Helleborus 2011

[t00lie]

P.S. Tony, I just looked through the 2010 hellebore thread and noticed your conversation about H. thibetanus germination and the cotyledon issue. Here is visual proof of the cotyledons (they are not photosynthetic or meant to be above ground perhaps), but then this raises the question of the above ground/below ground topic.   It might be anomalous, but I've seen it a couple of times. Either way they're ephemeral. If one is not looking they might disappear in one day.]
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Thanks for the pics Joseph.

Today i found seed of this sps sown June 2009 just germinating , a radicle ,(root),pushing the seed upright.It will be interesting to see how quickly the cotyledons form and appear above ground......

Cheers Dave.

[Tony Willis]

Joseph

I remember that when I had a further germination I acknowledged that I was wrong and certainly in the case of my thibetanus the cotyledons stayed underground and the first sign of growth was a leaf.

The plants are in their second year and are doing well,see picture attached. These were sown June 09 and have been kept in a cold frame over the winter where they froze. I have several others which were left in an open frame and there is no difference in the plants.

[Joseph]

Tony, I meant to confirm that you were correct about them having cotyledons (might have misread the thread though). I think perhaps they only appear above ground like this when the seed coat is stuck on. Your seedlings look good.

Dave, good to hear you have germination. They are starting to seed around a bit here, though slowly.

I have one curious seedling in the spot I put some H. thibetanus seed in 2009. I'm hoping it's Helleborus x belcheri. I randomly try pollen between H. niger and H. thibetanus when I can, but in the open garden it's tough to say. The closest H. niger is about 15 meters away.

[Roberto Gamoletti]

Dear friends
Here the picture of an uncomom wild atrorubens guttatus from Will Mc Lewin flowering now in my garden
Roberto

[ian mcenery]

Dear friends
Here the picture of an uncomom wild atrorubens guttatus from Will Mc Lewin flowering now in my garden
Roberto

Interesting plant that Roberto I have not heard of this one before

Here are a few of mine

H torquatus a Will Mclewin collection
H purpurescens from wild collected seed

H atrorubens (I think) from wild seed
H multifidus bocconei same
H niger Blackthorn Strain

[ian mcenery]

Here are a couple of my seedlings that I "retrieved" from my allotment. The colour is more intense than shown here. I think they are amongst the best I have raised. The first is what is called a Neon which I crossed with an Ashwood Neon and a deep yellow plant. The second is a Yellow spotted with my best Lemon yellow one, both I like better than their parents

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Excellent plants Ian !! 

[David Nicholson]

Two crackers there Ian-how long from seed please?

[Hoy]

At last! Here are my first hellebores for the season. The last time I saw them like this was December 2009 - before the extremely cold winter that year started mid-December. This, almost as cold, winter started even earlier - mid-November. But today I can imagine the spring

(Nothing for you from warmer places)

PS: Ian, your yellows are marvellous!

[ian mcenery]

Two crackers there Ian-how long from seed please?

Both  took 3 years to flower but the second plant is 4 years old. I have raised about 100  plants many of which are good but not particularly outstanding. The allotment is useful for this.

Luc and Trond thanks

[Roberto Gamoletti]

Flowering today an anemone picotee hybrid

[Joseph]

Ian, nice neons but that H. torquatus is so rare and exquisite! 'Neons' can be easily bought or bred these days, but that dark plant is magnificent. Those who have not visited wild colonies may not share in my excitement.  All nice plants though . . .

[David Nicholson]

A few from the garden today. Sorry about the shots that include my fingers most of mine seem to have flowers that look at the soil. Apart from 1 which I've had for years, 2 which is a self sown seedling that I just left to grow and 6 which is a seedling Stella Tracey raised (won in the raffle at our last local AGS group meeting), all the others are from the Harvington series which seem to be the only ones available at local garden centres here. Now if only Ashwood Nurseries were nearer!

   

[ian mcenery]

Ian, nice neons but that H. torquatus is so rare and exquisite! 'Neons' can be easily bought or bred these days, but that dark plant is magnificent. Those who have not visited wild colonies may not share in my excitement.  All nice plants though . . .

Joseph

I also like the torquatus very much but I think that many regard these as an acquired taste preferring the bigger and more colourful ones I find the species particularly slow to grow and very fussy about conditions.

[ian mcenery]

Been busy there David - very nice