Plant hellebores in spring or early fall. Work an organic-rich fertilizer into the loosened soil at planting, water well, then cover the ground with 2 inches of weed-smothering mulch. Fertilize each spring and early fall to encourage best bloom. Clumps can be dug and divided after bloom or in early fall.
Should you fertilize hellebores?
Do not fertilize hellebores, but top-dress them with compost once a year. In cold regions, provide a winter mulch, which should be pulled back before they bloom. The old or damaged foliage of evergreen hellebores can be cut away in early winter.
Do hellebores like blood and bone?
How to grow hellebores in a garden. Choose a spot in the garden with semi-shade to full shade and that gets protection from the harsh afternoon sun. Enrich the soil with Yates Thrive Natural Blood & Bone with Seaweed. … Position in hole and backfill with soil, gently firming down.
Do hellebores like potassium?
Blood and bone is not complete (no K). Hellebores will need the K for flowering. So liquid, controlled release, powdered, organic or otherwise, the main thing is the ‘complete’ bit. And applying it at the right time of the year: mid autumn through to end of winter is best.
Do hellebores like bone meal?
Try to do this before the flowers develop too much as you can easily damage them in the process of removing the leaves. I fertilize in the Fall, using bonemeal, giving them a good feed early in the season as they come out of dormancy. … Perhaps it would benefit from some protection to keep the flowers going.
Are hellebores acid loving plants?
Fertilizer/Soil and pH
Hellebores grow best in soil enriched with copious amounts of organic matter. The hybrids known as Helleborus x hybridus (previously called Helleborus orientalis) prefer a soil pH close to neutral and even alkaline; add lime if your soil is extremely acid.
Do you prune hellebores?
Though hellebores are evergreen, they don’t need pruning, and I have several clumps of double-flowered hybrids in my own garden that have never been pruned.” William advises gardeners to wear gloves when pruning their hellebores. “Make sure you are wearing gloves as the sap of the hellebore can irritate the skin.
What is the best fertilizer for hellebores?
A slow release, eight- to nine-month fertilizer is recommended for spring planting. In the fall, hellebores start initiating flowers, so they need extra nitrogen and iron during this time. This can be supplied using a liquid drench, keeping EC levels at 1.2 to 1.5.
Why are my hellebore leaves turning yellow?
The colder your climate, or a particular winter season, the more browning you will see. If your hellebore leaves are turning brown, or even yellow, but you live in a warmer climate, in which it should be an evergreen plant, don’t assume the discoloration is a disease.
Should hellebores be cut back after flowering?
I always cut off all the flower stems before the pods split. Finally, we’re often encouraged to divide our hardy perennials every three years and to replant the healthiest pieces in improved soil. However hellebores, like hostas, are best left to mature into large clumps and not split.
Should you mulch hellebores?
Division. Hellebores are typically long-lived plants. The regular mulching helps keep them healthy and free-flowering. They do not usually need to be divided for the health of the plant, but if you wish to transplant or divide a hellebore, that is best done in September or October.
What compost is best for hellebores?
Growing hellebores in containers
Use a good quality compost, preferably loam- based, such as John Innes No 2 with extra grit for drainage. Stand the container on pot feet. They are hungry plants and will need regular watering and feeding, with a high potash fertiliser such as Chempak No 4, in summer.
Should I deadhead my hellebores?
Deadheading hellebores is easy. Just remove the old flower stems when the start to decline. … Since the stems carry the flower buds for the next season, you should leave these on the plant. Remove flower heads before seeds set if you don’t want the plant to self seed.
What can I grow with hellebores?
Plants to compliment hellebores
But around them, you can give the whole garden a lift by planting various Galanthus (snowdrops) for a touch of class or Narcissus (daffodils) for that splash of bright yellow to off-set the different colours of the hellebores.
What conditions do hellebores like?
Hellebores prefer to grow in rich, well-drained soil in dappled shade. Avoid planting in very dry or waterlogged soil. Provide shelter from strong, cold winds. Water during dry spells and mulch annually with leaf mould, chipped bark or other organic matter in autumn.
Do slugs eat hellebores?
However I will recommend the evergreen hellebores such as Helleborus x ericsmithii and Helleborus argutifolius. These have tough foliage and tough flowers carried above the foliage in large clusters. These seem to be unpalatable to molluscs and they are carried well out of harm’s way.
Is mushroom compost good for hellebores?
Fertilizing. To be honest, I never fertilize my Hellebores. They get an annual dressing with ground bark mulch and that’s about it. However, if you like to fertilize your plants, mushroom compost, well-rotted manure or a balanced fertilizer that isn’t too high in Nitrogen will work.
Do Hellebores self seed?
Some varieties of Hellebores will self seed and the seedlings will mature into plants. … You can also collect seed, which will be around May time. The seed is best sown immediately and leave the pots outside to get a cold spell and they may germinate later/the following year.
Why are my hellebores not thriving?
Hellebore plant problems can arise from improper attention to watering. Hellebores grow best with some irrigation. While these plants are drought resistant, once their root systems are mature and established, they must have regular water when first transplanted. … Hellebores won’t do well in extreme drought at any time.
Do hellebores like sun?
Hellebores are typically woodland edge plants. They thrive in rich, moisture-retentive soil but struggle in boggy and wet conditions. Most will tolerate full sun to almost full shade.
Do hellebores stay green all summer?
Borne on short stems in early spring, erect clusters of rosy-red, bell-shaped flowers rise above a most interesting foliage of leathery, shiny, rounded leaves. Deep green in summer, the large leaves change to rich maroon-red in winter, providing year round interest.