How generous of my oriental hellebores to not only flower so profusely for the past months, but to now reward me with such a bumper supply of swelling seed-pods.
How generous of my oriental hellebores to not only flower so profusely for the past months, but to now reward me with such a bumper supply of swelling seed-pods. Each one of these hellebore heads will be packed with shiny black seeds just waiting to be scattered onto the surrounding soil when the pods eventually ripen and split.
There isn't much bare soil around my hellebores, but somehow a rash of seedlings always develops. I can then delve in with a trowel and transplant them to fill gaps around the garden. It's a bit 'pot luck', but then that's the fun of gardening. If I really wanted to maximise my returns I could collect seed by hand, picking off the pods at the moment they split, but before they've dropped their cargo. Kept on a sheet of newspaper in a warm, dry place they'll continue ripening, and I'll be able to shake out the seeds.
The best germination comes from sowing right away, and not saving for another day. Just sprinkle seeds onto the surface of compost in a large pot and cover with grit. Germination should be quite quick, probably within the month. These seedlings probably won't flower next year, but should do the following year if they grow strongly. The anticipation of waiting for flowers to open is immense.
You never quite know what they're going to be like. This 'natural' hybridisation may produce progeny of the same flower colour and form as the parent, or something completely new. Then the fun really starts, as you can name them what you like. Helleborus 'Adam's Perfection' anyone?
See more comments...
