Grow Hellebores from Seed

[@riverunner9978]

A 72 tray of newly rooted hellebores would bring a big smile to my face!

[@ikswej]

I do exactly what you are doing. One year I was in a park and noticed hundreds of seedling growing underneath some mature plants , there was somebody working in the flower beds so l asked if l could take some, help yourself he said , they will only be hoed into the soil,so l took the lot,oh happy days,they are one of my favourite plants along with cyclamen.

[@HehesThabass]

We're about to get a a snow storm from 1am-4pm love Wisconsin. I cut my n9w frosted blooms and grabbing the seedlings for my winter gardening. I love hellebores how neat and manicured they stay. The blooms are beautiful and the foliage is too!

[@jackieremis6533]

As usual your video was AWESOME! I never knew that Hellebores self sewed.

[@Craig_Humphries]

I know what I’ll be doing tomorrow :-) Thanks Jason! Edit: I really appreciate the extra content, which doesn’t always apply to roses.

[@johnmcparland4945]

Thank you, this video is so helpful for a beginner. Now l know what l am doing wrong. Hopefully my Hellebore seedlings will be better next year after watching this.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Thanks John - I hope they work out for you!

[@DCB14u2do]

Just what I was hoping to find! We have a shady area that the hellebores are doing great in. Wanting to increase them to cover a 10x20 space with them, we are looking forward to seed recovery and transplanting to do this. Thanks for your teaching videos. We are excited here in Middle GA. See you soon.

[@edmey]

Excellent information! Thank you so much. Greetings from RI.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

My pleasure. Have an excellent growing season

[@riverunner9978]

This is so doable with all volunteers!! ♥️🐝🌱

[@MsPandora93]

A very informative video. I have never grown Helebores and knew diddily-squat about them. I do like the look of the blooms and may give them a try.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Thanks Sandra. My favorite thing about them is that they're flowering when the rest of the garden is still asleep.

[@jujugoketo3711]

Good to know how to do this. Hellebores are so expensive - but worth it. Shade plant, evergreen, early bloom, and #1... deer don't like them!!

[@kimberlyoboyle451]

The deep pink ones are my faves, we bought a cluster of seedlings from the Lilac fest in Rochester many years ago, they were very slow to grow to blooming size.. I don't have the patience for another round! Right now I have a couple of rose seedlings and we are trying some carniverous sundews for my daughter indoors. Having my first rose sale in a couple of weeks at the Manhattan Rose Society where Paul Zimmerman is going to be the guest speaker!

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

That's great - a sale so early, and it sounds like quite an event if they're getting Paul Zimmerman! Enjoy. My local rose societies don't gear up in any real way until much later in the season.

[@kimberlyoboyle451]

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm I am only going to call the plants "rooted cuttings" and suggest they be grown out a few months. They are zone 6/7 and I am still in 5 so things are really early just starting to break dormancy now (the stuff inside the greenhouse, not outdoors at all!!)

[@kimberlyoboyle451]

I figured it would be an opportunity to get some rare ones, and since it's the club the people would be likely to give the care needed to coddle them. Such as Lady Ursula, Alba Maxima, Mrs John Laing, Clair Matin, Gerty Jekyll and so on.

[@rmishio6036]

Thanks for this video! Very informative

[@Whipporwhill]

Excellent info, thank you! I've read that some hybrid hellebores are sterile & don't ever produce seeds. Might be why some of yours didn't.

[@elsagrace3893]

Oh cool. I’m going to look for some hellebore seedlings in my Grandma’s garden in late winter. They have been growing there without her for 30 years. No care at all.

[@KidsvtheWorld]

Thank you for sharing. I had hellebore babies but I thought they were weeds all this time. I’ve been collecting seeds for years with no luck!

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

That's too funny - but I'm sure I do the same with all sorts of plants in my garden, weeding away my "volunteers"

[@jonatherton]

Very informative, thank you. A couple of questions: where do you keep the hellebore seedling you potted up (could they be kept inside a house?), and at what stage and time of year do you plant out?

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

I kept mine in a coldframe greenhouse, but even a shady spot in the garden would be fine. I kept mine in pots until the following spring.

[@robynatsidaftis1488]

Great detailed video... thanks

[@ignaciaforteza7731]

Great... I just transferred into better containers two lovely plants 🌱 since some bug 🐜? We’re nearly finishing with them...small little experience gardener as I am, most is an adventure for me. Love to follow you, but you know that. Thank you 🙏

[@LesaSmith4]

Great information! Thank you!

