Frequently asked questions
Are the small plants that are coming up under my original hellebore plant young hellebores?
Yes, probably. If you do not deadhead your hellebores, seeds will develop and then fall to the ground around the plant. The seeds sprout in early winter and can be carefully dug up in spring and replanted where they have more space. They will usually flower for the first time in two or three years.
The problem is that because the bees take pollen from one hellebore plant to another, cross-pollination is the rule and the flowers on the resulting plants may be nothing like the plant from which the seeds dropped.
Does the stinking hellebore really stink? The flowers of the so-called stinking hellebore, Helleborus foetidus, do not have a fetid smell, although they can sometimes smell a little ‘catty’. In fact, in the past, varieties have been selected for their sweetly smelling flowers, but these are hard to find.
The disagreeable smell is only found when the leaves are broken, as the smell is in the plants’ sap. So if you do not damage the foliage, you will never notice the bad smell.
Can I grow hellebores in containers? A few hellebores do well in containers, especially the Ice ’n’ Roses Series and the Rodney Davey Series that combine colourful flowers with prettily patterned foliage. ‘Penny’s Pink’ and ‘Anna’s Red’ are especially worth seeking out, along with dwarf forms of grey-leaved Helleborus x sternii.
When planting in containers choose a heavy pot made of terracotta, stone or concrete as the weight of the pot will help keep the plant stable. Plastic pots are usually too light. Use rich but well-drained potting soil.