Our site designer tells me that to ensure a good placement on the web that small businesses like ours need to be in contact with our customers. "One of you needs to start a blog". This means I need to start a blog, since both writing and computing fall into the bin with my name on it. The bins are invisible and the designations are mostly unspoken, but as with most long married couples some chores go to one while other chores go to the other partner. Since I dislike carrying a phone and Dick does not mind he usually answers the phone. While we both read them I am the one who usually replies to the emails. He says he is not good with words, so I get to to do any wording that comes our way.

     Lots is happening in the hellebore world at this time of year. Over the last few weeks the Helleborus x hybridus are starting to put on new growth. Every year the plants really start to grow once the temperatures cool off. Don't worry if the new growth appears yellowish, it is from a transient nutrient deficiency, the plants are growing faster than they can use the available nutrients.The yellowing will gradually disappear as the plants settle into their seasonal growth. Fall is a good time to fertilize hellebores if they have not been fed recently. We like to use Plant Tone if we have it on hand. Plant Tone But any good fertilizer rated for perennials will work as long as it is not temperature sensitive and will not release at lower temperatures.

     As December progresses we see buds on quite a few of the hellebores, mostly H. niger. With the advent of the Heuger nursery HGC clones (Heuger Gold Collection) we get to see large numbers of H. niger blooming together. Since the clones are all pieces of the same plant they will all flower at the same time. Seed strains are groups of similar but different plants, and will bloom at different times. If you want a big burst of bloom that shows up in the garden, use the clones. If you want intermittent bloom over a long period of time, use seedlings.We use both and get a nice show in certain areas while having bits of bloom here and there throughout the garden.