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Excitement from Québec

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Gabycher  Send Gabycher a private message!




Posted on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 - 07:41 am EST :   Last Buddysize PhotosCopy highlighted text to new message Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

The now unseasonally hot weather has quickly melted the snow and has uncovered some of my hellebores already 6" to 8" high. And the first plant to flower might very well be the best I will have to offer this season.
I am absolutely thrilled about it, as I love picotées and veined flowers. This one is veined, but not picotée, and the outside of the sepals are a strong pink, that nicely contrasts the light inside of the flowers.
The first flowers were not completely open yesterday night, but it is raining today and I simply couldn't wait sharing the pictures with you:

flower 1
flower 2
flower 3
flower 4

I raised this plant from a package of 'Single Picotée' seeds from Elizabeth Town Hellebores in 2003.
This is its second year of blooming, and it seems to be a fairly extreme example of second year blooms varying significantly from first year ones. This is how the flowers looked last year:

flower 5

Will post more as my plants are slowly coming into bloom!

Gaby

Gabycher - Quebec, Zone "5a / 4b"
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Gardenbug  Send Gardenbug a private message!



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Posted on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 - 09:43 am EST :   Last Buddysize PhotosCopy highlighted text to new message Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

Isn't it thrilling?

From this....
Plant Forum

To colourful hellebores!
Yours is a beauty. Interesting comparison from last year too!

Gardenbug - Ontario, Zone "4/5"
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Galanthophile  Send Galanthophile a private message!



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Posted on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 - 01:13 pm EST :   Last Buddysize PhotosCopy highlighted text to new message Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

From winter to spring in a day or two! Beautiful hellebores that have been waiting patiently to bloom! The first one is a beauty indeed.

Galanthophile - Ann (Northern England), Zone "8"
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Gardenfiend  Send Gardenfiend a private message!



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Posted on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 - 03:20 pm EST :   Last Buddysize PhotosCopy highlighted text to new message Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

Galanthophile wrote on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 - 01:13 pm:

The first one is a beauty indeed.


The veins look as though they were skillfully drawn on the petals.

Gardenfiend - Germany, Zone "7a"
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Terryk  Send Terryk a private message!



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Posted on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 - 03:48 pm EST :   Last Buddysize PhotosCopy highlighted text to new message Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

Great hellebores Gabby. The veining is very nice.

I too found a big difference between my first years flowers and subsequent years. Even some of the flowers on the same plant can be different from the rest. I have an anemone one that is very striking and I hope to get a photo posted soon.

Terryk - NY, Zone "6"
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Jgwoodard  Send Jgwoodard a private message!




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Posted on Thursday, April 24, 2008 - 05:51 am EST :   Last Buddysize PhotosCopy highlighted text to new message Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

Amazing change of color Gaby. I have a couple that are nearly identical, and I like them too. I call them 'bloodshot' because they remind me of tired eyes.

Jgwoodard - TN, Zone "7"
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Gabycher  Send Gabycher a private message!




Posted on Thursday, April 24, 2008 - 07:44 am EST :   Last Buddysize PhotosCopy highlighted text to new message Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

Thanks so much to all of you for sharing my excitement!
I have seen changes in flowers between first season and following ones, but not ones that were that distinct. Hopefully there won't be any changes back! I noticed though yesterday, that the veining seemed to get slightly more delicate with the flowers opening more (a thunderstorm was just starting when I came home from work, so there was no chance to take pictures).
As you mention, Terry, I too have often seen slightly different flowers on the same plant. In general the first two or three on every stem seem to be the biggest with the best color and the ones opening later seem to be smaller and often lighter in color.

I selfed a couple of flowers on this plant last spring already, but even though the seeds looked perfectly nice and ripe, only 5 out of maybe 15 or 20 germinated, which is much lower than what I get with other crosses. I also found that I got low germination rates for picotées with both, Ashwood and Elizabeth Town seeds.
Has anybody else observed this?
I am planning to try selfing with this plant again this year, but also to cross it with one or two of my best white ones, as I think that this might make the veining crisper and improve germination rates and growth pattern. I might loose the nice contrasting pink outside though.

Hopefully the weather will be favorable for hand-polliniation. I like to use the first few flowers that open, as at this time of the year we don't have pollinating insects yet (though I usually put bags around the flowers anyways). With working full-time hand-pollination is not an easy task,- no time and too cool conditions in the morning, and probably too late for good pollen flow in the late afternoon. And the weather is always a factor too, as hand-pollinating three days in a row would be ideal.
I am keeping my fingers crossed,

Gaby

Gabycher - Quebec, Zone "5a / 4b"
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Terryk  Send Terryk a private message!



