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Hellebores - Care and Diseases
(continued)
Care For Your
Hellebore
Hellebores do well in most soils, they will even do well in
acid soil. However, their preference is for a neutral to slightly
limey soil - a pH of about 7 would be ideal. Most
prefer semi-shade, especially where they are grown on sandy soil. They
hate being water-logged. These two preferences make them ideal for
growing under the shade of a tree or large shrub. Hellebores
are very easy to take care of and are relatively free from disease. A
mulch with organic matter in autumn (preferably from your compost
heap) around the plant, but not touching it, will feed them throughout
the year. If no organic matter is available, two or three handfuls of
bonemeal or similar, can be lightly worked into the surrounding soil. Also
in autumn and though to early winter, remove any old or diseased
foliage. this will help prevent black spot from appearing in the
spring. Finally, it pays to remove old flowers (cut off the flower
stem as far back as possible) to conserve strength. Don't do this
however if you want to collect seed later in the year.
Growing in Containers
Hellebores require the normal attention when grown in
containers. Water them as required to prevent them drying out and feed
with a handful of bonemeal every three months or with a good liquid feed
as recommended on the container. Because most hellebores prefer
semi-shade, it is a good idea to move the container into semi-shade in
the summer months. When roots start to show through the bottom of the
pot, re-pot into a larger one.
Most hellebores do very well in containers. The
exception is Helleborus orientalis (or hybridus) which is not suited to
growing in pots because of it's long root system. Recommended varieties
for containers include Helleborus sternii, Helleborus ballardiae and
Helleborus ericsmithi.
Hellebore Diseases and Pests
Hellebores are normally healthy plants, however they are
occasionally affected by disease or pests. The likely ones, and action
to take, are given below.
APHIDS
These appear in the flowers themselves or under leaves. They are tiny
insects which are visible to the eye. Click
here for further identification and how to cope with them.
BLACK SPOT
This is very common with hellebores. It appears as black or dark brown
marks on the leaves which enlarge and eventually strip all the foliage
from the plant. Click
here for further identification and how to cope with this
disease.
SLUGS
Slugs are visible pests and they tend to go for new shoots and sometimes
the flowers. Click here
for further identification and how to cope with them.
VIRUSES
Hellebores grown in gardens are not normally affected by viruses. Where
they are, they normally appear as distorted leaves or flowers. The
plants grow weakly and are prone to other diseases. In the cases the
only solution is dig up and burn the affected plants. One new virus to
affect hellebores recently is called 'Black Death'. It causes black
areas on the leaves, but these are bounded by the leaf veins. Treat as
with any other virus.
END OF HELLEBORE ARTICLE
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