Hellebore

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Hellebore should be classified as a particularly unpretentious plant to care for. In total, many different varieties of this plant have been bred, which will differ from each other in different colors of flowers. This flower is especially valuable due to its resistance to cold weather, as well as due to its decorative flowers and foliage. It is noteworthy that the foliage of this plant is able to maintain its green color even in winter.

Among the varieties of this plant are distinguished: eastern hellebore, black, smelly and Caucasian.

Features of care and cultivation of hellebore

It is recommended to select shaded places for growing this plant, however, the hellebore is able to grow in the sun, however, the development of the plant will not be so favorable. With regard to the choice of soil, it is recommended to give preference to calcareous or neutral soils, which will be well drained and rich in humus. Watering the hellebore should be moderate, and especially hot and dry days should be chosen for watering. It is noteworthy that an excessive amount of moisture can have an extremely negative effect on the development of the hellebore.

As for dressings, they should be carried out using organic fertilizers: such dressing should be applied to the soil after the end of the flowering period. This plant does not tolerate transplanting well, for this reason, you should not transplant the hellebore. It is noteworthy that in one place this plant is capable of developing for more than twenty years. Hellebore bloom will begin in the month of April. It should be noted that some gardeners prefer to grow hellebore indoors.

In the autumn, it is recommended to remove old and diseased leaves of this plant. There is no need for additional shelter for the winter period. However, the exception will be the Corsican and smelly hellebore: these plants should be covered with spruce branches.

It should be noted that, despite the fact that this plant is endowed with a number of direct advantages, the hellebore is endowed with a very weight disadvantage. This plant is poisonous, especially hellebore roots. For this reason, extreme care must be taken when handling this plant.

Hellebore propagation

Reproduction of this plant can occur both through seeds and by dividing the bush. Seeds should be sown immediately after harvest or in the spring. It is noteworthy that the seeds must be sown in open ground, while they will need to be buried by about one centimeter. When choosing this method of reproduction, the flowering of a new plant will begin after three to four years. At the same time, it should be remembered that the hellebore is able to reproduce quite well also through self-seeding.

As for reproduction by division, it is recommended to divide the bushes either after the end of the flowering period, or in the spring. Parts of the plant should be planted in a permanent place, while the distance between the bushes should be about thirty to fifty centimeters. After the new plants have been planted, it is recommended to water them for two weeks. It should be noted that when choosing this method of reproduction, some parts of this plant will take root for a rather long time. For this reason, gardeners give preference to this breeding method every five years. It is noteworthy that the reproduction of the stinking hellebore is carried out exclusively with the help of seeds.

It should be noted that these plants can be affected by mice, snails, caterpillars and aphids.