There are two schools of thought on pruning Lenten rose, or Helleborus orientalis. One side says to prune off the old foliage to the very base just as the Hellebore is starting to flower.
The bloom spikes start coming up in the center of the plant, and the old foliage lays down obediently:
If you prune it at this time, your new flowers will unfurl with the naked, innocent look of a woodland bulb – all stem and bloom:
And if your Hellebores are really plump and happy, you might not even miss the foliage:
Of course, some people don’t like the minimalist look on their Hellebores, and prefer to leave the foliage as long as possible:
If that’s you, just keep an eye on things and prune out the old foliage when new leaves start to come out, about two months after bloom starts.
If you miss the boat and let the new foliage emerge among the old foliage and the flowers, you get a mess, and it is hard to prune out the old stuff without harming the new:
Hellebores are lovely, easy-care plants that rarely get a disease, but they do not like being crowded. Plants that look like the photo above often suffer snail damage, sooty mold, and whitefly, none of which will kill the plant, but sure isn’t attractive.
The winter cold can kill off these pests, so if you do prune off the old foliage right away as the flowers are emerging, it takes away the hiding place of any garden snails and kills off any whiteflies or mold that may be hanging about, ready to get a foothold.
Whichever way you choose to prune, you should take off your Hellebore’s old foliage between January and April, and also prune out the dead flowerheads when the flower color becomes dull and the seed pods in the center of the bloom begin to enlarge.
Hellebore flowers make a lovely display in a vase, even when they’re fading, so if you’re having trouble taking the plunge, just cut them and enjoy the last couple weeks inside.
They spread at an almost alarming rate via seed, coating the ground quickly with shiny baby Hellebore sprouts that are a terrible pain to remove. Unfortunately, it takes a really long time for Hellebores to do anything from seed – many years, in my experience, and the seedlings are random colors, so they may not be just what you were hoping for. That’s why I usually deadhead mine and just buy new Hellebores when I want them, so I can choose which colors and styles I actually want.
Want to read more about pruning Hellebores? Frances at FaireGarden prunes hers every year and shares the process with us.
More pruning tutorials here.
43 responses to “Hellebore Pruning: How-To and A Cautionary Tale”
I had no idea you were suppose to cut the leaves off hellebores in winter/spring! I only have a couple of them, but now maybe they will get proper treatment. : )
You don’t absolutely have to, especially while they’re young, but once you get a Helle with black sticky moldy gunk on it you will never miss out on pruning again! 🙂
me too!
I never bothered to cut back my hellebore leaves until this winter when I saw how messy they were getting. Your post comes at the perfect time. Thank you.
Awesome, Christine! 🙂
I like hellebores and I love Fiskars bypass clippers
Me, too!
Thank you for this instructive post. Quite valuable and very much appreciated!
My hellebores are have only been planted since last fall and this winter..Even though I bought them as one and two year old plants, they are still too small to do much trimming yet…..They are planted about two feet from one another so no crowding there..Thanks for this valuable info and pictures , I will be needing it soon enough.
I came here from Jan’s link on Facebook. This will be the third season for a few of my hellebores, and the second for the rest. I didn’t prune last year, but will this year. Mine don’t get quite as much water as they’d like, and are not very bushy. The ones that got more water last year, though, are not any bushier than the others. Maybe they will in the next few years.
Oh, and thanks for your information. You sure have some beauties!
Very nice tutorial, love the pictures. It’s still so cold here that my hellebores in the ground are probably going to wait until March to bloom, sigh.
Hi Genevieve, you have explained the quandry perfectly! To cut or not to cut, it is really just personal preference. I have decided that as long as I am physically able to do so, will cut the multitudes of Hellebores , all H. orientalis here. We are no longer transplanting the seedlings to other spots in the garden though, enough is enough. Thanks for the linkage. 🙂
Frances
I’d like to add hellebores to my garden. When is the best time to plant?
In my climate, Zone 9, I’d plant them now, in fall! Fall’s good because it lets their roots grow and get established before the temps climb and they start more active growth.
