Helleborus 2011

[mark smyth]

... and £35 postage and packaging 

I had to laugh

[Lesley Cox]

I got an email from Ashwoods today offereing me one of the Hellebores I'm looking for. Dont get too excited it's only thibetanus.

We should be so lucky!

[Lesley Cox]

... and £35 postage and packaging 

WHAT???

[mark smyth]

I could get a no frills air fare for that.

Lesley, is it thibetanus you want? If I have seeds this year I can send you some

[Maggi Young]

I try to select seedlings with flowers that are not nodding (specially with large single flowers)
Any suggestions for good cv.Please show some pics.

 Since John is interested in breeding some hellebores and may have other questions about this that would be of interest to others, I'll start a thread for that....  

[monocotman]

hi ,

just a few of open pollinate seedlings from ashwood plants flowering for the first time this year. All the plants are quite small with just a couple of flowers but show some potential.
First up is a nice flat picotee with quite a broad dark edge over most of the petals. As usual with these types, one of the petals doesn't have such a good edge colour. Maybe next year and a bit more growth.
Second up is a purpleish anemone with quite a large 'ruff'.
Lastly is a really nice 'neon' which on this flowering is better than the parent.
The colour is pretty accurate. Many of this strain that I've seen have had a high proportion of crippled or slightly disfigured flowers  so fingers crossed for next year,

Regards,

David

[Gail]

Beautiful David - especially that first one.

[Maggi Young]

Beautiful David - especially that first one.

Oh yes! Blackcurrant and white.... my favourite combination.

[ian mcenery]

Nice picotee David like the dark petaloid stamens sets it off quite nicely

[Hillview croconut]

Hi,

I have notr seen anything like the neon seedling here in Australia. I do like it just because it breaks through my "ideas' about where hellebore breeding is at.
We don't have an Ashwood out here in Australia pushing the boundaries but we have some nice plants. By way of comparison I am posting a picotee that goes the "other way". This one has a green surround on the dark petaloids.

The other is one that cant make up its mind whether it wants to be a double or an anemone-centred individual.

Cheers, Marcus

[fleurbleue]

Very nice flowers Hillview C. and Monocotman 

[monocotman]

Marcus,

you can always try to buy some 'neon' seed from ashwoods - they do an extensive list, but you have to be fairly quick for some of the crosses.
The red in this strain is a true red in some parts of the flower with no purple shading at all.
Alternatively you can buy some seed of their 'yellow with yellow nectaries' strain and cross it with a good red picotee.
This particular yellow strain is an eye popping bright yellow ( no green at all) and shines out when in flower from across the garden.
Both the neon and this strain of yellows have characteristic pale foliage. It never gets really dark.
See the photo of the seedling.
I find both of these strains not the quickest or easiest to establish in the garden which is why I've raised a bunch of seedlings from them and dotted them around.
It is easy to pick the pale coloured foliage forms from group of mixed seedlings and to know that these will probably have the brightest flowers.
They may also require a slightly drier soil than some forms - I don't really know - I'm experimenting.
The colours are so bright that it is worth persevering,

Regards,

David

[Diane Clement]

A self sown seedling, coming up through a ruff of hederifolium leaves.  The parent is an Ashwood cv

[Hillview croconut]

Hi David,

I did purchase seed from Ashwoods years ago I seem to rememeber that there was a waiting list for some strains . Importing hellebore plants into Australia  is another thing entirely and not to be taken on lightly or with a thin wallet. Peter Leigh who is the leading grower here has recently imported some stock plants from Ashwoods and I did bring some in from Farm Yard ? Nursery in Wales as well as NZ.

I will put my name down at Ashwoods for the neons meanwhile I will cross our very best primrose picotee with our best red as you suggest.

My "yellows" are more primrose and certainly not eye-popping. I have posted this and the primrose picotee strain below as well as a very large, but not evenly coloured, anemone-centred pink. You are welcome to some seed of this (perhaps to give better shape to your strain) and the picotee I posted earlier on if you wish. They are very stable strains and might help with your breeding program. Let me know by PE if you want them - I am about to sow my seed for this year.

Cheers, Marcus

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Diane,

What a lovely and gorgeous surprise. I so look forward to what a new crop of seedlings will bring. This is even better when such a lovely thing appears unannounced.

I probably sell a lot of better plants than I keep. People are forever sending pics of plants they have purchased from me and a lot of them bring out the green-eyed monster. I once sold a batch of Ashwood seedlings sight unseen to some guys who own a wholesale nursery because I had too much stock to look after. They sent me some pics of primrose picotee anemome-centres that I would kill for!
They all nearly look the same when they are babies, though I do note David's selecting ploy.

Cheers, Marcus