Author Topic: Sick Hellebores  (Read 3272 times)

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Sick Hellebores
« on: November 02, 2015, 19:16:05 »
I have grown hybrid hellebore for a number of years, mostly homegrown from seedlings. I have them planted in Borders under or close to large pine trees where they get shade but also a good quantity of light and moisture. They have always done well, flowered nicely each spring and cut back every winter. That is until this year.

Most years foliage growth after flowering has been good, but this year regrowth has been weak for many of the plants, in one border particularly. The plants haven't died, they just seem to have gone dormant. Thinking perhaps they had become overcrowded and the soil tired I recently lifted the worst affected plants, dug and improved the soil and replanted the largest crowns, putting the others into a nursery bed in the veg plot. I am hoping this will revive them. If not I will have to replace them.

It seems a bit mystifying, all of my plants are about the same age (7/8 yo) or older, but other than this one border the rest are still thriving elsewhere in the garden.

Any ideas?

Tee Gee

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Re: Sick Hellebores
« Reply #1 on: November 02, 2015, 19:24:56 »
No idea at all, a picture would be handy assuming there is something to see.

I have noticed the ones I have had in quite good light are faring better than those that are in a more shaded spot,so this combined with the variable weather and short supply of sunshine might be part of the answer.


This bit on Hellebore diseases might throw light on it, even if it is only to confirm that they are not diseased, against the variable weather patterns we have had this year.

Hellebore Diseases

Hellebores are generally trouble free but in recent years some of the hybrids have been affected by various fungal diseases and viruses, e.g. Fungal leaf spot, Cucumber mosaic virus, Helleborus net necrosis virus.

Fungal leaf spot:

As the name suggests is caused by a fungus that causes brown elliptical blotches to appear on both sides of the leaves.

Lesions can sometimes appear on the stems sometimes causing the leaves to shrivel and collapse.

The best cure is to remove all the affected parts, if the problem is only slight using a fungicide can sometimes help.

Cucumber mosaic virus:

Is transmitted by aphids and causes yellow to white line patterns to appear on the leaves.

As with all virus problems, destroy the infected plant/s immediately to reduce the risk of spread.

Hellebore Black Death:

This is a relatively new disease that only affects hybrid hellebores.

It is seen as the blackening, distortion and stunting of the leaves and stems, and sometimes the flowers.

Black streaking and mottling appears as a ring spot pattern or in lines between the leaf veins.

These are eventually passed down the leaf stalks to the main stem of the plant.

An aphid endemic to hellebores is suspected of passing on the virus.

There is no cure for virus infection other than digging up all infected plants as soon as symptoms are noticed, and destroying them immediately to reduce the risk of spread.

woodypecks

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Re: Sick Hellebores
« Reply #2 on: November 23, 2015, 08:19:28 »
..........running off to check mine !   ........ :tongue3: blackdeath hope not  :tongue3:
Trespassers will be composted !

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Re: Sick Hellebores
« Reply #3 on: November 23, 2015, 09:28:13 »
Starting to wonder if mine have the black spot disease, thinking about it some of the symptoms do fit, although it could also be  fungal leaf spit I suppose. Like I said in my first post it's not all plants, mostly those in one area of the garden, although increasingly more plants have developed tattier than usual leaves this autumn - edges have gone thin pale and paper like. We have had to start cutting them back earlier than normal. This could be weather related though.

I am getting increasingly concerned that my hellebores could be on the way out, they always provide nice colour in spring and will be missed. They mostly came from self seeding, very few were bought in so would be expensive to replace to get the same effect, or take a long time to build up the same numbers again.

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Re: Sick Hellebores
« Reply #4 on: April 03, 2016, 15:09:36 »
Affected plants were given a chance to recover and flower again this spring. They haven't and are looking very weak and stunted. I have plenty, so to help secure the future of the healthy plants I have decided to remove the worst plants. Others may have it bit can't be sure, in its earliest stages it can look like other less serious problems.

 

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