LITTLE CREEK NURSERY

CULTIVATION HINTS

HELLEBORUS HYBRIDS

ORIENTALIS HYBRIDS

The orientalis hybrids are the most showy and easiest to grow. They are happy in a wide range of soils and situations. They do not seem to mind acid or alkaline soils as long as they are not too dry or wet. The ideal would be reasonable garden soil with some compost or bark dug into it. They do not need rich feeding. The ideal situation would be a border in semi shade. They flower better with a little sun but are happy in a shady spot but not really deep shade.

The most important thing to remember is to make sure they do not dry out in their first summer season. Once they are settled in, they will tolerate almost anything.

You can also grow them on in large pots or troughs but make sure you use a soil based compost such as John Innes. They are not happy growing in pure peat for any length of time and if you buy them in pots from the garden centre, make sure you plant them out or re-pot in soil based compost as soon as possible.

Companion Planting.

They are the perfect plants with spring bulbs and early flowering shrubs. Try them with various snowdrops, miniature narcissus, muscari, cyclamen coum and repandum, daphnes, shrubby honeysuckles etc.

Propagation

You can hand pollinate them and collect the seed or just let nature take its course and let them seed naturally. They can be divided but will take some time to settle down again and they may not flower the following year.

Sod’s law

The most desirable forms such as doubles, picotees, blues or any really unusual colour will always be the most awkward to increase. Either the flower stems will rot or mice will nibble the flowers and destroy any hopes of seed. One must be prepared to be philosophical if one is to become a serious enthusiast.   Good luck.!

New Catalogue issued Spring 2008

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