If anybody wants to dip their toes into starting the new-fashioned hellebores from seed, it can be had quite cheaply from Elizabeth Town Hellebores in Tasmania. This includes the bright pinks, reds, purples, freckled, doubles, and anemone forms. They are quoting prices in AUD dollars which was 78c on the dollar last time I checked. 10 seeds for $3.00-10.00 AUS isn't bad, and these are sent freshly sown since it's summer there.
http://www.southcom.com.au/~hortus/index.htm
Check out my offer. It's the 3rd or 4th post in the thread (link below), then there are more details farther down. What happened was I placed my order a few weeks ago and then I saw something on the wintersowing board and I made the offer to the wintersowers. I thought I'd have 30 people, but I think only 3 or 4 are going to add on with my order, so I can afford to ask more people if they'd like free shipping from Australia to the US. That way, if you just want to try one pack, the freight won't kill you.
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/671574/
Suzy
The new Hellebores for shady cottage gardens
Here's another fresh seed option right here in the US, owned and operated by a DGr :)
http://www.winterwoods.net/
This message was edited Jan 25, 2007 6:26 AM
Thanks for the link -- what's a DRr? Or was that a typo and it's a DGr?
Interesting her prices are the same as Tasmania's...give or take. The trouble with ordering from her -- now, as in right nw, January -- is hers are shipped within 2 weeks of harvest, but that won't be until when? May?
Suzy
Forgot to watch thread. Yes, meant DGr, lol.
The good thing about winterwoods seed is they are sent fresh from current year harvest. This means they will germinate much faster. Seed that has cured out can take 2-3 years to germinate.
I bought my first hellebores in spring of '05 and they are blooming! Those with experience say this is early for them, but it is so nice to see flowers in the garden now.
Neal
I think the information in this thread might explain why I had no luck with some commercial hellebore seeds a couple of years ago.... I'll tell you, if the germination information had been in the catalog, I wouldn't even have tried them, moving the potted seeds from warm to cool to cold to cool to cold to cool to warm again... sheesh! (Yes, this was before I knew about wintersowing, LOL.) At any rate, I followed the instructions faithfully, got not a single sprout, contacted the company and the horticulturalist said it sounded like I did everything right, so they refunded my money, and I figured I'd just have to purchase plants some day! That was 3 years ago... I guess if I'd kept the seed tray, they might have germinated by now, LOL.
Suzy, if I read your post correctly on that thread, I could piggyback on your order if I want "just one" packet of seed, but not if I want several packs... So if I can't restrain myself, I'll need to pay my own shipping.
Neal, it's good to know about that other source as well, and sowing them this summer for planting out next year might work out better for me.
I have a question about the little seedlings and sun/shade... Eventually, I'd like to put hellebores back in the fence row of trees -- it's just a line of trees not more than 1 or 2 trees wide, so the shade isn't deep shade but should be fine for them. However, I'm still battling poison ivy and Virginia creeper back there, so for now I would be planting out seedlings at the back of a bed that's near but not in the tree line... That area gets shade from about 2 pm onward in summer, and I could plant them near a little shrub or something for additional shelter... Is that too much sun for hellebores? I don't want to succeed in growing cute little seedlings and then fry them!
The easy part is -- buy as many as you want and ok to piggyback. In any case, I gave them a Feb 1st deadline on this, so if you want some, I think you'll have to do it Paypal because your snail mail takes 5-7 days.
I must be the only person who looks at little seed catalogs, well, you know the list, and says "Oh shoot, I'd realy like that one packet of seed , but I am not going to pay $XX in postage just to get it."
The second part is easy, too. Sun until 2:00 is too much sun. I have trimmed back a tree where mine are planted -- seedlings I picked up from a friend and also my regular old greenish whiteones -- so I can tell you in about 5 months exactly how much sun they get and how they're doing. SOIL is so important and the place where I grow them and my baby ferns is such wonderful soil, and it's also close to the hose. In a second place I have a 6 pack I bought from B&B where only 5 hellebores were alive when I got it. They are out in the woods and get a lot more direct sun, but not sun tuntil 2:00, & they also dry out terribly in the summer. Those are doing great, too.
