The best moment to divide a hellebore is when you are already moving it, even though you should only move them when required. In September or October is the ideal time to transplant and/or divide hellebores. The optimal time to divide hellebores is just before their autumn root growth spurt, which occurs about this time each year. This enables the rapid establishment of new roots in the plants that have just been divided.
When transferring hellebores, you should dig up the entire plant in an 8-inch-deep circle that is six inches from the outermost leaves if you want to divide the plants. Once it is freed, raise the plant off the ground, wash the crown to remove any dirt, and then use a sharp knife to cut between the growth buds so you can see what you are doing. The plant will heal faster if you leave at least three buds in each division. A least of one bud, ideally two or three, some woody rhizome tissue, and some developing roots are required for each new division. The next step is to plant each tiny transplant with lots of organic debris in a spot that is somewhat shaded and to water it well.
After that, mulch the transplants with a layer of compost or leaf mulch and keep watering them until they are established.
Can hellebores be planted in the summer?
When plants bloom and set seed, they work the hardest. Leave them alone to complete their work at these times. It is ideal to divide a plant either before it blooms or after it has produced seed.
For this task, there are two suitable periods of time:
- final winter
- early autumn
Late Winter
Look for the first new hellebore shoots in the late winter, right around the time you get tired of the ice and snow.
They shouldn’t be difficult to locate if you’re like me and let the old leaves up till spring.
However, if you had your plants chopped to the ground last fall, hopefully you had marked their locations. If there is snow on the ground, on the other hand, you might not notice the new growth until the flowers start to bloom.
In either case, you must locate your plants and take action before the buds form in order to divide them before blossoming.
Pros:
- Transplants have plenty of time to establish themselves before the next winter arrives.
Cons:
- Transplants could be harmed or destroyed by a late frost.
- The division procedure may cause damage to delicate young shoots.
- Finding new shoots before they bud could be difficult.
Early Fall
Perennial plants can be divided after they have flowered and set seed. This period occurs for hellebores in the summer.
To prevent putting the original plant and transplants under unnecessary stress, it is advisable to hold off until after the summer’s peak heat has passed before starting any work.
- The locations of plants are clear.
- Frost damage is unlikely to occur.
- Before winter, transplants don’t have as much time to establish themselves.
In USDA Hardiness Zone 6, I personally prefer to take a chance with an early fall division because the plants are more resilient and the weather is more reliable.
Are you able to divide and hoist hellebore?
I inherited a yard with a sizable collection of hellebores ten years ago; they ranged from milky white to yellow, pink with flecks, to the deepest burgundy. They flourish in this soggy Welsh garden, which receives plenty of summer light but a lot of winter gloom.
Hellebores put on a fantastic display in the late winter and early spring, but their enormous, spreading leaves do make them a big space-eater in the summer. It is advisable to perform a hellebore “audit” to make sure they are making a profit for this reason.
How to handle hellebores
The greatest season for a hellebore audit is spring, when the blooms are in full bloom. Think about where you have your hellebores planted. Additionally, consider whether the color is appropriate. Perhaps the borders are gradually becoming a neutral pink color. The plant Helleborus orientalis is promiscuous. It produces a large number of hybrid seedlings since it produces large amounts of seed and doesn’t care who it crosses with.
The prized double dark beauty I had spotted in Tyntesfield a few years ago has finally taken up residence outside my basement window, where I can enjoy the multi-petalled silk blossoms while doing the dishes. There are numerous seedlings all around it that could potentially crowd out the mother plant. It’s tough to tell if these are kids with the dark double gene or if they are yet another mid pink hybrid from a cross with a controlling neighbor.
The solution won’t be known for several years because the children won’t blossom until they are considerably older. So now is the time to pay for them, pot them up, and give them to your neighbors who are willing to take a chance.
How to divide hellebores
There are alternative, more expedient ways to add more hellebores to your collection while still knowing exactly what you are getting. If you are careful, this family does split fairly well. Just after flowering is an excellent time to do this, while you can still clearly recall what color they are!
