Re: hellebore seeds

Kay, considering where you are, think you may just want to put the
bags in the fridge until the thaw comes.

I got seed from John late last winter - guess it was about now or
maybe Feb.  Anyway, I stuck them in the fridge and, being up to my
eyebrows in deadlines, did not get around to planting them until
around end April, 1st May.  All but one packet germinated in a few
weeks and are now little seedlings riding through this awful winter
we're having...just checked them today and they seem fine, frozen
soil and all:-)

When I took them out of the fridge, a couple had started to
germinate, so it was time to do it!!  You will want to keep an eye on
them and if some start to germinate, you could just pot them up and
put them in that 60F room under lights.  After germination, 60F is
not going to be too warm for them to grow on.

I planted them in a raised seedbed I made out of an old holding bed,
outside, for lack of time to deal with pots and place to put them.
Sowed them; covered the bed with granite grit about half an inch
thick and then put some plastic mesh fencing over the bed to keep the
squirrels out.  You just have to remember to not let the bed dry out
while they are thinking about germinating.  I have left the fencing
in place; the little seedlings are growing up through the holes in it
- my squirrels are real diggers and I don't want to go out and find
those baby roots in air.  Will remove the mesh when they get a bit
bigger and before they are too big to get it off without damage.

OTOH, I lined out about 150 seedlings (larger) that I had started in
pots in some of my old veggie beds this fall...and the squirrels have
had a good time - have had to replace several plants that were dug up
and they aren't too happy about the experience!

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
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----------
> From: Kay Dye <Kdye1@AOL.COM>
>
> Diane,
> Ha!  I noticed that.  I hope it wasn't anything I said, perhaps
some bad luck
> with hellebores?
>
> Well, I have read Marge's info that I printed out about a year ago.
 I looked
> on the Garden web at the messages there.  I planted up my seeds,
and you're
> right, I need to know what to do with them in zone 5.  I have a
coldframe I
> could stick them in, but it's small and I'm sure the temps will be
much lower
> than 40 degrees yet this winter.  I had planned to grow them under
lights.  I
> have an area that stays about 60 degrees that I could put lights in
  I have
> a porch that is connected to the house and enclosed in plastic
during the
> winter, I could check the temp there.  I have a garage that I could
check the
> temp on.  It seems from what I've read that the hellebores
germinate in the
> fall, right?  So then after they germinate they go through the
winter as
> seedlings, right?  So what I have to figure is that since they're
from
> Tazmania, they have been warm stratified and now would be ready to
enter fall
> and germination, right?  So if I find a 40-60 degree area to
germinate them
> in (and I'll have to use lights because they won't germinate in the
dark, or
> will they?), they should germinate.  Right now I have the planted
seeds in
> the fridge in plastic bags, so I'm trying to decide where to go
from here.
> Thanks for any input.
> Kay Dye
>
> > No one seems to have answered your question.  Instead, what
should
> > have been your answer turned into how to quit the list!
> >
> > I have received Tasmanian hellebore seeds for the past two years.
> > When they arrive, they have already had their warm period, so I
just
> > put them in a pot and put them outside in a sheltered spot.  It
is
> > usually around 5 C here in the winter, about 40 F, so the
sheltered
> > spot is to keep the rain off me when I am out looking at my
> > seedlings. I don't know what to do in a place that freezes -
maybe a
> > coldframe?
> >
> >
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