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Ihave lots of baby hellebores springing up all round the parent plants. I think I read somewhere that they won't come 'true', but does this mean they aren't worth keeping? I had thought of potting them up and taking them to a local charity shop but don't want to do this if they will not be any good. They look like strong and healthy little plants.




Answers

 

They will be superb PF & will sell like hotcakes as they look so nice as seedlings. They will hybridise but always will be excellent plants & willing to flower. We give ours to the Church Fete every year & never have enough for them. Charity shops will be happy to put a tray of surplus seedlings outside their door I'm sure.

16 Oct, 2010

 

Grow a few on and see what they look like. You might get something new and really special which you could name.

16 Oct, 2010

 

They usually go back to the normal muddy pink, but you never know. I usually pot up as many as I have room for and grow them on to flowering size and discard the poor ones. The decent ones go out into the garden or are passed on to various people. Now, by the way is as good a time as any to move them. They are making new roots about now.

16 Oct, 2010

 

Definitely save them and pot them on and you may get some lovely surprises - and other people always adore them anyway - especially if you label them as unknow....any gardener worth their salt will relish the idea of something new!! I used to do it all the time with my hellebores too.

17 Oct, 2010

 

Oooh! I love the idea of lovely surprises and maybe something new! Maybe the charity shop won't be getting as many as I thought. Thank you for all your advice and reassurances. I'm pleased to know they're worth saving.

17 Oct, 2010

 

Grow a few on and see what they look like. You might get something new and really special which you could name.
^^
Since Hellebores are extremely tough to divide and (as has been noted above!) don't come true from seed, then you would not/could not name a new seedling in any meaningful way.

As Owd says, unless you carefully hand-pollinated particular strains and prevent the bees getting to the flowers too, then most naturally pollinated seedlings do turn out a rather disappointing muddy pink when they flower. Although even these make for very nice and very popular garden plants.

18 Oct, 2010

 

"then you would not/could not name a new seedling in any meaningful way. "

I disagree. If a new seedling happened to have excellent characteristics then it could be propagated. How do you think other new Hellebores are brought to market?

18 Oct, 2010

 

I disagree. If a new seedling happened to have excellent characteristics then it could be propagated. How do you think other new Hellebores are brought to market?
^^
New Hellebores that are "brought to the market" are all hand-pollinated seed strains, not individual, named cultivars. These seed strains are variable within a certain type and have typically been developed by nurseryman and women over many decades before they produce anything resembling stable, predictable seedlings that can be sold as a strain.

18 Oct, 2010

 

You're getting a bit too scientific for me now folks! I shall be perfectly happy if some of them turn out to have attractive flowers that I can enjoy . Thank you all so much for all the comments---very helpful, as always!

18 Oct, 2010

How do I say thanks?

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