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Posted on Thursday, April 24, 2008 - 09:54 pm EST :   Last Buddysize PhotosCopy highlighted text to new message Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

Here's some variation on my hellebores. All come from seed sown about 4-5 years ago and I think they are Elizabeth Town seed for the most part.







and here's the anemone one that I was surprised to find when I turned over the nodding flower-





Terryk - NY, Zone "6"
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Gabycher  Send Gabycher a private message!




Posted on Monday, April 28, 2008 - 07:30 am EST :   Last Buddysize PhotosCopy highlighted text to new message Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

The anemone one is very nice, Terry, and I have similar white doubles as well,- two pretty pure white ones actually, and one in a nice, even light-green. I think we started our Elizabeth Town seeds the same year (which was a good one compared to some unfortunate later ones, from what I hear).
I have to say that most of my Elizabeth Town plants are excellent in terms of how many flower stalks they put up within a relatively short time. Quite a few of them started out with 3 flower stalks in their first flowering year and quickly seem to add to these in the following years.
One funny thing though,- I only got one anemone flowered from one package of anemone-red and anemone-mixed colors. As my labels unfortunately had bleached out by the time the plants flowered I can't be sure if I simply lost most of the anemones, or if some of the non-anemone plants I have came from these packages (I had a package of mixed doubles and of picotées as well).
I got four doubles to bloom, but the only red one didn't survive the following winter. The two white ones and the light-green one are doing o.k. though. I wonder if the doubles are a bit more sensitive in terms of our rough winters?

Gaby

Gabycher - Quebec, Zone "5a / 4b"
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Maggiepie  Send Maggiepie a private message!


Posted on Monday, April 28, 2008 - 03:03 pm EST :   Last Buddysize PhotosCopy highlighted text to new message Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

I sowed a bunch of seed from Elizabeth Town hellebores on 3rd March, they are germinating now, so far ( yesterday) I had 5 picotees and one new anemone hybrid.
A couple of the other pots have quite a few so far.
I only have two pots that are yet to show a germination.
I sure hope I get one like your pink veined one Gaby, can you remember what time of the year you sowed your seeds?

Maggiepie - New Brunswick, Zone "4b"
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Gabycher  Send Gabycher a private message!




Posted on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 - 08:00 am EST :   Last Buddysize PhotosCopy highlighted text to new message Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

Maggie,- I seeded mine in 2003,- and I have to admit that I didn't keep exact records. What I do know though is, that I put the packages (which were moist packed) into the fridge for 6 to 8 weeks. Then I seeded them into larger pots,- about 20 to 25 seeds per pot.
They germinated very well, but I often seem to get a problem with my hellebores seedlings, while they are still inside under the lights and in the 1 or 2 real leaves state. Some of them just start getting dry and brown and die. Apparently this is some fungus infection. I am not sure. Maybe I would need to set up a ventilator in my nursery area. In any case I lost quite a number of seedlings this way. The remaining ones I potted up into single pots and planted outside towards the end of the summer. I felt they would probably do better staying in the pots as long as possible, as it is easier to pamper them that way. But I planted them out in late August, so they would still have enough time to root properly before the winter frosts started.

Good luck with your seedlings,
Gaby

Gabycher - Quebec, Zone "5a / 4b"
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Schneerosenvogel  Send Schneerosenvogel a private message!




Posted on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 - 08:56 am EST :   Last Buddysize PhotosCopy highlighted text to new message Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

Gaby and Terry
Very beautiful flowers that you have.

My E.T. seeds (sewn end of January) are beginning to germinate now and I hope they will be similar to yours.
Here the hellebore season is more ore less over and the nicest plants look strange with "teabags" over their seeds.

PS.: It's my FIRST posting

Schneerosenvogel - Vienna, Zone "7b"
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Maggiepie  Send Maggiepie a private message!


Posted on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 - 10:10 am EST :   Last Buddysize PhotosCopy highlighted text to new message Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

Gaby, I received my seeds on March 3rd, and sowed them in pots the same day and put them on the floor in my unheated basement where the temperature was around 7-8C for most of that time.
Currently it is 10C there, I had a few germinations about 3 weeks ago, and plucked them out and potted them up.
I don't have them under lights but do put them near a sunny window when I can, and outside too.
I think I could probably leave them outdoors altogether.

