Hellebores: Divide and Multiply By Carmine Carosella, Fairfax Master Gardener You’ve seen all those fancy hellebores at the garden shops, and they set your heart aflutter. Soil needs for hellebores. Is it simply that they don’t thrive? I never water or fertilize my hellebores, but I do apply ground leaves yearly. Tina, I just wrote articles for gardening magazines for about three years on the side. Some of its species are grown as striking evergreen architectural leaves. Great post! Carolyn. I didn’t like writing for magazines because they edit, add photos, and caption photos without any input from the author. In fact 15 species and at least 100 different colours and varieties of hellebores. I am in zone 7 of N. Alabama and have felt like I had black thumbs since moving here from So Cal ten years ago. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Here are links to the other articles: Part Two       An Ode to Seed Strain Hellebores, Part Three   Christmas Rose: The Perfect Hellebore, Part Four      Dividing Hybrid Hellebores, Part Five       The Sex Lives of Hellebores. I tried to divide an 8-9 yr. old helleborus but a tree-root is on top beneath the soil; latter tree has since been removed. Yesterday I was moving several Ivory Princes and thought to myself I should divide a few but when I dug them I just didn’t have the heart as I was not sure how it would do. Thanks for your wonderful advice! H. orientalis is a shorter growing variety, with a beautiful flower. Timing of seed germination around mother plants in the ground seems to be late-winter. My favorite part though is the underlying prompting to resist the urge, and let them be. . I didn’t know they come in that many colors and designs. I am a fan of dividing perennials – it is such a good way of creating lots more new, vigorous plants. Carolyn. Carolyn. Carolyn, I divided my hellebores a while ago. However, the most beautiful hybrid hellebore specimens in my garden are my large clumps that have never been divided. I am trying to gather information on the southern range of hellebores. Hellebores are tough garden plants, well suited to the climate of south eastern Australia. Carolyn. It is completely unrelated to hybrid hellebores, but is a cross containing Christmas rose, Majorcan hellebore, and Corsican hellebore in various proportions. and informative, thank you! They all have huge 24″ flower stalks. Hellebores: A Comprehensive … I have been growing hellebores for many, many years now. They are very good at producing seedlings, and the new plants look exactly like the parents unlike hybrid hellebores. B-a-g, You obviously were exactly right to do what you did and adventurous to take the risk of ignoring what you read. Nothing could be further from the truth: they are easy to grow and propagate by division. To keep soils moist incorporate plenty of compost when planting and mulch well. The hybrids in my zone 5 garden came to me as seedlings from my mother’s zone 9 garden in central California, where they thrive. What zone are you? HI Carolyn, I didn’t know you wrote for a garden magazine. I ask because to rogue out seedlings from interior of the clump would be facilitated if roguing could be done at the time of cutting back flower stalks (as new growth emerges.) Your articles on shade loving plants are delightful! Climatically Hellebores will grow best if they experience some cold in winter. Divide the hellebores in cool weather, preferably with rain the forecast. I have gotten rid of it by very carefully digging up (not pulling) the plant with a trowel making sure to get all the little nodules. Lisa, Maybe the plants that were divided to produce your gift were so big that they had separated into separate stalks and thus separate plants so they may take. However I intend to answer them in a blog post updating my original post on dividing hellebore—stay tuned. I have 2 that are ok, not great, but flowering. For the brochure and registration information, click here. I didn’t realize the plants were that large. Oh, my, you have me coveting some of those wonderful hybrids. Most Hellebores do not like to have wet feet. Carolyn. Insert your spade in a circle all the way around the plant and pry it out of the ground as shown in the photos for steps 1 and 2. You probably can’t read the fine print so I will narrate the high points to go with the photos. It has moved spots in the garden several times, and spent 3 years in a pot whilst we we building a new home. ( I better mention I live in southern Australia – south is our shady side!) I just did that to my ground orchids recently, they are easier to divide when you take out the whole plant and see the natural allignments of the plant rppts as a guidance to cut and divide the plant. Remove dead flowers and leaves in spring, but otherwise do not prune. I have turned a corner and look forward to more garden delights in the next ten years. I suppose I should divide it? For photographs of the full range of their colors, please read my article, Hybrid hellebores are expensive relative to other perennials because it takes three to five years for them to bloom. Be sure to plant Lenten rose in well draining, organic soil. For the catalogue and order information, click here. Carolyn. Carolyn. Betty Ranicar’ that I love. You can move hellebores in early spring or fall. What a great article, I will have to try this next spring. I am glad you agree because I envision all these gardeners hacking away at their plants based on what I consider erroneous advice in many gardening books. The only plants that we ship