Hellebores: Flowering Winter Delight

On a recent visit to Vancouver Island, I admired the most beautiful Hellebores in gardens all over the island. What a sight in the middle of Winter! In Toronto, Ottawa or Montreal their blooms might not show up before the end of April or in early May. But no matter what their blooming time is: amazing colors and beautiful, early blooms will touch the hearts of plant lovers.

Here are some practical tips for growing Hellebores:
When you purchased a small plant, it may need time to grow up. Hellebores flower between two and three years after transplanting. Like with many other plants, they will take a while to settle in. And if you purchased a larger plant in flower, it is not uncommon to take a year off after being taken out of its container and planted into your soil.

They have a very large and far-reaching root system. It is not uncommon to purchase a hellebore plant that has roots that are wrapped all around the pot. This does not necessarily mean the plant was poorly grown, it just makes a lot of roots fairly rapidly once the plant reaches a certain age.

Loosening the root ball, or cutting the roots in a couple of places, helps the plant get out of its container shape and into the nice, rich soil you planted it in. A period of adjustment is required after planting, when we try to coax the plant's roots out of the soilless potting media they have been growing in while container-bound.

Hellebores will grow in a wide range of conditions. While most of us think of them as “shade plants,” they are shade-tolerant plants. Best is to grow Hellebores with other taller perennials or shrubs that provide some relief from the burning summer sun. They like well-drained soil, don't water them too much, Hellebores don't like soggy soil. In very heavy clay soil, before planting amend the area with organic matter, such as composted pine bark or other material. And if you do plan to divide, fall is the best time to do so.

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