[@Alexandra-ks7cb]

What is the flowering bush at 1:46 please? Thanks for the video! I love hellebores. Trying to winter sow some. Hopefully they take.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Viburnum x. bodnantense 'Dawn'

[@sarahpark9372]

Hi Jason, thank you for the informative video! How long would it take for the seedlings to start flowering? I just transplanted some today in the hopes of spreading it around my garden.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

It's a bit of a longer-term grow - I suspect it'll be 2 or 3 years after germination before there's any significant flowering

[@dianawood2671]

Thank you Jason for your reply on the growing Hellebores from seeds. I have another question, I wonder if you will be in Sunshine Coast of Gibson this Winter? I and a group of friends like to meet you there. Diana

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Yes, we'll be there on Feb 15. www.gibsonsgardenclub.ca/event-calendar/2023/2/15/jason-croutch-from-fraser-valley-rose-farm-talks-roses-garden-facts-and-folklore

Id like to grow a variety thats not nodding down. Will i be able to propagate those protected hybrid ones from seed by just buying one from the store?

[@Combatpzman]

Typically you will get a mix from hybrids, some of the seeds may match the plant you buy while others won’t. You’ll have to let the new plants grow until it flowers to know for sure.

[@kimberlyoboyle451]

There are plenty of unprotected varieties (anything greater than 20 ? years old) which are very upright in the stem- most Hybrid Teas such as chrysler imperial, peace, aloha, there must be thousands! (Though be careful some will be disease-prone)

[@kellyy4525]

Loved this and I so want to start growing my own. However, have some hellebores that I've had for years and nothing ever seeds around them and grows. I bought some new ones this year and I'm hoping maybe these will produce. Any idea why my long living hellebores never have seedlings? Thanks!

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Some varieties are sterile hybrids - so that may be it. Which varieties did you get this time?

[@johneckels968]

Very helpful

[@bartl4553]

What´s the pink flowering shrub at 1:47? Is it some kind of witch hazel?

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

It's Viburnum x bodnantense 'Dawn'

[@bartl4553]

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm looked it up, what an amazing shrub!

[@christinenewmarch9719]

What is the potting medium you use ? I have seedlings much larger than those , probably 2 years old , can I dig them up and pot in the soil that they are in ?

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Hi Christine. Mine is made of composted bark and wood fiber. Yes, dig wider and deeper around the seedlings, and you can use the soil they're in to grow on, or gently tease it off to transfer to potting soil.

[@christinenewmarch9719]

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Thanks very much !!

[@kimhodge478]

Thank you for this @Fraser Valley Rose Farm - timely for me! I bought my first Hellebore this Fall and have enjoyed it in my tiny urban garden here in Garrison Crossing, Sardis. I want to take the seeds (when they are ready) and plant them directly in a tray. I would try to mimic nature by planting in early summer, and envision leaving them alone outside in the shade/ cooler part of my garden Is it okay to do this ? Do you have any further suggestions?

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Hi Kim. Fresh seeds can germinate fairly quickly - yes, cooler shaded location but also make sure they get moisture.

[@whatinspiresu]

how long does it take to get a nice sized 1 gallon from seedling?

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

About a year

[@diversegardener392]

Do you sell hellibors? I can't find them locally. Great advice be the way.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Hi Arthur - no I do a few other perennials, but have pretty much given away all my seeded hellebores.

[@diversegardener392]

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm that's great thanks anyway 😊

[@randyman8984]

I am getting tons of seedlings around my mother plant so dug alot out like you did. Only thing I noitcied is once I potted them up they are slooooow to get started. They stay small for a long time. I will get 1 out of ten that will get going but not the kind of progress I am looking for, A few actually died. So dont think its worth the effort and dont see me doing it again.

[@hannagrace3302]

Is there a way to harvest the seeds from these plants instead of scooping them out of the garden? Thanks for your informational videos!

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Hi Hanna. Sure - keep an eye out for the seed pods to ripen (turn brown) in the early summer - the seeds inside will have turned shiny black. If you sow them fresh, they may germinate fairly quickly. If they dry for too long on the plant (or you delay sowing) they may take 1 or 2 cold cycles to sprout.

[@lanceb7438]

What is the soil you are using? It looks like broken down mulch or bark. Thanks for all the information.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Hi Lance - it is a mix of composted bark and shredded cedar fibers, so all wood products from a local potting soil supplier.

[@lanceb7438]

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Thank you very much.

[@sislertx]

How do these.do in a zone 8b summer in texas.heat and humidity and alkaline soil

[@Tinaejs]

I'm in Oregon 8b. I have quite a few that are just fine as long as they're in an area that's shaded, get mulched and keep relatively moist. Mine are under a tree canopy but any other shaded spot should be fine.

[@rmishio6036]

I bought a pipas purple frost kiss, without flowers about a few months back, I’m guessing it won’t flower until this next winter. I live in zone 6b so I’m planting it on the North/East side of our house. What are your thoughts? Thank you!