Sorry not much help -- maybe somebody else can answer.
Suzy
Thanks, Suzy! I'll look at the site and get an order in via PayPal before the deadline if I think I can find a sufficiently shady place to nurture the seedlings... I suppose I could just rig some shadecloth or row cover over a little nursery area for them...
Or just put them on the north side of a peony which wouldn't fall over on them yet still would provide shade. (They both like lime)
Suzy
Ah ha! I have some peonies on order for the new bed along my neighbor's fence, and my soil pH isn't particularly acid at about 6.7, so.... hooray!
I'm so excited! I ordered seeds to be sent along with Suzy's order from Elizabeth Town (thank you thank you Suzy!)... I did the same thing she did, giving them a list of ones I was looking at from their site and mentioning my preference for spotted forms, doubles, and darker colored backgrounds (those purplish ones with deeper maroon-purple spots just make me swoon).
I asked them about growing in sun, and they said that in their experience Hellebores will survive in a sunny spot, although they might get a few scorched leaves, and they'll be happier once the trees and shrubs grow in around them.
........and those seeds will be mailed out to me on Monday...I usually have 7 days delivery from Australia (same as South Carolina!) I just hope they don't get hung up in customs! A lady named Mary also ordered, but I am not real sure who that is. LOL!
BUT the full sun, I'm not too sure about. And the word "survive" has me sort of shivering. Those Aussies are crazy. Some places are on water restriction, but I believe Tasmania must be like Michigan where there is a lot of water. If they are growing world class hellebores, then they are babying them like you wouldn't believe. Anybody who grows a single crop is crazy and they will do anything for those plants -- anything that will give them the edge to get bigger better flowers, better color, faster bloom -- well, they'll try anything.
IF you could keep the water on them all spring, summer and fall, MAYBE 3/4 sun, but you don't want them to burn up. Do you grow any primroses (primula)? These take the exact same conditions. Also Maidenhair fern. Well, I'm sure there is some wiggle room, I just happen to grow all of them together. LOL.
What happened to interplanting with the peonies idea? Too much sun in the early spring? I think they can take full sun in the winter because it comes in at such an angle...the harmful rays are shielded by the thicker layers of atmosphere. No sure about April when the peonies are only 2" tall.
Guess we'll find out soon!
Suzy
Oh, interplanting with the peonies is still the idea, as is putting them among some other shrubs in the area that gets afternoon shade... however, the peonies won't be planted until this spring, and the shrubs and other plants in that bed went in last summer, so it'll be a while until they offer as much protection as they might. Meanwhile, I think I may make a little nursery area for the hellebores along the back of that bed (closest to the tall trees in the fence row) and just rig some shade for them with row cover. While they might resent being transplanted, I think they would resent being planted in the sun next to teeny little peony plants even more.
critter, the seedlings handle transplanting like troopers, so you'll have no problem. I've received tiny seedlings in the mail before as well as larger ones, and they've all done great.
Good to know! It sounds like I can wintersow the seeds in containers on the deck, transplant the seedlings this spring to a little sheltered nursery area, then move them to their permanant homes in 2007... I'm going to have a hard time reining in my impatience to see them bloom and find out just what I have!
I'm SO excited!!!
My Elizabeth Town hellebore seeds arrived yesterday (THANK YOU, Suzy!!!), and I've got them all potted up. Their germination instructions said to put the containers in a cold but not freezing place, so they're in the garage until they sprout, and then I'll find them a sunny window (or put them out if it's warm enough.
John was wonderful to work with, and very generous with the seeds! I did something similar to Suzy's approach, telling him what was really getting me excited from the descriptions on his site, and asking him to pick out an assortment for me. The packets were supposed to contain a minimum of 10 seeds, but they put between 13 and 24 seeds in each packet! Plus, I got a bonus packet of mixed H. orientalis. I'm just blown away... and I can't wait for them to sprout and grow and (hopefully) eventually bloom!!
