Hellebores 2008

[kaydale]

My sister has been right into Hellebores for the last six years or so (mainly concentrating on double and anemone), we have found that fresh is definately best, but also they germinate better if the plants have compost or something around them and we let them drop on the ground.  We prick the seedlings out after their first year.  Because of the amount of seed we do selective crossing and then take the seed pods out that we haven't pollinated.
Below is one of my fav anemone ones that she has grown from seed.

[Tony Willis]

Paul the vesicarius grows as the dominant plant in some areas upto half an acre square.Some of the plants are so large they must be tens of years old. I have had mine about eight years and some times it produces more shoots than others.One plant died when I think I kept it tii dry in summer

[Paul T]

Lesley,

Absolutely beautiful!!

Tony,

Maybe that is what happened to mine.  I am not aware of having done anythign different to the 3 years beforehand, but we have had decidedly hotter and drier summers the last few years so that could just be it.  Maybe it didn't like setting seed, as it died the year it set seed (had flowered previously, but never set seed).

[Rob]

Lesley that's a lovely plant. I've got a single with similar markings.

Paul it's a shame you aren't in the UK as the place I get my hellebores, Linnett Farm Plants at Ullingswick, usually has double blacks.

I haven't bought one as yet, but he is having some open weekends this month, so I might get out for a look.

[rob krejzl]

Paul,

Try fossicking amongst these (http://www.southcom.com.au/~hortus/catalogue.htm) for a good double red or purple. Failing that, Barb Jennings does a few.

[David Nicholson]

'fossicking' what a lovely word, I haven't heard it before, is a Tassie word?

[David Nicholson]

........the place I get my hellebores, Linnett Farm Plants at Ullingswick, usually has double blacks.

I haven't bought one as yet, but he is having some open weekends this month, so I might get out for a look.

Rob, this a nursery I haven't heard of before but I have put on my list of places to go when I am next at my mum-in-laws in Ledbury. I can't find a web site so could you please let me know the dates of the open weekends. Does he specialise in Hellebore or could you recommend him for other stuff as well?

[David Nicholson]

Thanks all for the seed sowing tips. It seems fresh is best or sow dried when possible and wait!

[ian mcenery]

David sowing fresh is best. Leaving seed on existing plants can be OK and for many years I left seed on all my plants and did populate what was then an unfavourable area of the garden with assorted hellebores which was OK. As I had 2 or 3 good plants one or two good ones emerged but dozens of poorer ones were more the order of the day. A few years ago I became ruthless and composted dozens of large but ordinary plants. I replaced these wit a few selcted forms from Aswood and now have a wide range of colours etc. As a result of previous experience I now remove all seeding heads that I don't want to reproduce before ripe and concentrate either on the very best or any I have attempted to make deliberate crosses with. Growing from seed is a lengthy process and amateurs will never be able to compete on garden hybrids with the top specialists because of the access to good stock and the volume of plants produced means that further breeding stock will be improving all of the time.

By contrast as hellebores are notoriously promiscuous and seemingly the only way to guarantee a true species is to grow it from collected seed

The moral of this story is if you are going to grow from seed first make sure you have only the best material to start with as it takes at leat 3/4 years to get a reasonable flowering plant.

[Hans J]

Hi ,

here some Helleborus pics from me too :

Hell. spec. Calabria

Helleborus siculus : I have grown my plants from seeds w.c. in Sicily in year 2001 by me -from the same seeds I have send a part to Will McLewin - he share it with the Archibalds ......

[Rob]

David I haven't got the open weekend dates to hand. There was an advert in this weeks Hereford Times but I didn't keep the paper, as I will get a new copy when it is published on Thursday.

The Linnett Farm Plants phone number is 07917 787856. He is next to the church, but 3 or 4 miles along lanes from the main road so you would need directions if you can visit

He specialises in hellebores and has about 1000 for sale in a poly-tunnel. They are about half the price that Ashwoods charge.

As well as the hellebores he has also bred his own range of cyclamen and has a good selection of them, and a very small number of snowdrops.

[Maggi Young]

I have heard the word "fossicking", I have a friend who uses it quite a lot but I have no idea of the derivation... fine word though!

Lesley, congratulations to Amarlie for her Hellies... that is a very pretty one, good markings and holds itself well.

[David Nicholson]

David I haven't got the open weekend dates to hand. There was an advert in this weeks Hereford Times but I didn't keep the paper, as I will get a new copy when it is published on Thursday.

The Linnett Farm Plants phone number is 07917 787856. He is next to the church, but 3 or 4 miles along lanes from the main road so you would need directions if you can visit

He specialises in hellebores and has about 1000 for sale in a poly-tunnel. They are about half the price that Ashwoods charge.

As well as the hellebores he has also bred his own range of cyclamen and has a good selection of them, and a very small number of snowdrops.

Thanks for that Rob I know roughly where it is as it is on one of regular 'take mum-in-law out for run' venues. I seem to know most of Herefordshire and Worcestershgire now as well as a fair spread of Gloucestershire and the Welsh borders. If you could let me know the dates for the open weekends when you have them I would be obliged. Do you by any chance visit Lingen Nursery-I went during last Summer but the Nursery wasn't opening last year for some reason and I would like to know if he has closed for good?

[David Nicholson]

Ian, thanks for that. I really haven't the room for serious Hellebore growing so it would only be a bit of 'messing around' with seedlings.

[Rob]

I haven't been to Lingen Nursery. I've been to the Ornamental Tree Nurseries at Cobnash, which looks quite close on the map, but didn't know about Lingen.

The Lingen nursery website comes up page not found, so I guess they have closed permanently.