Wednesday, May 04, 2011

Hellebore seed collecting time!

This is a 'Red Lady' hellebore just opening up for seed dropping. Once the pods start drying up the pods will open and drop the seeds under the plant. This is the time for collecting them.

Here we missed the seeds, they are now under the plant.
These are hellebore seeds I found under the opened pod in the above photo.
Here is a 'Red Lady' flower I picked just before opening, I dropped it in a cup and let it dry out and I did not miss any seeds either.

The seeds can be planted in pots if you have the patience to water them and wait many months for them to germinate. I like to give them a special spot on the ground a just toss them on the ground and let nature do the rest.

When you collect seeds in your garden that the bees pollinated one never knows how the seeds will cross with the other hellebores in the garden. One must wait two to three years to find out what they will look like.
 We were givien this peony I believe.
This peony I bought for Meg as a mother's day present several years ago, it is growing nicely. It was purchased at the corner store which closed a few years ago, I loved that little store.

This Louisiana Iris has been in our garden for a very long time, mostly abused as it grows on the hillside to the pond. That is False Nettle, Boehmeria cylindrica on the right of it. False Nettle is the host plant for the Red Admiral butterfly, we have lots of the nettle and butterfly here. No it is not stinging either.

The tin man, I found this poor poor little fella in of all places the recycling bin! It broke my heart, but I saved him, Meg was very pleased as well.  Now to find him a home in the garden. That is Meg's Larkspur in the background. The bright green stuff behind the larkspur is our Swiss Chard.

21 comments:

Jen said...

that tin man is so sweet! I can't believe anyone would throw him away. I need to get some peonies for my yard.

Nellie from Beyond My Garden said...

I'm glad you saved the tin man. Be sure to show us where you put him. I've started drinking loose leaf tea. It comes in wonderful little tins that I think will be great for seed collecting.
nellie

tina said...

Love the tin man!!! I'm going to check my hellebores today but when last I picked some the seeds were still white. I hope they've turned now. My peonies are at the same stage as yours so the hellebores should be close by!

Malay-Kadazan girl said...

Interesting the seeds look like medicine tablet. Like the time man!

greggo said...

That hellebore is one weird looking dude.

Lona said...

Thanks for the details on the hellebore seeds. I was hoping mine would bloom this year but they must still be too young.Thanks to you I will know about the seeds if they ever do bloom.The peonies are so lovely. That Tin Man is so cute.I am glad he found a home.

Alison said...

That tin man is so cute! Someone put all that work into making him and then threw him away, but I'm glad he found you.

Janet, The Queen of Seaford said...

I am scanning through posts that I missed last week....I need to see if my few Hellebore produced seeds, and if they are still in the seed pod.
I have the same Peony as the top one you pictured. It was a pass-a-long from a neighbor in VA. I love it!

Meredith/Great Stems said...

Oh, that tin man is fantastic -- he's going to be so happy to be part of your family and garden. By the way, I haven't had a chance to say it, but wow, your bottle wall is INCREDIBLE! Love, love, love the flower, and the rolling look.

Andrea said...

The macro photos are beautiful, even the seeds are nice. We dont have hellebores in the tropics. And that tin man is lovely, i want to make one like it too and put it as a guard in our property, haha!

Larry said...

It was years before I ever saw seedlings around the hellebores... now there are 100's and I would like to transplant them once they get a bit of size... I'm sure they'll make an excellent filler for shady areas where I don't get around to planting other things... great pictures! L

Karen said...

Randy, the Tin Man is adorable, I wouldn't have been able to pass him up either, even though I've been nagging my husband to clean up his shop. Someone put a whole lot of work into him.

I have decided to get serious about hellebores now since reading your blog posts. They are so beautiful, as are your peonies.

Unknown said...

OMG- I want a Tin Man in my garden too!!!!

Janet, The Queen of Seaford said...

thanks for the ID of the caterpillar on my Cudweed. You and Nell Jean are great!

Corner Gardener Sue said...

It's fun seeing spring progress in your garden, and then ours getting to that spot, a little later. My peonies have buds on them. Yours sure are pretty! My larkspur are a few inches high. I try to get them started in the front yard, but so far, they only come back in the vegetable garden. Bachelor buttons are the same way.

Love the tin man!

Beth at PlantPostings said...

Great info about the Hellebore seeds! When you intentionally scatter them, do they tend to sprout the next year?

Nancy said...

Ooh, thank you for the tips on collecting and sowing hellebore seeds! I adore these plants and have just the one looking very sad and crushed up under an overgrown bush. Going to get out there right now to see if I can get some seeds so I can get some growing in a better spot.

Thanks again!

Victoria Williams said...

Your garden is so far ahead of ours.
Those hellebore seed pics are fascinating!
And good for you for saving the tin man, I would have too.

Sue Garrett said...

Thank you this was very useful as I was just trying to decide when to gather seeds from my hellebores. I have lots of young plants growing in the hellebore bed - can you tell me how long yours were before they produced flowers?

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