Have six years passed since I published my first blog entry on how to gather hellebores? Time flies. In order to ensure that everyone is getting the most out of their priceless hellebores, I thought it would be a good idea to dust off an old tutorial as the Northeastern region is about to enter another harvest season for hellebores. They truly make spring bouquets such a delight to have!
How to Harvest Hellebores
Around 2012, hellebores rose to popularity in floral design, and they have remained so ever since, especially among farmer florists who are looking for a robust bloom for their early-spring creative work. We’re all still in need of some color in our life, and hellebores are one of the first flowers to blossom each spring, frequently even before the snow has melted. Their delectable hues and patterns contrast nicely with their endearing nodding heads. Oh, how enticing it is to cut and place in a vase! But it pays to wait and avoid cutting these gorgeous garden flowers too soon!
Back in 2004, when I moved into my first house in Philadelphia, I first fell in love with hellebores as a decorative plant for my small shade garden. But soon I was cutting them to bring inside for enjoyment. Who wants to adorn them outside in the chilly weather, after all? In 2019, my collection of hellebore plants has grown to well over 200 plants (and counting!) and likely includes nearly as many types.
I’ll let you in on a little secret before you ask me which varieties are ideal for cutting: buy your hellebore plants in the spring while they are actively blooming in their containers at the nursery so you can see how long the flower stems are and if their heads face up or down. Even a designated cultivar of hellebore, which is infamous for crossbreeding, may exhibit various characteristics from plant to plant. Therefore, I believe it is better to consider your purchase before making these overpriced pretties. If I had to pick just one kind, I’d say the Brandywine series, as I actually have quite a few of those plants.
Currently, as a flower grower, I usually get inquiries on how to create hellebores “final in the vase They are used by so many designers, but they all quickly fail. There are some techniques available for “post-harvest remedies that could aid in preventing wilting. Others employ a chemical rapid hydrating solution, others shove a pin up the stem, and still others immerse them in boiling water. Some folks also combine all three. According to my observations, there is just one surefire method to obtain long-lasting hellebores.
Harvest hellebores when they are mature.
I’m done now. It’s that easy. When harvested at their mature stage, hellebores won’t wilt.
The prominent petals of a hellebore “bloom” are actually something called sepals rather than true petals. They protect the flower portion, which is located in the center of the showy sepals and consists of a group of delicately textured stamens and a few tiny, inconsequential petals (in the photo above, the ruffled green at the center are the petals). The stamens and petals fall off after fertilization, and a seed pod begins to develop in the center of the sepals.
Using hellebores that already have their seed pods produced is the best way to ensure that they last in floral arrangements. The hellebore will be more robust the more developed the seed pod is. This is because the sepals resist withering by becoming stiff and waxy as the seed pod grows. A mature hellebore can actually survive beautifully for a day or longer without water. They work well for hair flowers and boutonnieres.
Can you tell which hellebore is almost ready for harvest and which one isn’t?
Another tip I’ve picked up over the years is to use a sharp knife to cut my hellebore stems rather than scissors or snips. In contrast to snips, the knife creates a clean cut that does not crush the cells in the delicate hellebore stem. To assist open up additional water-absorbing tissue, I’ll also cut an inch-long split up the middle of a stem if the bottom of the stem is very thick. If the seed pods are fully grown, this step is not necessary, but occasionally, when I’m pressed for time to gather some blooms that are a little on the immature side for a specific wedding or event, I’ll go the extra mile, just to be safe.
Go place an order for some hellebores from my favorite vendor, North Creek Nurseries, now that I’ve got you all psyched about growing them for cutting.
Can hellebores be cut for a vase?
We’re joined by Susan from Shady Grove Gardens to talk you how to grow, care for, and hold hellebores as cut flowers. Susan has been working with flowers for 31 years, and she was kind enough to come and talk to us about how to take care of hellebores.
You’re in for a big treat if you’ve ever been mesmerized by the allure of the hellebore!
It was in the garden of my friend Foxie where I first noticed a hellebore. She owns Pharsalia, an incredible event space and flower garden near Tyro, Virginia. Although Foxie is well recognized for her peony collection, the truth is that she also has a ton of other fantastic collections.
Pharsalia’s flowers begin to bloom in the winter, and during my first season of working in the flower industry, she was only a short drive from my house. Foxie, I believe, contributed to my deep love of flowers. My excitement was stoked by that winter garden. She has a wide variety of hellebores.
I visited Pine Knot Farms in Clarksville, Virginia not long after seeing Foxie. I was allowed to look at Judith and Dick’s incredible collection of hellebores. I wanted to examine the bloom’s processing and vigor. The failure of hellebores as cut flowers at the time was generally acknowledged. They responded so nicely to my little dip in cool water processing that they made it not only back to Lynchburg but even up to Pennsylvania for my very first wedding. Since they weren’t really sold on the wholesale market at the time, I recall being quite anxious about being able to find the flower and having it stand up when I proposed the flower to the bride. My trial flowers held strong for two weeks thanks to their success, and the Pink Frost variety held up even better! I was very relieved to deliver those blooms to Anna and to have overcome my concern that they wouldn’t make a good cut.
They attracted interest and began to be easier to find on the wholesale market over time. They performed horribly when they were shipped, though. This has altered over time as post-harvest procedures have advanced, and I find that they ship reasonably well. I treat the flowers using the same methods, but local hellebores have a longer vase life. They’re simply superior than dahliaslocal.
Handling Hellebores
Fill the vase almost all the way up with hellebores since they thrive in deep water. As a result, pressure is created, which forces water up the stems. To prepare a fresh stem, either make a long diagonal incision at the base and then dip it in Quick Dip before inserting it into the full vase, or use an X-Acto knife to make small, gentle scoring cuts down the length of the stem to allow easy access to the xylem and quick water uptake.
Hellebores are fairly hardy once they’ve been cut, and you can even do it while they’re frozen! A plant may take four years to become established in your yard, but once it does, it will bloom from the beginning of winter until June, and as long as it is given access to a reliable water supply soon after being cut, it may be kept in a vase for a number of weeks.
Cut hellebores make excellent bouquets. Furthermore, Susan’s plants in the movie survived outside of a cooler for more than two weeks. Thirteen days after we recorded this movie (which was snipped a few days earlier), I used the images in my How to Photograph Flowers lesson.
How are hellebore plants preserved?
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.