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Yes, next fall/winter. Mulch to keep cool over summer, and feed with a decent amount of phosphorus in the fall to encourage a larger set of blooms.

[@summermeetswinter5578]

Hi, can you, please, tell me when is the best time to transplant the hellebores seedlings (one year old already) from the ground also into the ground, just in another area of the garden? I don't have the space to keep them indoor for the winter time. Can I do it now in the fall, or I have to wait till spring? Thank you so much. Love your videos!👏👏👏

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Thanks - I think it'll depend a lot on how severe a winter you can expect in your area. We typically get away pretty easy here, so I wouldn't hesitate to transplant in the fall. Hellebores do some of their best growing over the cool season. If you generally get a more severe winter, maybe wait until late winter when you think the worst of the cold has passed.

[@summermeetswinter5578]

Thank you very much! Last winters have been pretty mild, but the temperature still got to -18°C for a few days, so maybe it's better to wait until spring arrives. ☺😃

[@DavidButler-ox4bv]

Hey Jason, great video, thank you. I bought my hellebore online, it arrived with one flower which has since turned green and developed the four seed pods. They are starting to open now and the seeds are falling out. I thought you had to wait until the pods went brown, is it okay to harvest the seeds now? Also would they germinate in a plug tray of good quality potting mix, as I don't really have access to dirt or sand. It's the first month of spring here (in Australia). Thank you!

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Thanks - if the seeds are falling out, they should be ready. Hellebore seeds sometimes require a cold stratification period, but I've heard that freshly harvested seeds can germinate pretty quickly if sown right away.

[@DavidButler-ox4bv]

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm thank you very much. Should I wait for the seeds to fall out naturally, or is it okay to shake the seeds out once the pods open?

[@dianawood2671]

Hi Jason, Are all these seedling will come true to their mother plant? Diana

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

No DIana, they'll be a genetic mix.

[@Tinaejs]

Hi Jason! I do have 2 questions. First, is that fine fir bark that you're using for the medium? You had mentioned vermiculite. Second, If you're selling your plants and have other varieties in your garden, will the ones that germinate under the mother plant be true to its genetics or will they hybridize? In short, can you name the variety that you're selling if they may have cross pollinated?

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Thanks Tina. Yes, it's a composted bark-based mix. You can't call the seedlings true to genetics of the mother - sometimes you'll see growers like me revert to simply the genus, and description: White Helleborus, or to the geuss/species: Helleborus x hybridus. You could name them ex. 'Swirling Skirts' with the "ex." meaning "seedling of". Or you could name the variety or assortment yourself.

[@stephaniewarren9285]

What kind of success would I have if I winter sow my seeds in water jugs? I live in zone 5a.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

I've seen it work well for cold-germinators like hellebores.

[@stephaniewarren9285]

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Thank you so much! I’m new to hellebores and assumed that might be the case watching your video, but it’s always nice to get confirmation. P.S. new plants are also a way for me to find new people to subscribe to! 👍

[@annasophia7977]

any sources were I can buy hellebore seeds?

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Hi AnnaSophia - I've seen them listed on Jelitto's site.

[@annasophia7977]

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm thank you! I'm so glad I found your channel. I recently sowed some rose seed after watching your other video on rose germination. Thank you :)

[@mariadi1069]

I have some old seeds. Will it be ok to use them, or is it difficult? I was looking on the net for some info, but no joy, everyone is using the fresh seeds. 😑

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

It is one of those cases where the fresh seed is just easier - no harm in trying, but I'd expect an extended stratification (cold) period would be required to wake them up.

[@baganthekerannaghor8161]

How long this plants will take to flower ?

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

I've seen hellebores flower the following year, but more likely two.

[@rmishio6036]

Hi, I have a question. What type of soil are you putting the seedlings into? Looks like peat moss? And I have some Hellebores planted with lava rock around them in a bed, do you think they will still throw seed okay or should they have mulch around them? Any help will be appreciated. Thank you!

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

It's a blend of composted bark and shredded cedar fiber. I don't think that hellebores "throw" seeds - they just drop them directly beneath the flowers. A cool, moist mulch directly around the hellebores is probably your best bet, or you could collect the seeds and put them in more favorable conditions

[@rmishio6036]

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Thank you for your insight. I’ll work on a new spot for a reason to buy some more, ☺️

[@rmishio6036]

I haven’t had the privilege of seeing seedlings yet.

[@rodhoskin8238]

Have you ever started Hellebore from cuttings?

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Hi Rod - no, I haven't. I think it would be tricky to know where to cut. The growth is basal, with only leaves or flowers emerging from the crown. I know some propagators increase hellebores by tissue culture, but I haven't anyone using cuttings.

[@rodhoskin8238]

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Okay, thanks.