Under the category of Seasonal Chores there is a favorite among the tasks on the list. On a recent warm, over 60F day we tackled this duty, felcos in hand. The hellebores are showing color in their buds and new leaves are unfurling. In order to best appreciate these late winter bloomers the old ratty tatty leaves need to be removed. In the photo above, taken March 28, 2008, the clumps of Helleborus orientalis are looking their best, sans old leaves. Also blooming were daffodils, grape hyacinths and the spot of red is flowering quince, Chaenomeles speciosa.This photo shows both the new leaves and bud stalks in the center of the plant and the older huge darkened foliage that needs to be removed. It is not difficult but does require crawling and crouching on hands and bended knee.Here is the after shot with the buds cleansed of the distracting unecessary older leaves. Even temperatures into the teens and colder will not damage the fresh newer growth, amazing as that may seem.Once the giant leaves are removed, the infants, toddlers, tweens and semi adults are exposed to the light.
On the left is an open bloom from offspring Semi’s garden. On the right is the farthest along bud in the Fairegarden.
This clump, photo taken February 23, 2007 shows the neater look as the hellebore begins its display that will last well into May here in southeast Tennessee. The rhodie in the upper right corner was a casualty of the drought of the last two years.
Since it was such a nice day and who knows what the next week’s weather will bring (it is snowing as this is being written), some other late winter pruning jobs were crossed off the job list. The Salvia greggiis were taken down to just a few inches and the roses were given a haircut as well.This is the oldest and largest hellebore that grows here. It was brought with us in the move from Texas to Tennessee and is the mother of many if not most of the our hellebore tribe. Groups of seedlings can be seen surrounding her. Two more hellebores were purchased and planted that same year, 2000, a darker red and a white to join the pink of the one we call Big Mama.Here she is in all her glory on March 27, 2008.
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A post was written about this seasonal chore last year also. You can read that if you are interested by clicking here. Funny thing, after reading the post from last year, it is much more interesting than this one in my opinion. No explanation offered. Or maybe I just can’t tell the same story twice.
For other How To posts written by Fairegarden, look for How To on the sidebar page listing or click here.
Frances
Frances,
Great information on seasonal care. Your hellebores are rewarding you for your kindness.
I saw bear claw hellebores at the coast on Monday where I took the daffodil photo. The leaves are quite stunning, too. I was trying my best to get underneath the buds and blossoms as they were quite shy and wanted to stare at the ground and not pose for the camera.
Cameron
Thanks for the beautiful photos of the Hellebores. I am coming around to appreciate them, since I have no shade I hadn’t looked at them. Will try to create some shade in the future to be able to add these beauties.
Your initial post told of the chores so well that I have never forgotten it. You know this housekeeping post is one of my favorites. I will be finishing cutting my foliage this weekend-I hope! Your Big Mama is really big!
It has always been one of my dreams to have a garden with a high bank on which I could grow Hellebores – and a path below so I could walk along and look up into their faces. At least it would save me from bending down all the time (lol)
Frances, “Big Mamma” the mother of many hellebores is spectacular. I hope to someday have a clump as excellent as she. I will head out there once it warms up to give them all a good haircut….but not today. It is cold and expected to fall to the teens again tonight? Take care and keep warm. Gail
I have been seeing this plant Hellebores, wonder if it will grow here? It is beautiful!
Seeing all of your lovely hellebores makes me anxious to see mine. They are still covered with snow. I wonder how they are fairing this winter. I will be able to see this weekend as it is supposed to get into the 40’s and maybe even the 50’s. The snow will all go away.
Oh, I just love these Hellebores. In your gardne they are planted in a perfect place, the slope. Mine are tiny (rather new), in a bad position and will be moved as soon as possible. The garden center where I used to work have a Hellebore sale right now. Guess where I’m going tomorrow? Do you think I need to bring my wallet? =)
The hellebores look great! Definitely a good plant for the midwinter-spring garden here in TN. I should put a couple in our garden somewhere!
Hi Frances, oh dear, oh dear, I must say I was completely stunned by the last picture. I’ve never seen any so grand Hellebores, ever. Magnificiant./ Tyra
I can see we are hellebore sisters! Can’t have enough. In a couple of weeks, some of my volunteer co-horts from the JC Raulston Arboretum and I will visit the Pine Knot Hellebore farm to see what Judith Knot Tyler has been up to (“Hellebores a comprehensive guide” Burrell & Tyler, Timber press.)
One of my favorite book jacket photos is of their book – they are laying down. There is something comforting about laying down to photo shoot these heavenly hellebores! Feeling the ground is half the experience.
Glorious indeed, Frances! You may remember I finally got a couple of hellebores to come through the winter and bloom for me last year. I’m hoping for a repeat performance from them….for sure they’re well and truly buried after yesterday’s latest deposit…
Hi Jodi, thanks. I do remember you wondering if your hellebore would make it and bloom for you, so glad to hear it did. The snow is a good thing it seems for them, and you are awash in that. Do stay warm!
Frances
All those colourful, swollen buds and those gorgeous, pinkish blooms are a sight for sore, snow-weary eyes today, Frances. 🙂
Oh, those are beautiful! I haven’t tried these before. I shall have to look them up and see where I can purchase them.
Brenda
I can see where this blogging is going to cost me more money! Arg… I usually purchase things which are early summer to first frost bloomers. But when I look at pics such as these, I want those things as well! I must add more spring bloomers to my life…
I love big Mama. I think my hellebores need a trim now. The flowers always look so much nicer when they aren’t competing with the old leaves. Guess I know what I’ll be doing today!
