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Re: Hellabores

I was hoping some real authority would jump in here, but I have not seen a
reply so will tell you what I know...

You can divide hellebores, but they don't really like it.  I read in one of
Beth Chatto's books that she divides hers to increase stock for her nursery
when they are in bloom, cutting them right back and  replanting the
divisions immediately.  I have never divided mine, not wanting to kill
them.  My H. orientalis self seeds and I dig up the babies.  H. foetidus
'Wester Flisk' seeds like mad, making plenty of extra children.  The others
I've got, I've not had long enough for them to start doing much.

So, you can be on the look-out for babies from your friend's plant, they
should be in somewhat close proximity to the mother plant.

You can grow them from seed.  Fresh seed germinates readily and dry seed is
more difficult to germinate, requiring soaking and stratification.  

My suggestion , if there are no self-sown babies, is that  you ask your
friend if you can put a bit of old nylon stocking over a seedpod to catch
the seeds and protect them from critters, and then plant them immediately
they are ripe.  You can tell whether a flower has been pollinated by
looking into the center where you can see the swelling seedpods if they are
going to be there.  Seeds ripen on my plants end of May or in June.  Dunno
when this will happen on your friend's plant.

Hope this helps a bit.  Come on everybody, I *know* someone on this list
knows more about this than I do!!!

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@clark.net
Editor:  Gardening in Shade
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----------
> From: lynne <lynne@northwest.com>
> To: seeds-list@eskimo.com
> Subject: Hellabores
> Date: Wednesday, February 11, 1998 11:30 PM
> 
> Can anyone tell me the best method of propagating Hellabores? A friend
has
> a green and a purple one blooming and they are stunning. Thanks in
advance
> for your help.
> Lynne
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