hellebore seedling

[insam]

On another thread I posted information about how to germinate seed within four months. Here is a seedling from seed I received from Tasmania in January 2003. It had already been warm stratified and so germinated a couple of months later after cold storage. Now it has bloomed. Only two years which is somewhat rare in my climate. My first seed raised double. Maybe after I pay my school loans I'll actually buy some mature plants! In the meantime, it's quite fun to grow from seed.

[Chris_W]

Wow, that is fantastic! Personally I had been putting off growing hellebores as being a bit too expensive. Looks like I should be considering growing them from seed instead from that kind of result.

Thanks for sharing the info!

Chris

[insam]

I agree Chris. It's never to late to start! Sometimes the thought of the long wait deters people, and of course there is so much variability with seedlings. I get greater satisfaction in growing from seed generally. It's a more emotional experience... sometimes pleasant surprises and even disappointment.
Here is a plant from my first recorded hand-cross a few years back. The pollen parent was H. atrorubens and the pod parent was a fairly dark purple hybrid. This particular seedling maintained the demeanor and "deciduous" quality of the species parent, while some of its siblings have developed wintergreen foliage. I'm pleased with the shape of the flower, and the backs of the sepals are nicely colored along with slightly colored nectaries and pistils.