These are my first seedlings from ET, the ones I grew last year and planted out in the garden have done well.
Today when I checked the pots, there are a lot more seedlings than yesterday.

What sort of potting mix do you use when you sow the seeds?

Maggiepie - New Brunswick, Zone "4b"
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Matthias  Send Matthias a private message!

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Posted on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 - 11:51 am EST :   Last Buddysize PhotosCopy highlighted text to new message Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

Welcome, Inge

Great to have an active member here now from Austria. Hope you will post often and help keep the rest of us awake ... :-)

Matthias - South Germany, Zone "7"
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Gabycher  Send Gabycher a private message!




Posted on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 - 12:43 pm EST :   Last Buddysize PhotosCopy highlighted text to new message Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

Inge, this is especially nice for me to have somebody from Vienna joining the forum, as I am originally from Vienna. I have been here in Canada for 14 years now, but I am still very close to my family and friends in Vienna and visit every or every other year for our vacation.

Welcome!
Gaby

Gabycher - Quebec, Zone "5a / 4b"
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Gardenfiend  Send Gardenfiend a private message!



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Posted on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 - 12:51 pm EST :   Last Buddysize PhotosCopy highlighted text to new message Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

Welcome from Berlin The hellebore season is over here, too, but we'll be looking forward to seeing your hellebore pictures next year! In the meantime, please treat us to photos from your wild, shady garden (sounds wonderful) in the other forums.

Gardenfiend - Germany, Zone "7a"
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Gabycher  Send Gabycher a private message!




Posted on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 - 07:59 pm EST :   Last Buddysize PhotosCopy highlighted text to new message Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

Maggie, the potting mix I use is Pro-Mix Seeding Mix, which contains 65 - 75% (by volume)Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss, fine texture vermiculite, a natural growth enhancer and limestone for pH adjustment. I use this mix for all my seed starting. For hellebores seeds I add a generous extra amount of vermiculite though, to enhance drainage. I also top the pots off with small stones (usually from the aquarium store).

Gaby

Gabycher - Quebec, Zone "5a / 4b"
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Maggiepie  Send Maggiepie a private message!


Posted on Wednesday, April 30, 2008 - 04:59 am EST :   Last Buddysize PhotosCopy highlighted text to new message Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

Gaby, I don't think I saw the pro-mix seedling mix, I used shultz soilless seed raising mix and added perlite to it.
I also used vermiculite to cover the seeds.
I placed the pots inside an old plastic blanket bag , one of those with zips, so it stopped the pots from drying out.
At what stage do you start transplanting your seedlings into individual pots?

Maggiepie - New Brunswick, Zone "4b"
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Gabycher  Send Gabycher a private message!




Posted on Wednesday, April 30, 2008 - 07:29 am EST :   Last Buddysize PhotosCopy highlighted text to new message Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

Maggie,- I think the best thing to do is to transplant early, so around the one real leaf state. I have seedlings in the 2 and 3 real leaves state in a larger container right now, because my garden center still doesn't have the square high pots in stock that I like to use.
Most years now I actually seeded them into single pots right away to save them from the transplant shock. Since I germinate my seeds in plastic bags in the fridge (in a bit of moist medium), I only plant them once they have germinated and thus don't waste many pots.

Good luck with yours,
Gaby

Gabycher - Quebec, Zone "5a / 4b"
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Schneerosenvogel  Send Schneerosenvogel a private message!




Posted on Wednesday, April 30, 2008 - 01:54 pm EST :   Last Buddysize PhotosCopy highlighted text to new message Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

Gaby, Mara and Matthias,

thank you so much for your warm welcome. I am really touched and I hope I can share my enthusiasm with you.
Inge

Schneerosenvogel - Vienna, Zone "7b"
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Jgwoodard  Send Jgwoodard a private message!




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Posted on Wednesday, April 30, 2008 - 09:50 pm EST :   Last Buddysize PhotosCopy highlighted text to new message Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

Welcome Inge! I look forward to your contributions; please feel free to show us photos from when your hellebores were in bloom since we haven't had the privilege to see them. The plant in your avatar is beautiful; the very thin reddish edge reminds me of a color pattern sometimes seen in H. atrorubens which can be stunning in the sun.
Joseph

Jgwoodard - TN, Zone "7"