When do I cut back my Hellebores?
Turnipfarmer
Posts: 34
in Plants
I am just wondering when I cut back my Hellebores? I have two and one of them is showing new buds growing from the base of the plant.
I have heard you cut back the old foliage? Is this true and if so how much do I cut back and how do I know which is the old foliage?
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I would cut back all the leaves at ground level right now, just as the new buds are showing.
I only had two once upon a time .................
Depends on the type. H. niger should only have dead leaves removed. H. x hybridus is the one where all the old leaves are removed. I do ours in February though, as I like old leaves to protect the crown over winter.
Is there anyway to tell which I have?
Post a picture is the easiest way.
I leave mine until spring as I like the flowers and the leaves.
I do mine about mid winter. I've done a few. The leaves on mine don't look very pretty by the time the flowers come round but they never all get done.
In the sticks near Peterborough
I tend to leave the old foliage until after the flowering stems have begun to form seed heads - this affords a certain amount of support/ shelter for the developing buds. If I spot any flower stems getting 'caught up' under the foliage, a bit of help flicking offending leaves out of the way generally does the trick.
Two pics from late last winter (March - April 2013), prior to foliage trimming.
I've heard that it depends if they are Christmas roses or Lenten roses that flower later. I have Lenten roses and I cut the leaves off in the winter which stops disease and untidy leaves getting in the way of the flowers. Then the plant grows fresh, new leaves in the spring which I leave on all summer.
To clarify - I understood the question was about plants that have flower buds now -
I take all the fully formed leaves off the winter flowering varieties as the flower buds appear.
Later flowering varieties, I remove old leaves when their flower buds are forming.