Guide to growing garden plants - Helleborus Hellebore
Plants of the Helleborus genus are hardy perennials.
They are a sombre plant with flowers similar to anemones in murky colours, including pink, green, brown, plum and cream.
Some of the common name for these woodland plants include Hellebore, Christmas rose and Lenten rose.
How to grow Hellebore (Helleborus)
Though not the easiest plant to grow, Lenten Roses and other Helleborus plants are well worth the effort if you have a woodland garden. If you have Hellebore roots then they should be planted at a depth of 7cm at the beginning of spring or autumn.
The seeds of Hellebore should be sown into peat pots at a depth of 3mm, then put the pot in a black bin bag, then placing in the fridge for three weeks. the pots should then be transferred to a shady part of the garden in the spring and sunk into the soil. The pots should then be covered with glass. as soon as seedlings sprout the glass covering should be removed. The seedlings should then be allowed to grow for a year and transplanted in either the spring or autumn into a shady part of the garden that has a rich moist soil of pH 6 to 7.5.
Caring for Hellebore - Helleborus plants in the garden
Once established Hellebore (and other Helleborus) members will require to be watered regularly and need to be fertilized a couple of times a year with a light feed. At the end of the season in autumn, old dead leaves and flowers should be removed from the plant. If you require more plants then they can be divided after flowering has finished, however be very careful that a large root is maintained.