I don't know what you mean by a "brush". Also what is the bloom stalk?
What variety of hellebores do you have?
Mary

The tag that was on my helleborus says "Helleborus
foetidus Wester Flisk Group" purchased from Heronswood
nursery. It has foliage about a foot tall. The bloom
comes out of the top of this foliage and it has kind
of green bell-shaped "flowers". I cut these flowers
off and it left a rather large flat "stalk" about the
same height as the darker green foliage that I
refer to as a bloom stalk. By brush, it looks like
a partial bloom, is lighter green like a bloom
but the "blooms" are just short, green, spikey and leaf-like.

Those are this season's flower buds - be patient - they will develop into the same flower stalk you had before.

I'd suggest you remove the spent flower stalks earlier than fall. Typically, I remove mine when the flowers are fully spent - generally late spring. There is less likelihood of attracting aphids (they LOVE these plants) and the plant will not put unnecessary effort into seed production, unless of course you are raising them for seed. Even then, I'd gather the seed as soon as you see the seed cases split - long before fall.

goswimmin, caulescent hellebore species produce flowers on top of a leafy stalk (H, foetidus, argutifolius, lividus, niger, x sternii etc.) The entire stalk is removed at the crown when blooms are finished. Acaulescent hellebores (x hybridus) produce flowers on leafless stalks directly from the crown.

Whoops - delete Helleborus niger from the list of caulescent types....fingers typing faster then brain working.....:-)

Who knows, you could be right the first time gardengal. After all, H. niger seems to only hybridize with caulescent plants, and there is a good case that it is as close to caulescent as acaulescent. Its stem does have a more subterranean demeanor though like the acaulescent ones.

So Mary, are your foetidus plants doing OK? Your hybridus seedlings are huge now. I am happy with their vigor. I have them where they get full afternoon sun.