Fresh, inexpensive hellebore seeds!

While hellebore seeds germinate easily while fresh, they can take up to 3 years to germinate otherwise. There are UK sources for fresh seed, and now there's a source here in the US with a good selection to choose from. It's a great time to dream of future winter blooms!

http://www.winterwoods.net/

Have fun! Neal

Hi Neal! Thanks for the link. Have you ordered from them before?

I guess I am just to impatient, I like to start with plants. Mine have several little seedlings around this year. My royal heritage was just put in the Fall of 04 so I am hoping it will bloom for me this Spring! I have buds on old fashion one.

Hi Jolene! I have'nt ordered yet, but plan to. The owner is a DG member (mcgina) and a real sweetie who knows her hellebores.

bluegrass, I know what you mean. I'm impatient to, but I also want tons of them and unfortunately have'nt won the lottery, lol. So I pick up a few plants here and there to take care of my impatience, and have seedlings developing in larger plantings, kind of as a gift to my future self, hehe.

Just this morning on a Nashville station I saw what they called a temporary greenhouse.
You only use 4 cinderblocks, set them upright, place 2x4 thru the holes and voila you have a tiny greenhouse. Oh, cover with plastic, it also said you can tape the plastic strips together with duct tape.
This year I am starting lots of seeds. I need to find a good price on Pro Mix now.

I'm using something similar; it's straw bales arranged into a box shape with old windows laying on the top. I'm calling it my shabby-chic cold frame, lol. The annual seedlings I have in there are doing well. The cement block/clear plastic mini greenhouse sounds like it would be great for winter sowing.

I would think that the concrete blocks would also store some heat. I visted a nursery in Bowling Green yesterday. One person told me about going to a replacement window company and salvaging all the used ones and is making himself a greenhouse.

That would be more in my budget.

I was wondering about that to. I think it could be lined with something black to absorb heat to. I have also heard of unheated mini greenhouses with a black plastic drum filled with water that acts as a heat sink. it absorbs heat in the day and releases it at night.

Or it may look redneck but you can use empty milk jugs. LOL

I've already got a crazy straw bale thing out there, so no one would think a thing of seeing milk jugs to, lol! For that matter, there's even an old mobile home on the lot of my veggie garden, so they'd be right at home. Speaking of redneck, you should have seen the shape the previous tenants left this place in. We filled 30 lawn and leaf bags with beer cans for the recycling center! It's hard to believe looking at it 4 years later that it's the same place. Wish I'd gotten before and after shots. Now all available space is devoted to some horticultural endeavor or another, hehe.

gem-- Thanks! just found this thread and the great site for hellebores. I am going to order some seed if you will give me some tips on what to do with them...

Do I have to have a green house for them? Couldn't I do wintersowing?

Great site. I hope mcgina makes a few posts to get us going on seed starting!

could be fun!

Now for the Witch Hazel!

Your house/property rehab project sounds really interesting! (-:

tabasco, I have'nt tried seed yet, but from what I understand so far, they germinate quite easily when fresh. We've had a long running thread that's still going strong that I think will answer any questions you have. And mcgina has been offering her much appreciated guidance throughout. http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/549141/

I have grown from seed, the trick is to have FRESH seed, not only will they go dormant if not, they may also rot. I have in the past bought seed in spring, and it did rot.

Seed is ready from July/August here mostly, http://www.farmyardnurseries.co.uk/ this site will give you some good information, I have been intending on buying some from them but always forget until too late, maybe next year. I have grown plants from my first spotted Ashwood garden hybrid which some flowered in 3 years, some 4 years.

The second lot I grew are needing transplanting now, I leave them in their original pots for a year so they can develop better roots and transplant easier.

If you sow them immediately as collected, and leave them relatively dry until autumn and then wet they won't need to be watered very much as it is colder. They need the cold to germinate, mine generally start late December in mild spells over winter. I grow them in a cold greenhouse which hardly gets the sun at the lowest point in winter, but it does hit the roof. If you don't have a greenhouse I would think you could make a cold frame from old windows, wood sides and glass top would suffice. For those in colder climates I'm not sure what advice to give, but perhaps a little insulation as suggested might help. We have temps sometimes down to 16F, mostly less, sometimes very little frost, but some won't harm them. Frosty weather will trigger germination.

They do like to be in a very free draining compost, moist and not drowned is ideal, leafy compost and gritty soil perfect.

Oooh. I would have to wait three years for a flower? That's a long time but would be worth it if I could nurse it along.

Thanks for the website link. I will check it out, Wallaby...

Look what I found this morning! Bluestone is selling Miyazaki on sale! I bought some of these from Bluestone two years ago and they've done great.

http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/b/bp/TRMHS.html?from_search=1&id=5xE8rPWa

I found someone selling hellebores from their garage today so I bought 3 of them...they are going to sell again May 12, so I may be on to something.

Not too expensive-- $5 for a big plant, although not the rarer kinds--but a start, anyway.

She said she used to be 'into' daylilies, but got over that! Are hellebores as addictive as daylilies? Hope not!

Oh no tabasco, don't tell me that! That is quite the bargain for a big clump. Might be worth a drive!