I always remove the leaves from mine in the dead of winter to highlight the blossoms when they appear and reduce the possibility of the dreaded black spot. You must be careful not to injure them when you raise and split them in April since they are just starting to put out new leaves.
Hellebores are best separated with two hand forks inserted into their crowns because they have a lot of thick, fibrous roots. Make sure each part is sprouting some fresh leaves. Depending on the size of the clump you dig up, you could be able to double, treble, or even quadruple your supply.
I favor getting these divisions back into the border immediately where you see a hole that has to be filled in rather than patching them up. Place them where you can admire the flowers—perhaps on a bank, by some steps, or outside that basement window—a true sign of spring as we stay indoors during the bitterly cold winter.
In the spring, can hellebores be moved?
After flowering, adult hellebores go to seed, and the next spring, new seedlings sprout close to the parent plant. These seedlings can be moved in the spring, either into pots or to expand your garden. When they are large enough to handle and before the parent plant’s new foliage covers the sun, transplant them. With a little trowel, remove the seedlings being cautious not to damage the root ball. Replant them in dappled shade and moist soil.
Choose pots with drainage holes and a minimum diameter of 8 inches to place the seedlings in. Fill the pots with potting soil.
Penny’s Pink Hellebore
Whatever name you give them—hellebores, Lenten rose, winter rose—these plants are amazing! The genus name Helleborus is where the name “hellebore” originates. The majority of accessible hellebores are either hybrids (Helleborus x hybridus) or Helleborus orientalis.
There are not many perennials that are evergreen, flower, and grow in shade to part sun. And the only resilient winter bloomer in our region may be hellebore! Leathery leaves are always there; pick up damaged leaves as you see them or when you clean up after each season. Hellebore leaves are very resistant to deer and rabbit damage.
This perennial does the slumber, creep, then leap thing. The plant focuses on root development in the first few years, then the clump will get a little bigger, and if they are planted in a favorable spot and have had the correct care, they take off. We frequently speak with clients who planted them and then kind of ignored them. A few years later, these nearly forgotten plants emerge as the highlight of their shade gardens!
Hellebore Blooms
Older hellebore species feature nodding, downward-facing blossoms. The production of larger, upward-facing blooms has been the breeding goal. Additionally, new colors are being introduced; throughout this piece, we have included pictures of some of the hues that we currently have in stock as of March 2022. The sepals of the bloom are what we typically mistake for flowers; the actual flowers are barely noticeable.
Flowers typically come in the colors white, rose, purple, and green. While some types have double flowers, others have bicolor or streaked flowers. The diameter of a hellebore flower can reach two inches! Plant size, bloom color, and other characteristics vary according on the type.
Our perennial grower, Jen Mistretta, also offered an intriguing fact about the double blossoms. You may have noticed that double flowers typically have downward facing petals. Since water sheds well off of downward-facing blossoms, this growth pattern naturally shields the blooms from rain.
Where to Plant Hellebores
They prefer well-drained soil, just like many of our landscape plants; if the roots remain excessively wet, problems will develop.
We need cover from the sweltering midday sun here in central Arkansas. Plant in places with partial shade that receive morning or afternoon sun. Even though the plants thrive in shaded areas, if the shade is too heavy, their flowers may suffer.
How to Plant Hellebores
We advise enriching your soil before planting landscape plants because the soils in our region frequently contain clay and are deficient in organic matter. A decent ratio to keep in mind is a soil amendment of 30% to 70% native soil. Utilize our Good Earth brand Jump Start when planting to aid in the establishment of roots.
Before planting, make a note of where the plant crowns are located in the pot. The area at or just above the surrounding soil level is known as the crown, which is where the stems touch the soil. Plant deterioration or even plant death might result from planting hellebores too deeply. This is also valid for the shade perennials heuchera and tiarella, as well as their close cousins.
