Hellebores - Care and Diseases
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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.

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Hellebores - Care and Diseases (continued)

Hellebores - Care and Diseases
(continued)