Return to the Hellebore Forum
| Post a Follow-Up
Very early blossoms
| | |
Posted by philomena z6 NY (My Page) on Tue, Jan 2, 07 at 10:14
| Hi - I've been growing hellebore for only 2 seasons, so I'm not sure if what I am seeing now is normal. Some of my plants are already flowering - I live about 60 miles north of NYC, and we have been having an unusually mild winter so far. I would still expect that we will have plenty of very cold weather, as that is more typical of January and February. My question is - will these hellebore flowers, and the flower buds on some of my other hellebore plants, die off if we get regular (10-20 degrees) cold weather ? Or might these buds possibly survive ?
Thanks,
Philomena |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Very early blossoms
| | |
| The flowers are remarkably cold hardy. Hellebores are just coming into bloom in my climate and we often have sharp cold spells (into the teens) in January and February. Blooming hellebores (x hybridus specifically), react to the cold by going limp and while they may look pathetic for a day or two, they will pop right back up as the weather moderates. Excessive rain or ice or even heavy snows are more likely to damage buds or newly opened flowers rather than just cold temperatures. |
RE: Very early blossoms
| | |
| Great, thanks for the info - the way the weather has been lately it's hard to even guess what the next couple months might bring. So I'll just keep my fingers crossed that we don't get too much in the extreme, in any direction, and keep my eye on those flower buds. |
RE: Very early blossoms
| | |
| Many early buds will survive in a typical NY winter and others will not. Buds that remain tight and near ground level typically are less affected, but ones that grow too quickly upward will often suffer later, often at the expense of seed set etc (cold can damage the sepals visually and also the sex organs etc). It won't harm the plant if it happens. Much of it is genetic and simply bad timing by certain plants. It is most common with a few species like H. bocconei and also white hybrids from H. orientalis etc. Some plants (for example those of the same species from lower elevations and/or near coastal areas) bloom early in the wild and to some extent these plants start earlier in the garden regardless of weather conditions. On the other hand, plants are very early this year for me because of this spring-like winter. |
RE: Very early blossoms
| | |
| I have one in particular that is about to flower profusely. I don't expect the flowers to last all winter, and I want to cross this one too ... I think when it turns too cold I'm going to bring some flowers in and put them in a vase. They last a long time in water, and I hope to collect pollen from them and save it until spring. |
RE: Very early blossoms
| | |
| My first plants to bloom grown from seed are due this spring. There are buds on the verge of opening and lots more bubbling at ground level. I don't know whether to wish for a bit more warm to see the first buds open, or cold to keep everything at bay until true spring arrives. |
RE: Very early blossoms
| | |
I feel like my zone 6 brooklyn garden is changing to zone 7. i too have buds and blooms on hellebores starting a few weeks ago and am hoping that they survive any cold temps to come. i was curious if anyone can advise how to cut the blooms, because when i have in the past they have wilted and not recovered.
i am considering transplanting them to a more winter visible spot in the garden if this is the new trend for bloomtime rather than march. |
|
|
|
|
