Hellebores

[Tee Gee]

This Hellebore (Helleborus stermii) has amazed me how prolific it is and for how long the flowers last, these came out before Christmas.

The plant indirectly came from the RHS Gardens at Wisley.

To explain we visited the garden two or three years ago with some friends and she picked off a seed head from one of their plants (naughty girl!) and sowed them.

She had a degree of successs and gave us a plant which you can see here:



This is a close up of the flower:




Now I am repeating the exercise:

[Tee Gee]

[brownthumb2]

 I ,am now getting to appreciate them and planning on adding /making a collection of them  .. what a fantastic plant  they are  the flowers seem to go on for ever 

[irridium]

I didn't realise you can start sowing the seeds now. Thanks for reminding me. How long did they take to germinate?

This year is my first in getting really keen on helles. I bought 4 more varieties (niger; harvington series and lady series in red lady and metallic grey/blue). Though the latter two might take a couple of years to establish themselves as they're very small atm.

[Deb P]

Just posted in the bargain seeds section that I'd bought some lovely plum and slate coloured Hellebores, lovely things. They are going cheap in garden centres at the moment as they are mostly going over now, but growing from seed is even cheaper!! I have just ordered some mixed seeds from Chiltern seeds as well, like a lucky dip. 

[Tee Gee]

I didn't realise you can start sowing the seeds now. Thanks for reminding me.

Here is how I do them normally:
http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Helleborus/Helleborus.htm

How long did they take to germinate?

Well I sowed these seeds on the 3rd September last year and I am not sure how long it took them to germinate simply because I only came across the pot a week or so ago, it had got lost among all my over-wintered stock.

Have a root around or keep an eye out for self seeders under your plants in future.

[irridium]

Judging by the almanac, it takes 6 weeks to germinate at 24C but I don't have enough space in the propagator for that and have already left them in my plastic greenhouse (indirect sun). I'll leave them for the time being. I'll get more ripe seed and sow again another time and leave them on my radiator (not sure if that goes that high at 24C though).

Tee Gee: What varieties do you have?
Deb P: Which garden centres have these reduced? One of my new helles is a slate grey/blue-y colour.. As it's so small, it may take a few years to flower though!

[Deb P]

Deb P: Which garden centres have these reduced? One of my new helles is a slate grey/blue-y colour.. As it's so small, it may take a few years to flower though!

Wyvales. Lots of half price or better plants all finished flowering that I happily relived them of...

[Tee Gee]

1) I don't have enough space in the propagator for that

2)I'll get more ripe seed and sow again another time and leave them on my radiator (not sure if that goes that high at 24C though).

3)Tee Gee: What varieties do you have?

1)What size of containers have you sown your seeds in? I just put a pinch of seeds in to a 2" pot which do not take up a lot of space.

2) try growing them later in the year and summer temperatures may break the dormancy, as suggested for commercial seeds.

The seeds above were sown in September and they grew so worth a try.

Although the professional way to sow seeds is to use heat this is not always needed, particularly when you consider plants can self seed and germinate so this proves that high temperatures are not always necessary, it's just that they will take longer to germinate.

3) I do not know what varieties I have as they are hybrid seedlings so like all seedlings you do not know what you have until they flower, but I think I have four or five different colours/ varieties.

The ones in the picture are a particular species named Helleborous sterneii

[irridium]

Oh, Wyevales had a winter sale earlier this year in Feb. I went to one in Derbys. when it snowed as I was so desperate for some bargains. (they had 70% on perennials/shrubs/trees on summer last year's stock) and came away with a nice wisteria from £39 to £9 and a few perennials that I can't remember. I remember they had a couple of helle. harvington ones but I can't remember whether I bought one but I do know they were something like £14 - 17 to £6. They also had a lovely prunus serrula at £20 but I couldn't carry that on the bus!

What plants did you get at Wyevales?

[irridium]

TG: They're sown in 3" pots from ripe seed that I took from my garden. I thought it was best to use ripe seed as opposed to dried up ones. Do I save these seeds and wait till summer, or do I wait for the ones I've already sown and hope the temps. in the greenhouse will suffice?

[Tee Gee]

)I thought it was best to use ripe seed as opposed to dried up ones.

2)Do I save these seeds and wait till summer,

3)or do I wait for the ones I've already sown and hope the temps. in the greenhouse will suffice?

1) I always thought ripe seeds are dry as this is when the plant will usually disperse its seeds naturally.

That is the seeds rattle in the pod.

2) sow these at about the end of this month (May) as there will be less extremes of temperatures like we are getting at the moment.

3) leave these be and providing they have not rotted off there is still a chance that they might germinate.

[irridium]

Okay, I'll do both actions; sow again at the end of the month with the dried rattley seeds. Thanks, TG

[Robert_Brenchley]

I plant them in autumn and leave them to get chilled over winter. They germinate the following spring.