Digging a hole twice as wide and as deep as the root ball of the plant you are about to plant is a decent general rule of thumb. However, because hellebores are deep-rooted plants, you might want to dig farther than the pot and improve the soil there. This can be a bit problematic since, as we indicated above, it’s important to keep hellebore crowns above soil level. This is because the modified soil will settle a little. To ensure that crowns remain at least an inch above surrounding soil level, you may need to fiddle with the soil level if you decide to dig down and amend the soil at the bottom of the planting hole.
Feeding and Caring for Hellebores
Hellebores don’t need a lot of fertilizing; springtime applications of compost and a slow-release natural fertilizer ought to be adequate. When used as a top dressing of organic fertilizer, the Jump Start we indicated above performs admirably. Any fertilizer you use should be kept away from the plant’s crown because even light fertilizers might harm the crowns.
Applying too much mulch around crowns can prevent it from remaining above the surrounding soil and mulch, which is necessary. just a little mulching around hellebores.
Scale, a damaging insect pest, can infest hellebores. Scale are frequently found on the underside of leaves, making them simple to miss. Several times a year, check on your plants, and treat as necessary.
Although division is rarely necessary, it is possible to divide them in the fall if necessary. Ascertain that each division has three or more growth buds. The optimal time to transplant is also in the fall.
What location is ideal for planting hellebores?
Depending on the variety, plant hellebores in full or partial shade at the front of a border. They can be grown in pots in a compost with a loam basis, but they thrive in rich, well-drained soil.
When to plant hellebores
As long as the soil is not frozen, hellebores can be planted at any time of the year. The majority of hellebores are listed for sale from late winter to early spring when they are in bloom, but you might locate one in a garden center’s clearance section in the summer that you can plant with no issues. Keep in mind that hellebores detest being moved after being planted, so avoid doing so.
How to plant hellebores
Hellebores should be planted in the same way as other perennials, with a spadeful of garden compost and a sprinkle of mycorrhizal fungi to aid in the plant’s establishment. Water thoroughly and gently press in.
Watch Monty Don’s instructional video on planting and growing hellebores to learn about planting depth, soil preparation, and how to prevent leaf spot disease. Additionally, Monty discusses how to select the best flowers for immediate effect and displays the variety of his collection of hellebores:
How to care for hellebores
When blossoms and new foliage appear, trim back the thick, leathery leaves, and mulch the plants every year with well-rotted compost or manure. Once established, hellebores struggle to be moved, therefore try to avoid doing so.
How to propagate hellebores
Avoid dividing hellebores since they struggle to be transported. In order to develop new plants for nothing, gather ripe seed and sow it into modules. Alternately, allow the hellebores in your garden to self-seed. By letting them self-seed at random, you’ll produce a hodge-podge of various colors and flower shapes; you might even develop your own new hybrid! No hellebore seedling will be true to its parents.
Growing hellebores: problem-solving
Leaf spot, a fungus infection that causes unattractive brown and black patches on the leaves, is the major foe of hellebores. When you see damaged foliage, remove it.
Here, Monty Don shows how to recognize hellebore leaf spot and describes how to prevent it from spreading to other plants:
Advice on buying hellebores
- Garden centers sell hellebores, but you can get a broader selection at specialized nurseries and online
- Avoid double-flowered hellebores if you are growing for bees because single-flowered plants are the best for pollinators.
Do hellebores like shade or the sun?
- Hellebores thrive in slightly shaded, evenly moist, well-drained soil.
- Long dry spells should be adequately hydrated; once established, they are drought-tolerant.
- Hellebores thrive in soil that has been greatly improved by organic matter.
- The Helleborus x hybridus (formerly known as Helleborus orientalis) hybrids prefer a soil pH that is close to neutral or even alkaline; if your soil is excessively acidic, add lime.
- The Christmas Rose (H. niger) may take some time to establish itself; to speed things along, consider adding some magnesium to the environment in the form of Epsom salts or dolomitic limestone.
- Early in the spring, apply a little amount of balanced, granular fertilizer to the plants.