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Re: [SHADEGARDENS] Helleborus Seeds

Jane,

Questions about propagating Hellebores from division and seed were recently
asked on Seeds-L and Graham Rice responded with an excellent post which he
has given me permission to post to Shadegardens.  Graham was co-author with
Elizabeth Strangman of "The Gardener's Guide to Growing Hellebores".  His
post follows:

"All hellebores except H. foetidus, H. argutifolius, H. lividus and H. x
sternii can be divided, the best time for this is late summer, eg the end
of August or September in zone 8. But they do hate it. If you split a fat
clump into four using the traditional 'two forks' technique, which is
perfectly possible, the resulting plants will often talke some time to
settle down. They may well flower in their first spring because the flower
buds were formed before the plant was divided but it can be a couple of
years before vigorous growth recommences.

So it always seems to me that if you're going to upset a plant so much, you
might as well make the most of it. so i recommend lifting the plant, hosing
all the soil off the roots and cutting up the clump into pieces (i use an
old bread knife) with a couple of good noses and a few strong new white
roots (black roots are old roots) on each piece. Then pot them up and keep
them in a cold frame until the roots peep through the holes in the pot when
they can be planted out or potted on.

It's tempting to remove strong pieces from the outside edge of an
established clump without actually lifting it from the ground - this is a
big mistake. Growth at the edge is the most vigorous but by removing it you
leave behind only the oldest and weakest growth and the result is that your
clump slowly fades away.

Seed is certainly best collected as soon as it it's ripe, usually in May
and June, and sown before the end of July. It's important to keep the seed
moist after sowing; seed of the Orientalis Hybrids will often germinate at
approaching 100% before Chrsitmas, H. niger usually takes longer.

Seed bought from seed companies or received from seed lists may not arrive
until mid winter and sowing then usually produces very low germination. I
find it's better to keep the seed dry, in the fridge, until normal sowing
time and sow in July to fit in with the nornmal cycle.

Hellebore seed does not need frost, it needs warm moist conditions followed
by a dropping temperature; the Orientalis Hybrids often germinate before
there has been much actual frost. Sow in winter and the seed gets these
condtions in reverse order.

Collecting seed from garden plants which have been pollinated by bees gives
highly unpredictable results as hellebores have mechanisms to encourage
outcrossing rather than self pollination. Hand pollination of the flowers
(which are conveniently large) gives much more control over the quality of
the offspring.

And please, if you collect seed fom named cultivars please do not give it
away or sell it with the name of the cultivar from which it was collected.
The only thing you can be sure of is that seed collected from a named
cultivar will *not* be identical to its parent so should not carry the
parent's name - that way lies only chaos.

You will find more on all this in The Gardeners Guide to Hellebores (David
& Charles in the UK, Timber Press in the US and in Dutch later this spring)
written by long time hellebore expert and breeder Elizabeth Strangman and
myself.

Graham Rice
Northamptonshire UK zone 8"


Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@clark.net
Editor:  Gardening in Shade
http://www.suite101.com/frontpage/frontpage.cfm?topicID=222
Gardening Topic Index for Suite101:
http://www.suite101.com/userfiles/79/gardening.html



----------
> From: spencer <spencer@JAYCOUNTY.COM>
> Date: Friday, February 20, 1998 5:32 PM
>
> Guess what I found at Franks Nursery last evening.  Helleborus Seeds!!
> I read the directions on the package.  Does it really take 18 months for
> these to germinate?  Do I have to put them in a pot and sink it in the
> ground and cover it with plastic?  What about planting them pots under
> my grow lights just like hostas and other seeds?
>
> Has anyone ever tried growing them from seed before?
>
> Any help or advise would be greatly appresiated.
>
> Jane Spencer
> Portland, Indiana
> Zone 5
> Yes, spring is knocking on our door here!  Is it really still February
> or late March?
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