I have never had much luck wintering over in the garage. And the snowplow frequently digs into some edge of the front yard. We have a bed that borders the street, but it has a rock edge to it, which I suppose must help. Of course, they don't actually see the rocks under the snow, and once they did plow into those. Wow, what a noise that made! And 12ft of rock edge had to be reset, but I didn't lose any plants. [g] I wish we had sidewalks....See MoreWill it grow, is it invasive....?
Comments (1)Hellebores will thrive in a variety of conditions. They enjoy more sun than what is commonly suggested, but should do just fine in a morning sun afternoon shade situation. They should flower well there, particularly if it is deciduous shade. They are not exactly a ground cover plant in my opinion, but if you plant many together or let the seedlings self sow, then they will form a thick mass over time. So, they can be used as ground cover plants, but many people use them as specimen plants as well. As for invasiveness, I do not consider them particularly invasive, although over time they will form colonies. They are fairly generous with pollen and seed, so each year with decent conditions you are likely to see quite a few seedlings. Since they grow slowly (three years perhaps to blooming size), they are not a significant problem in my opinion; however, I have heard people complain about the number of seedlings. It also depends on the type of hellebore you grow. In your climate for example, H. foetidus may form colonies rather quickly. In concrete terms, if you were to plant three mature H. foetidus plants in one location, in five or six years the seedlings and resulting plants might cover an area of 50 square feet or so, depending on the conditions....See MoreWhat's blooming in your garden this last week in Dec.?
Comments (23)Molie E. 'Nothowlee' is promoted as a winter container plant perhaps because of its tendency to look ratty...yes really ratty in the spring due to loss of most of its leaves. I had three 12"h x8"w plants and last spring purely on impulse I ripped one out and decided to leave the other two in place and watch what they would do. They came slowly back and to me were well worth it, but keep in mind that my spring season is likely much colder than yours so this plant may in fact come back to life faster for you. When I mentioned planting in a mass of a half a dozen I was picturing them specifically in dtd's back garden bordering her patio. This is a small front of the border plant that looks stunning 3/4's of the year with bold coloring that companioned with the right plant..I have another PDN plant near by it "Kniphofia pumila" and I will have to poke through some photos to see what else. Holly Molely I just saw the photo of E. ÂNothowlee on PDN and I must say mine is MUCH more subdued (and much nicer IMHO) than the plant shown on line. Dtd, I have another evergreen Euphorbia that I picked up from Avant Gardens a few years ago it pretty non descript but if youÂre interested I put a chunk aside for you. FYI it has not taken over like some EuphorbiaÂs do. babs, Trust me be thankful for that blanket of snow it covers a multitude of sins (just like an over sized tee shirt), honestly if you didn't have the snow you could be looking at mud, piles of black plastic nursery pots, crushed and rotten plants, and all of the sad items you ment to bring inside but never did....See Moreupdate: obf - april worship the green goddess
Comments (150)Remy's package to me arrived today. What a big box and so full of all kinds of goodies! I tried to make a list so hopefully I have everything written down. Remy sent me Trachystemon orientalis, two daylilies (I looked up Ball Gown on the internet and I think it is Remy's picture of it shown in the example!), Helenium, an iris, a pulmonaria, Succisa pratensis, and Leontine Gervais Rose. That looks like such a beauty on Remy's blog. I hope it grows well for me. She also included some homemade applesauce (totally yum!), green tea, stevia, a pop-up vase, landscape gloves, and a tissue pack with flowers printed on them. Thanks so much, Remy. You really spoiled me! Jeanne...See Morenicholsworth Z6 Indianapolis
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