Semi’s Hellebore is so pretty! How fun to have blooms, or even buds, already. It’s going to be a few more weeks at least before I get to tackle this chore. Deadleafing the Hellebores is the first gardening chore of spring. I am so looking forward to it.
Hi Frances, I just went outside to check my hellebores. I will be totally honest here, although it is a bit embarrasing: I have NEVER cut them back before, and they’ve been there for at least 5 yrs. if not more. I got them from a very nice garden center when my daughter was younger, at least in middle school…and she’s 20 now…so, that’s a while.
I usually just let the leaves stay there and in the summer I see flowers but I have to pull the leaves up to see them. I had NO idea what I should be doing. I probably should delete this comment before I publish it!
At this point, when I pulled the leaves back, I saw small red shoot coming up. I cleared some mulch from around them but didn’t clip leaves off yet. I’m surprised the cold won’t hurt the new, fresh leaves. I’ll take your advice though, and clip the leaves soon. I want to wait until I can stand there w/my camera & do a before and after shot!
Ok, I’ve rambled long enough. One more thing, have you noticed Blotanical is not working? And, I can receive comments on my blog, but I lose them if I publish them. So, I WANT people to leave comments but know I won’t publish them until I figure out what is wrong with Blogger, as well. It’s always something, as the saying goes…
Frances, what pretty snow pictures. Snow is absolutely magical–if you don’t have to drive in it or shovel it. I can’t believe things are blooming for you. Temperatures here last night were -5.
Marnie
Frances, Hellebores feature in my desert island plants. I love them – you have the perfect spot for them. I have always thought they should be grown on a bank so that you can look up into the flowers. You have some wonderfully mature clumps.
(I cut back my leaves last week 🙂 )
K
Hi Karen, thanks. I love them too, but still have to get way down to see inside the flowers, ever on the slope. Maybe it is a bit easier to look up from below, but still I am wallowing in the flowers, sort of fun actually! 🙂
Frances
Your Hellebores are fantastic, Frances. I just cleared away the old foliage on the TWO that I have. I’m going to explore getting seeds from them. A new adventure for the boy and me!
I was given a hellebore last year for my birthday. I almost killed it before the ground was unfrozen and I could plant it. I put it in the soil last spring. I’m assuming it is still there under the snow. It is nice to know how to take care of it as I had no clue.
Frances, please move up here and become our full-time perennial gardener. You will many spaces to choose from, including sunny fields, shady woodlands, and a few sloping areas in between. Of course, you might not enjoy our Wisconsin climate, and I can’t pay you. But you’re still welcome any time.
They look much happier with their winter haircut. I did the same thing to my roses this week. Love the photos of Big Mama, she’s a beauty.
Hold up the bus now! Didn’t you say it just snowed? But now it’s 60? Bananas!
What beauties they are Frances! I really appreciated this post, as I planted my first hellebore last spring, and now I know what to do when it’s time to get out into the garden. I haven’t seen my lone hellebore since sometime in December, as we’ve had a pretty heavy snow cover since then. But I did notice some very dark foliage way back then and was wondering if I should prune it. Thanks for the tips! They’ll come in handy for my one lonely hellebore and a couple of others ordered for spring.
Thanks for adding me to your blog roll, Frances;-)
I am AGOG. I had no idea hellebores got that big, and I learned so much about hellebores from this post and comments. Like some other commenters, I feel that garden blogs are gradually sucking me into the hellebore whirlpool – and that’s fine with me.
I didn’t know about this! It makes sense and I was wondering why my hellebores were not attractive. Thanks for the lesson. I will get my felco as soon as this cold weather is gone. I have 3 plants that will look nice after a ‘hair cut’.
Frances-
Funny how some gardening minds go to the same place on the same day! Its -17 here, but I can see the foliage on a couple of the Helleborus peaking through. I thought your Big Mama was the much lusted after H. Thibetanus for a second…. same wonderfully drooping petals. She will definitely be a second choice if I do not have luck!
Frances, I love plants with a history and thanks for sharing “Big Mama’s” biography.
Lovely pictures on this charming post which warmed my heart on this cold day!
Jon at Mississippi Garden
Oh, to have hellebores like yours, Frances! Lucky you! It must feel good to have that chore done. That’s not a comfortable position to be in for any length of time.
I’m envying you those 60º temps. We had 2º on the back porch this morning. But we were blessed with bright sunshine all day as a consolation 🙂
Wow! Big Mama is one beautiful specimen. You’ve already pruned your roses? I’ll wait until the end of February or the 1st of March, but our weather is a little harsher than yours. I’ve been replanting all of the bulbs I dug for the garden redo. Lovely post, my friend.~~Dee
It’s 11 degrees right now and will be 70 on Sunday. I saw where the mountain windchill was -30. That’s nuts.
As always, you make me want to plant what you are writing about. If I wasn’t so addicted to you–I’d stay away.
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Hi Franses!
What a fab collection you have! I have been looking a couple of times know on them!
I love helleborus and aspecely the orientalis´s
My favorit are the spotted ones.. and the double ones.
Linda
Thanks for this handy tips! Your hellebores look really nice, so I guess they enjoy your treatment. I have a few, but they are still very tiny…
If I get any seed from my double orientalis this year… would you like to have some?
Linda
Frances,
Excellent helpful info here. Never thought to prune away those heavy leaves. Makes great sense. Will forward this along to my parents. Thank you! You’ve got a wonderful blog here.
Ann
I just ordered my first Hellebores! Thanks for the timely info, Frances. This is a job I won’t have this year, but hopefully my new babies will grow this summer, and I’ll have to prune them back next year.
Some really nice hellebores. They are one of my favorite cut flowers. They can last over a month if you sear the stems in some hot water.
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