My area where they self sow never dries out.
Self-sewn hellebores seedlings
I water them as I do my other plants in the greenhouse....they're just tucked back under a shelf so I don't watch them...watched pot never boils.
Hellebore seedlings take about 8 to 10 months to germinate. So anyone who has been given or bought seed, sow the seed, don't forget about keeping damp and eventually they will emerge. This is why there seems to be lots of seedlings under the plants, they are from last year.
To move a helebore - I cannot imagine anyone moving it when it is in flower, soon after would be the best, but of course if you can lift it with lots of soil then it will hardly notice. They flower in the depths of winter which is what I will be experiencing soon - southern hemisphere - and the helebores in my garden are looking good, but no buds yet.
I remember reading that in Heronswood too, though. To move it while in bloom. I have done so with no problems. Around bloom time is the best time to divide, also. Makes no sense to me. But it works.
Thanks for all of the info on the seedlings. Mine tend to germinate right under the mother plant so they're pretty much in deep shade where it's more moist. Dividing the grown plants however would have me thinking twice only for fear that I'd damage them after waiting so long for my first seedlings to flower.
Yep, an article by Dan Hinkley recommended moving them while in bloom. I would think it's because that's the time of year when they're not stressed by heat and/or dry.
But, frankly, if you're controlling the conditions they're going to adequately to stress them as little as possible, then I'm not so sure it matters.
Kathy
I have seedlings coming up all around a couple of "Royal Heritage" mother plants.
Since RH is a hybrid, does anyone have a clue what types of helebores I might get from them and if the are worth saving?
I've had a lot of the seedlings from hybrids be close to the mother plant. So, yes, I think they're worth saving. Fun to see how they turn out. I've actually had some prettier than the mother plant.
If you love helebores the seedlings are great to save. I did this a while back and got a great variety of colors. One that was almost black. It took 3 years from seedling to plant with blossoms.
I also, went to a Dan Hinkley talk on just helebores and he said not to touch the roots with your hands when transplanting you seedings. I think he said they are very delicate at that stage.
I did it as a newbie with these plants and find that they are very resilient. BigHat just dive in. It is fun to see what you get and share with your freinds. we have a much more mild winter here than in New York and cooler summers.