madgard wrote:
"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from "Geoff" contains these words:
On Wed, 19 Feb 2003 23:16:23 -0500, "madgard"
wrote:
My hair rose up because all this time I was kavetching that
my Hellebore' weren't budding, and on the day my Aunt Pearline was
lowered
into her dirt sleep, I discovered burgandy ones in the shade garden
under
the black cherry tree, white ones forming in the NSSG, and if I were
to poke
around the leaves in the western shady spot (I ran outa time) I bet
there
are some there too! Do you think it would hurt to fertilize them? let
me
know what you think.
Mine are also in a (north)western facing shady spot in a flower and
shrub bed that is close to a brick wall of the house and is somewhat
close to the canopy of a laburnum and two beech trees. There's H.
argutifolius, H. niger and probably a hybrid with white flowers with
spotted purple in the throat of the flower. Most are in single clumps
that are gradually establishing (started over the last 3 - 4 years)
mostly from single nursery-bought plants, but they are now all
flowering without fail each year. Argutifolius has been seeding
strongly over the last couple of years, and new babies from this are
springing up regularly nearby. I must confess that I have never
fertilized this soil, although it does get some deciduous leaf drop on
the bed each year. My plants look fine. Don't know if fertilizer will
help, but I'll bet the plants will establish well in their own time
and way without!
Although hellebores do perfectly well without feeding, they flower
even better if you can give them a surface mulch of some well rotted
manure or leaf mould or home made compost which rots down to feed the
roots.
The other day I was in a garden centre where they had made a huge
tiered display of scores pots of hellebores all in flower; it was like
an altar to spring. Another woman and I just stood there drooling in
delight at the wonderful shades from greenish to white to pink and deep
purple, the spotted ones, the double ones....no two were alike.
Mmmmmmmm.
Janet.
DOUBLES?????????????????????? arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
maddie
Oh yeah!.......I have a gorgeous smoky pink double flowering hellebore I got
from Heronswood last year - they call it their "Dancing Lady" strain. Incredible
flower and in full bloom right now. Give me a year or two and we'll see if it
sets seeds as well as the others and I may have some to share.
pam - gardengal