Hi, I'm in Baltimore. I am not sure whether this is zone 6 or 7.

I'm off to visit sunfarm. Thanks for the site!

"Karen Fletcher" wrote in message
...
Betsy -0 wrote:
: I've been fascinated by these plants, and now that y'all are discussing
them
: I remember yet again that I'd like to have some.

: How are they grown/started? Can they be started from seed?

: When are they planted out?

: What happens when it snows like this--do they wait to bloom until the
snow
: is melted or do they just miss a year? Sounds silly, doesn't it, but
I'm
: mystified by a plant that blooms basically in the winter!

You don't mention what Zone you're in. I haven't started them from seed,
although that's doable. They are pretty rugged plants once they're
established and will bloom from 3-4 months from late winter/early spring
here in my corner of Zone 5 (which combines tropical summers with Arctic,
snowless winters). An early warm spring and then a very cold snap can
injure them but they're pretty tough. During a long, cold winter they
bide their time like everything else and bloom when they're ready

A good place to go drool over Hellebores is Sunshine Farm and Gardens:
http://www.sunfarm.com/ Great photo galleries! It's a wholesale nursery
but they do some mailorder retail.

-- Karen

The Garden Gate http://garden-gate.prairienet.org
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