I've got some things in my garden which I think are hellebores but they are
much bigger than teh ones I'm now seeing in garden centres. They are the
same shape but eh stalks are about a foot long with correspondingly sized
leaves. Are these hellebores? If so how will they go about flowering? There
are some big bud like things developing near the base of the leaf stalks.
Will these sprout flowers or will they just spring up separately somewhere?
Thanks

--
Hayley
(gardening on well drained, alkaline clay in Somerset)

On 9/11/05 11:22, in article , "H
Ryder" wrote:

I've got some things in my garden which I think are hellebores but they are
much bigger than teh ones I'm now seeing in garden centres. They are the
same shape but eh stalks are about a foot long with correspondingly sized
leaves. Are these hellebores? If so how will they go about flowering? There
are some big bud like things developing near the base of the leaf stalks.
Will these sprout flowers or will they just spring up separately somewhere?
Thanks

We have some with leaves on long stalks like that and they vary as to
flowers. Some are in bloom now and have pink and whiteish green flowers on
the same plant and some are showing only leaves but later will have greeny
yellowy flowers. All these bear flowers that come from the ground, through
the leaves, and are shrubby hellebores, AFAIK. Others have the florescence
in the middle and on top of the leaves and are through now, too. They do
seem to be rather promiscuous plants, leading to some very interesting
hybridisations!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

In article , H Ryder
writes
I've got some things in my garden which I think are hellebores but they are
much bigger than teh ones I'm now seeing in garden centres. They are the
same shape but eh stalks are about a foot long with correspondingly sized
leaves. Are these hellebores? If so how will they go about flowering? There
are some big bud like things developing near the base of the leaf stalks.
Will these sprout flowers or will they just spring up separately somewhere?
Thanks

A bit on the small size for some hellebores ;-)

Try Hellebores corsicus
http://tinyurl.co.uk/oxjm

- it's the other commonly planted one, a huge brute, very handsome with
long lasting bracts, and a bit larger than the Helleborus orientalis
that you see in many colours in the garden centres.

Flowering stems emerge as big buds from the base, as do new leaves. I
can't remember the sequence, but I would expect the buds you are seeing
now to produce leaves and also flowers in late winter which will persist
for several months, those stems will die down (and can be cut off when
they get scruffy) and a new flush of leaves will appear from the base.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

Hayley,

it may be a hellebore, there are a few different types available, the largest one is helleborus argutifolius, with lime green flowers, see its details at the link below,

http://www.applegategardens.co.uk/ac...utifolius.html

another commonly found hellebore is helleborus foetidus, similar but with mor cut leaves.

have they flowered whilst in your garden? it may give a clue as to waht they are...

if they are hellebores, the big bud thing you describe (and hellebores do have these) will develop into next years shoots, and will flower next winter, so dont cut these off!! once they have finished flowering, carefully cut the shoots that have flowered right off at their base, as low as you can go with a pair of secateurs

hopefully of help,

linette