Seedlings do tend to have leaves in threes to begin with but quickly develop a more typical pattern of divided or plamate foliage that can have anywhere from 3 to 7 or even 9 leaflets. And it does take time for a hellebore plant to develop into a real "clump" -- if yours are seedlings, they may not be mature enough to produce a more "well-mannered clump" :-) Better soil/siting conditions could help and a semi driving over them could certainly delay that ever happening!! And they do tend to produce seeds quite freely unless you remove the old flowers before the seeds ripen.

Hellebores are remarkably tough plants so transplanting them is unlikely to be too distressing unless they are still quite tiny.....these require a bit more care. And while they'd prefer a looser, more organic soil, they can grow in rather unfavorable soil conditions as well, as long as good drainage is provided.

I'd encourage you to move some to a more well-suited area with better soil and partial shade -- you may find that they will eventually produce a much more impressive planting and be more appealing than you find them to be now. Personally, I can't imagine a garden without hellebores to bring a spark of color into the late winter setting.

Thanks for the response. Sounds like I'm doing the right thing by moving them. Maybe not so much when I told the semi-truck driver "you can drive over that bush I never liked it much anyway" I had just moved in and had no clue what the clump of foliage was. LOL

The seedlings aren't itty bitty just immature looking. The neighbors are thrilled that I don't care for them. I plan to keep a few just in case I develop an affection for them later.

It's possible that the old lady that lived here before us put the gravel in for drainage. I think she did that with the ferns I've been moving around. I also struck aluminum in a cart she was using for a planter. It had a bunch of aluminum cans in the bottom for drainage instead of rocks.

This place is interesting.

Thanks Again.