I think the timing works out really well, because these seeds came fresh from the southern hemisphere, and so I should have nicely established little seedlings by the end of the summer (when fresh seed would be available in the northern hemisphere). I'll keep you posted on how they do, but the seeds looked fabulous -- shiny and plump, and nicely moistened with a little bit of compost in their baggie.
Here's the link again if you don't want to scroll to the top... http://www.southcom.com.au/~hortus/catalogue.htm
Click on those little flower symbols to the left for some wonderful eye candy!!
I've got 8 pots out in the garage now:
H. atrorubens
H. x sternii 'Boughton Beauty'
H. Double Pink Spotted Strain
H. 'Julia'
H. Red Spotted Strain
H. Dark Strain
H. Elizabeth Town Spotted Selections
H. orientalis bonus packet
Wheeeeeeeee!
I am quite envious of all the varieties you have there .I have never seen spotty ones .I hope you will show some photos when they flower ,though I must admit I like the simplicity of the greenish white ones I have growing -actually they self-seed and I have enough little ones to put in another area I am developing .
Emelle
Critter, Excellent news! I'm happy they got to you so quickly and that you're happy. Mine were "dark red anemone" and "dark red double" and 5 others I can't remember, but freckled was in there. LOL!
Emelle, The problem I have with the greenish white ones is that the flower blooms underneath the foliage -- I never even notice them when they are in bloom. These have flowers that are more prominent.
Mine are in the refrigerator, too.
Suzy
Ooooh, even better.... sounds like your selection was different from mine, Suzy, so with a little luck (OK, a lot of luck on my part) we'll be swapping our own self-sown seedlings in a few years! ;-)
Emelle, you bet I'll share photos... I'll be bragging if I can even get a few little sprouts by spring! I think it will be next year at the very earliest for blooms, and more likely not until Feb/March of 2009. Such a long time to wait... I'm trying hard to be patient!
We came back just now from running a few errands... I greeted my potted seeds as I walked across the garage... DH gave me that look.
I love to grow plants from seed, sure wish I had seen this hellabore seed site before I joined the Hellabore co-op. Like critter, I've tried them from seed before with no luck, so finally decided to buy some plants and try for my own seeds to grow.
toofew!
I was thinking that buying a couple of plants that would hopefully self sow would be my best bet also... but I've been convinced to try again growing from seed... I know the seeds I bought before were far from freshly harvested!
I'd encourage anybody interested to check out the website for Elizabeth Town Hellebores... even if I'd been paying the $7 for shipping (thanks, Suzy!), it would still have been a great deal!
Hey critter, I will be watching how well you do with the seeds. I would love to put some hellabore in the woods behind me and starting from seed would be the most cost effective.
If it works out for you, maybe I could do a minnie co-op for hellabore seeds next year. :o)
Sounds like a good idea!
Hellebores in a woodland setting will be gorgeous - I am not very skilled at growing from seed , but mine were prolific - however apparently they don't always come up the same colour as the mother plant ,so it will be interesting to see what develops .The seeds landed in a mulchy ,cedar needle ,soil mixture in my garden ,so should do fine in woodland .
Emelle
I'm a novice with Hellebores and have'nt tried seed yet, but have a couple I bought and several seedlings I received in trades. They've done very well, and I'm most excited about seeing them bloom in a "normal" year. As with several other members in my region, mine started producing blooms in December, 2 months earlier than usual. So, with the sub-zero wind chills so much of this month, the blooms I had open are pretty tattered. The blooms are still upright and perky on the Bear's claw Hellebore (H.foetidus), but are all browned on the edges. 'Royal Heritage' does have some new buds emerging; I'm keeping my fingers crossed :)
A series of lengthy and informative threads (now on III) on Hellebores have been going on the Perennials forum. Mcgina and wallaby1 can answer any seed questions you may have, and have posted lots of gorgeous pics. Here's the link:
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/691619/
Neal
Thanks for that link, Neal!