Hellebore sap can cause irritation to skin or an allergic reaction. No part of the plant should be eaten. Hellebores flower in winter or early spring from buds formed during the previous summer. They may benefit from some watering during a dry summer to encourage more buds.
Healthy Hellebores growing in well ventilated, damp but not waterlogged environments should not show any blackening on actively growing tissue.
Mosaic viruses known as ‘Hellebore black death’ is similar to tomato and cucumber mosaic viruses. Spots or streaks appear on the leaves and plants are stunted or die. There is no garden cure so dig up the plants and burn them – do not compost.
Hellebore leaf spot is caused by a fungus Coniothyrium hellebori. The hellebore gets irregular brown or black spots on the leaves and sometimes the flowers. This causes leaves to yellow and flowers to wilt. Buds often fail to open on infected plants
Hellebore are susceptible to root decay caused by Phytophthora. This is a fungus that thrives in waterlogged soils. The only cure is to improve drainage. The fungus can remain in the soil for many years so do not replant in the same area.
Snails have to be very hungry to take on the old Hellebore leaves but young shoots may be nibbled. Insects seem to leave Hellebores alone but it may be worth spraying for greenfly as they are virus carriers. Vine weevil can be a problem on a small scale.
Always buy clean healthy stock from reputable suppliers. At the first sign of trouble root it out! Avoid Hellebore Hell by treating plants to cure Hellebore problems
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For generations, gardening has been a popular pastime in the UK. Regardless of whether it is an ornamental or vegetable garden, the act of sculpting the land around us to create our very own oasis of tranquillity provides a sense of comforting accomplishment, as well as a great way to express creativity and individuality.
Sources Tetranychus urticae Female of the red form of the spider mite Scale : mite body length ~0.5 mm Creative commons by Gilles San Martin, on Flickr Chuck Crandall ‘Whats wrong with my plant?’
I was tempted to cut the leaves from my hellebore a bit early this year but have decided to wait a bit longer. Here is a selection of 2018 flowers from RHS and my garden.
Woodlice are generally seen as scavengers who eat rotting matter, they are not thought of as harmful to the garden. However, they do chew leaves and stems of tomatoes and cucumber in the greenhouse. They are not true insects but a species of crustacean.
Attribution ‘The root of the problem Project 365(2) Day 111’ by Keith Williamson, on Flickr Creative Commons License Deed Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
Hellebores are doing very well this year. The combination of the last cold winter, warm spring and now wet winter again has brought out the flowers in profusion. The Niger or Christmas rose is one of the earliest white flowers but many hybrids are now available.