The message
from "Franz Heymann" contains these words:


"Janice" wrote in message
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In late spring, I gathered the seeds from my hellebores and sowed them
immediately into pots. I put the pots into a shady corner throughout the
summer, and kept the soil damp. Several months later, there are no
seedlings at all, no sign of any growth whatsoever.

Can I assume that the seeds have failed? Or will the seedlings sprout
when
it turns colder, or next spring?

I don't want to baby along pots of soil, if that's all I'll end up with!!

Keep them outside in the cold over winter in order to stratify. They are
then likely to germinate in the spring.

Franz


I find actually that they often germinate in December or soon after.
They need a period of warmth followed by a period of cold and actually
germinate while it's still cold - unlike many seeds. You can then be
pricking them out by February or March.

Janet G