Hellebores
Guernsey Donkey2
Posts: 6,654
in Talkback
Whilst clearing the flower bed I found hellebore seedlings about 2 - 3 cm tall - can I pot these up - will they come true to the parent & do I need to keep them warm whilst the seedlings are maturing?
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Yes you can pot them up.
They may come true. It will depends on whether you've got only one variety already or several different ones.
No need to keep them warm. They are tough! May be best to keep them somewhere sheltered while we have this Artic blast though!
Take care not to let the roots dry out in the least while transplanting them, that is certain death. I tend to put the babies in a pot of water while i deal with them.
Thanks - I will pop them in water Berghill & we do only have one variety Marygold. In fact we had a lovely deep mauve as well as the common greenish/white but sadly lost the mauve one when we dug over the flower bed - such a pity. I have seen several colours advertised in GW in the past & almost sent for the offer - wish I had now.
your seedlings may be from the mauve
or a mixture of the two.
when seeding time comes keep an eye on the seed swap thread. Several of us have put hellebores on there in the past.
They may not breed true, but you could produce a unique hybrid! They are all so lovely, what have you got to lose?
That's great nutcutlet - I will look out for them - thanks & perhaps I will have bread something unique Magpie! They do look lovely growing under trees - along with bulbs of course.
As green magpie says, it's lovely when you get unique cultivars - part of the fun!
I have now transplanted about a dozen of the seedlings into small pots & left at least 20 - 30 happily growing in the flower bed - my problem is that it is usually too hot to do much gardening in the height of the summer so before I know it those little seedlings in the flower bed will be mature plants! (That is if we get a half decent summer.)