I've been seeing this plant in catalogs and I really want to give it a try. I'm thinking it might work in a container. Any suggestions?
Hellebore in Texas
Lisa, I look at them too for their winter hardiness. I went thru plant files and the pink, red, purple ones are rated to 9b it seems. The whitish ones tend to be for the colder areas. There is a yellow one rated to 9b as well. It's interesting. It says it takes 3 years for the seed to germinate so cuttings is the only way to propagate reasonably. They are not tall plants so I dont know how many it would take to make any impact.
And in our area, Lisa...they really need moisture during the winter when it gets so dry...don't like wind and demand shade here...whew, you do love a challenge, Gal!
Nevermind.....lol
How does one provide shade in winter? or does it just mean during summer? We could water it, right?
Yes, but she means a damp climate like a Shady Woodland area. I'm was thinking of growing one inside but the air is still dry. Sounds too challenging to me, at the moment.
I love, love, love my hellebores. I've found that they do need some shade in summer, but mine are under deciduous trees so get a lot of sun during the winter. They seem to grow in any circumstances, require no care, are evergreen, and start blooming in February, just when I think spring is never going to get here. They grow relatively slowly and are a bit more expensive, but in my view they are well worth it.
pb, which ones do you have and how are you using them? How tall are yours?
Ditto. I'd love to know what kind you have. I don't mind growing them as houseplants, Lord knows I have many house plants that weren't meant to live in the house.
They don't need to be protected from the heat or the cold?
I have several different kinds, but I can't remember all of them and will have to look. I know I have a couple of baby Sunshine Selections that are just getting going (they're all slow growers). My first and best is a Royal Heritage strain. We did a coop here a few years ago with another grower/introducer, and those plants were just gorgeous too, but I can't remember the name (Southern something, maybe? Pine? I'll have to look.). Honestly, I haven't gotten one yet that I don't like. Some are a little smaller by nature than others, but as far as performance, my experience is that they're all about the same, so the variety is up to you and your color preferences.
The species plants usually turn out to be cream or pale pink or a few green. The advantage to those is that, although they don't knock your socks off like the hybrids, they are still very pretty en masse and they're a LOT less expensive. So, if you want to see how you like them before investing a lot, that might be a good place to start.
No, they don't need any protection from either heat or cold. I wouldn't put them in full or afternoon sun. They are shade plants that can take a little sun. But our seasons don't bother them at all. Nothing much else does, either. No pests that I've found. I planted some in a terrible bed--dominated by a big oak with monstrous roots, really bad soil, bombarded with leaves & acorns, stepped on by the yard guys. They all still lived. The only thing I ever do is prune off old, leathery leaves as needed. The one recommendation I would make is to get plants as big as you can afford. I have gotten some babies in group buys that were very small, and lost a few of those. I'm told it's our area, but they don't seem to like being transplanted. I've never had that problem with larger plants. Besides, they are slow and most don't bloom until they're 3 years old, so best if you don't have to wait that long.
Edited to add, my biggest one is about 15-18" tall. The species plants that I put over at my parents' house have better growing conditions, and they're about 2 feet.
This message was edited Feb 21, 2013 5:46 AM
Thanks, pblady. That is very helpful. For me I want to hear it from a real person that has actually grown them.
Thank you for the information. I really appreciate it. Like steadycam3 posted, it's nice to hear from a real person that has really grown them.
I hope you'll try them. They're fairly nondescript for most of the year. But they are evergreen, and I'll tell ya, I just love mine because of their bloom time. By February I am sooooooo ready for spring, and I look out my windows, and there are those pretty little flowers. So cheery. :)
I'm in Dallas which is same climate as Garland. I'm just chiming in to say 'ditto' to all that pbtlady has said. And I agree to try to find large ones. However, I did buy mine on the cheap at an 'ugly duckling ' sale. They were small but bloomed the first year. Since then I've seen some very large ones, or large compared to mine. But mine are still going strong.