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| Hello,
my H foetidus Wester Flisk flowerd for the first time, planted in autumn 2008. It grew a really thick stem last year, almost 2 feet high which is flowering now. And it sprouts two new shoots close to the ground. It looks good, is healty and I like the look of the seed heads. Should I do anything special to keep it happy? So far I only grew orientale-hybrids. My soil is quite heavy and with lots of moisture so it got far bigger than wild ones on poor soil. this is (hopefully, 2. attempt with photobucket) a picture of the plant
And I have got another H foetidus, a plain seedling, 3 years old, which I planted in an awkward spot. It grew well last year and has flower buds now. And it is crowding a good H. orientale-hybr behind it. So Im pondering now whether to
If transplanting I thought now, after flowering, would be good, cutting of flower heads. Or do you prefer another time of the year? I`d appreciate your suggestions, thanks a lot,
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Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by ladywindsurfer Z7 SE (My Page) on Sun, Apr 11, 10 at 12:33
| I wouldn't bother moving a 3 year old H. foetidus, as they are short-lived perennials. It probably only has a few years left to live. You can remove and transplant any of it's seedlings that are crowding your H. x hybridus, but I would wait until fall or early winter. I have numerous seedlings each year from the species H. foetidus, but a cultivar I once grew, 'Miss Jekyll', produced only a few viable seed the first year it bloomed and the mother plant soon died and the seedlings followed a few years later. None of the offspring ever produced seed. As far as special treatment is concerned, my Helleborus receive none, except well drained soil and since I have a red clay soil base, I have amended all of the planting areas to raise the pH above 6.5. Some growers claim that Helleborus will grow in soil with a pH as low as 5.5 and that is true, BUT, they sure as heck don't thrive! Helleborus also need sunlight or bright reflected light to perform well. I grow 12 species, that encompasses many hundreds of plants and they are located in areas that receive either; morning, noonday and afternoon sunlight or dappled shade. Those in afternoon sun require heavy mulch to keep the roots cool. I remove the mulch during prolonged periods of rainfall, to prevent the soil from becoming soggy, a condition that Helleborus don't tolerate very well. |
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| Foetidus does not transplant well. To dig a mature plant up is almost surely to kill it. Concentrate on the seedlings as ladywindsurfer says. Just a note, I understand Foetidus is a species that doesn't cross with any other Hellebore. |
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