are snowdrops and miniature hostas. Your replies to posts recommend that gardeners divide hellebores as they are coming into bloom, ideally before the flowers are all the way out. It's not usually necessary for the health of the plant; but if you wish to divide them, this is best done in fall. Deb, You can’t go wrong with a hybrid hellebore. Seems you are the Gertrude Jekyll of Pennsylvania , Laura, I divide hybrid hellebores ideally before the flowers are all the way out, but they can be fully extended. The seeds came from Chantilly in France, In the future, Ted is keen to breed a double gold round Hellebore but he says that takes time - many, many years. The main species grown in Australia include Helleborus orientalis, but Helleborus foetidus is also popular. I have just ordered more and have a mix of types…including argutifolius, foetidus ‘just because’ I wanted to;-) I love them…picking out a favorite is way to hard for me! When weather or poor memory delay division, how does a “late-divided” Hellebore respond? But first a warning: do not simply detach pieces from the edge of your cherished clump and replant it elsewhere or give it away. That is my fantasy still. I love all your hellebores especially the double layered ones. I was wondering about care for hellebores in the fall. I’ve actually never seen a hellebore in person – I’m hoping mine will live. They are native to western and southern Europe, including the Mediterranean and individual plants can live for up to 40 years. I have a perfect garden for them but it is just a pain getting them started. I divide them when they bloom in the spring. Hellebores are generally healthy, with few issues. For your first experience with dividing a hellebore, select a plant with between five and ten flowers, older plants are too woody. Very helpful advise! For information about the best areas in Australia to grow Hellebores, the best position in the garden to plant them and generally getting the best out of your Hellebores, click on the buttons above. I am doing an article on this soon. You comment that the flowers can be fully extended. Your hellebores will be big soon enough. We don’t grow hellebores here in Austin but you never know what the future holds! Jess, My Longwood Gardens course book says zone 8. I can not say I have ever divided hellebores, so nothing to add. Cat, Have you ever tried a hellebore. I didn’t because I wanted to give some to a friend. Use a sharp knife to split the plant in two, making sure each half has attached roots. And, whereas I used to be a native or nothing snob I have now learned to embrace any non invasive plant that will grow for me. I will look into adding them to my garden, but I fear I do not have conditions to meet their needs. If you want to return to my blog’s homepage to access the sidebar information (catalogues, previous articles, etc. Hellebores are typically long-lived plants. ; To assist with soil moisture retention, mix in some Yates Waterwise Water Storage Crystals into the potting mix. 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. P x, Pam, I was very excited to have a feature article in Horticulture, but generally writing magazine articles wasn’t for me for the reasons I have explained in previous replies. Dig the whole plant and wash off the soil. Fortunately I get a few seedlings each year. I suggested the topic because so many gardeners think hybrid hellebores are difficult to grow and wouldn’t think of dividing them. Joey, The huge plants are amazing, and I keep adding more hellebores because so many appear that I can’t bear to sell. I would just dig around the plant, pull it out from under whatever is on top, and proceed with dividing. Hellebores can be fussy about being dug up and moved, so it's generally just best to leave them be. gil, Gail, ‘Ivory Prince’ is such a beautiful hellebore with its rose blushed ivory blooms and silvery foliage with red highlights. Carolyn. I’m inspired! I did get lots of babies. Choose a pot at least twice the size as the selected plant. Carolyn, your Hellebore posts (all of them) are marvelous and so informative. The plants were not labeled and I have no idea what variety they are… If you have time, please visit my post on Wed-March 9 and identify my mystery hellebore!! Quality is too important to me, and the money for writing magazine articles, even features, just isn’t very good. If not, I am assuming it is too hot in Austin for hellebores. Woohoo I’m hooked on hellebores! I thought I read your article carefully but maybe I missed this. Care. Dig an 8-inch-deep circle around the hellebore plant, 6 inches from its outermost leaves. The American hellebore book written by Tyler and Burrell seems to discuss only cold hardiness. They do well in an open garden, but need mulching and like a more acidic soil. With their winter flowering and fascinating range of flower and foliage forms, Hellebores are deservedly popular. Rebecca, I identified you hellebore as a hybrid, Helleborus x hybridus. Great advice Carolyn. I just realized that I didn’t answer your question in this post. Impressive article in Horticulture. I now have over 50 different plants. Rather large specimens into my garden, but Helleborus foetidus is also a good way to more! As long as conditions are not likely to survive dividing orientalis variety and hybrids comes small! Would be like trying to divide than big hellebores learn how to grow and wouldn ’ realize. Which includes Ranunculus, Anenomes and Clematis the new plants crowding your plant. 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