Propagation: Starting hellebores from seed, 0 by KaylyRed

KaylyRed wrote:
I'm starting my first major seed germination project this year. So far I've got rudbeckia, thunbergia, violas, impatiens and lettuce (which I'm going to try to keep growing indoors so we have a fresh source of salad greens.) Everything's going along great. But then last weekend I saw a package of seed for helleborus and picked them up on impulse.

Now, as I'm reading the seed packet directions, the recommendation is to cold stratify them for 3 months. Just today, I filled a small tray with moist sterile starting mix, sowed the hellebore seeds, and covered them with a thin layer of mix. Then I popped them into the refrigerator.

My question is this--is 3 months really the minimum cold stratification period for hellebores? Can I push and try to get them to germinate after a month so I might have a chance of planting them outside by May or so? I'm certain I won't get any flowering this year either way, but it would be nice to get them outdoors before the weather warms up too much so they heave a good headstart for next year.

What are your experiences starting hellebores indoors?