Helleborus 2022

[Jeffnz]

i would assume that as the plant matured that it would produce more flowering shoots. Growing conditions may work against this happening.

[arisaema]

It's interesting, last year my other plant had 5 flowers. I found it bent over one day. Thinking a deer or another animal stepped on it. This year it looks to be just a single leaf coming up.

They don't like too much mulch, much like peonies the stems sometimes collapse from Botrytis, although if a deer stepped on it I guess it may have damaged next year's shots.

Thx, this does suggest to me that maintenance of year rood moisture is the key factor. What about maximum temperatures during dormancy

I think minimum might be around -10 to -12C there, and I don't think snow cover is stable through winter, but I'm afraid I don't know how warm it can get. You can get a rough idea by looking at the weather in Baoxing/Muping town itself, although it's at a much lower altitude (1010m) and much drier than the 2300-2600m belt you find H. thibetanus growing in the wild. (Deduct some 10C and double the precipitation!) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baoxing_County#Geography_and_climate

[Jeffnz]

Damage to an emerging flower stalk may have also damaged the below ground growth buds, especially if it was from being stomped on.

[Leena]

I know someone here in Finland who has been able to grow H.thibetanus at least for couple of years, but she lives in more eastern part of Finland where there is always snow when it is cold (in my part we have many times cold without snow in early winter, and then more snow in spring when there is no need for it).

[arisaema]

(in my part we have many times cold without snow in early winter, and then more snow in spring when there is no need for it).

What's the minimum there? It survived -18C back home with no snow cover and soggy soil in S Norway, although I had some bark mulch on top.

[Leena]

What's the minimum there? It survived -18C back home with no snow cover and soggy soil in S Norway, although I had some bark mulch on top.

In my garden minimum without snow was -23C last December and cold lasted for two weeks, mostly between -10 and -20C (this was too much for most Helleborus x hybridus leaves and they got frost damage and turned brown/black - I hope the buds are ok, but I will see when the snow melts), and in 2016 it was -26C without snow, but I don't have H.thibetanus (I have never got fresh seeds to try). In my friend's garden minimum is more but there is always snow from the beginning of winter until end.

[ian mcdonald]

I,ve  been trying to find a supplier of a good yellow, preferably a double, without paying over the odds. Any suggestions?.

[corydalisambigua]

Harvington has a double yellow. It should also have seeds in a month or two.
https://www.twelvenunns.co.uk/nursery/product/harvington-hellebores/helleborus-hybridus-harvington-double-yellow/

[Leena]

This winter has not been good for my Helleborus. Most of the leaves are damaged by frost, and also many plants will not flower. The buds are all soft and mushy. I will see later if I have lost any plants completely. Many are still under snow, so I hope there will be some nice surprises too, when it melts.

[Gabriela]

This winter has not been good for my Helleborus. Most of the leaves are damaged by frost, and also many plants will not flower. The buds are all soft and mushy. I will see later if I have lost any plants completely. Many are still under snow, so I hope there will be some nice surprises too, when it melts.

Wow, that looks bad Leena. On my Helleborus all the foliage was burnt by cold this winter but the buds were OK.
It could be that yours remained under snow and ice for too long. I had plants that died one year when a blanket of ice formed on top of the snow, probably by lack of air.
Hopefully some will rebound later in the spring.

Our weather continues on the not very good trend for flowers, with cold and snow.
Helleborus caucasicus before and after:

[Jeffnz]

Leena
Unfortunately does look like a disaster event but all may not be lost, hopefully the bud development was not advanced. Open flowers can cope with frost events, so fingers crossed.

[Leena]

Yesterday I started to cut old leaves and not all buds are gone. The ones which were coming up early are all soft and rotted, but there are some plants with buds coming from the ground only now and they seem fine (so far). I think most of the damage was done in early winter with very cold and no snow, but also January was bad with days of rain and  freezing temperatures at nights which resulted in ice, and then all the snow on top in February and March. Surprisingly my favourite picotee flowering white Helleborus seems to have good buds when strong ice melted from on top of its crown yesterday!
Days have now been above 10C and nights just below freezing, so spring is advancing fast and snow melting. Every day there are new plants coming up  , and I think there will also be Helleborus flowers, but later than normal.

Gabriela, beautiful white Helleborus!

[Jeffnz]

Leena
Great to learn that you have surviving buds, I recall that when we lived in Canada that roses were covered in shredded cardboard/paper to give snow/frost protection.
This was to avoid heaving of the bushes. Not sure if this practice is still done but it maybe a way to reduce frost burn and if not removed may well compost away and act as a soli conditioner if nothing else.

[Gabriela]

Leena - Glad to hear it's not as bad as it was looking.

Thanks, H. caucasicus is flowering well this year and given that I still don't have any white H. x hybridus it is very welcomed.
Here's Cherry Blossom in the late afternoon sun today:

[Leena]

I recall that when we lived in Canada that roses were covered in shredded cardboard/paper to give snow/frost protection.
This was to avoid heaving of the bushes. Not sure if this practice is still done but it maybe a way to reduce frost burn and if not removed may well compost away and act as a soli conditioner if nothing else.

I have put dry oak leaves on top of my most precious plants for winter protection, and usually they help. For instance all Trillium seem to be unharmed under dry leaves.
With Helleborus the trouble was that plant had big flower buds already before the winter, plants which seem ok, are the ones which are later flowering and show buds only now.
This Helleborus multifidus was a surprise when it emerged from snow couple of days ago, already flowering when snow melted. This was grown from garden seeds.
The second Helleborus multifidus was grown from wild collected seeds, and it has also been mostly unharmed, only some flowers show dark frost damage.

Gabriela, that is a very nice plant, that flower colour is one of my favourites. I'm happy to write that at least one new seedling from your Cherry Blossom is going to flower this spring.