How exciting! I never knew you could prune hellebores.duh…….thanks for the great tutorial and photos………
I just took a look at this year’s flowers on my hellebores and was worried because all of the foliage was limp and on the ground. They look just like your first photo above. I’m glad I found your post while searching for what was “wrong” with them — now I know it’s normal, and can choose whether to prune or not. Thanks!
Excellent advice, thank you
Just discovered Hellebores at Home Depot. I know. 🙁
I bought three of them, fertilized and planted in a Washington, DC Late April, Cold Spring. They look just great. But, only Green Leaves. 1 Plant has produced Purple Leaves with what appears to be buds coming through.
Is the season over for them, or will we have some blooms Spring into Summer? Fall? Winter? They seem to be spread. Elated they are Deer Resistant. When is it too late to plant more?
If they aren’t setting out blooms in the next month, you’ll be waiting until next year. Be patient, Rich! They will come! Ask your local agricultural extension agent, nursery worker, or hort college about planting time. That varies by region.
All my leaves are completely Brown and crunchy. No green left on them whatsoever. The lime green flowers are still blooming. What do I need to do? If I cut off all the brown leafs… There will no leafs left. 🙁
Cut them. The new leaves come out after the blooms start to go.
Dear Genevieve:
Thank you. Patience. Yes, what a concept!
I’m in Washington, DC. And, it’s an unseasonably “Late and Cold Spring.” No nighttime temps.
I’m not worried about no bloom, as the leaves are pretty and fill in the space well. I was going back to Home Depot for more, but they wanted $15 per plant.
Considering their buying power, I assumed it was still a good price for the plant. True?
I’m not entirely sure how I landed on you, other than Google. But, look forward to reading your site and following your counsel.
With Every Good Wish.
No Blooms on Hellebores, but the leaves show well, so next year.
Quick question on Solomon’s Seal:
In Washington, DC, early 80’s now. Good rain. I have a few and they’re doing exceedingly well in very shady AREA. I CAN CONTINUE IN THAT VEIN.
IS IT TOO LATE TO PLANT THEM FOR THIS SEASON?
OR, BEST TO WAIT UNTIL FALL OR EARLY NEXT SPRING, PROVIDED WE GET ONE. NOT THIS YEAR. SPRING SPRUNG LAST WEEK. (Sorry about the caps.)
I see many questions about blooming and pruning. I have babies – some that I wish to share while others need to be somewhere else. When is trans-planting time? Winter here in Washington State is way too wet when it is not freezing, spring they are blooming. That leaves late summer or fall. I do under stand that they are not pleased with transplanting but I so not wish to destroy such lovely things.
While I am asking, are they mono or dicot?
Thanks
Alice Fisher
hellebores blooming okay, but the foliage is so big they hide the blooms. Can i cut back this foliage?
Very useful advice! My hellebores are 10 years old. I have always pruned and weeded. This year, I discovered tiny two-, three-, four-, five-leafed “weeds” that are shiny like the original hellebores everywhere in that flowerbed. I assume that they are seedlings. Q: to weed or not to weed? The plants were especially lush last year, so I assume they self-seeded abundantly. The lush original plants were so inviting that the deer did dine on them in the fall. Fortunately, they left enough mature plants to bloom come spring!
Why not transplant them to another area of the yard? They should become full-sized, nice plants, they just take a long time to grow and bloom.
This started in late summer .All of my hellabores seem to being laying flat down. Almost looking like an animal has been sleeping on them which I know not. Is it because they are to top heavy with leaves. It has been a hot summer here in Cleveland Oh. I water about twice a week. I love the plants they just don’t seem bushy like the years past.
Are they being watered deeply enough or encountering root competition?
I’m having the same issue as Frank. I have three planted around a tree. They get plenty of water but are completely flat. I was thinking about moving them to another place in the yard. Will moving them hurt the plants. I’m in Maryland and right now is the perfect planting time.
They are dying due to root competition and water stress, so it hurts nothing to try to move them!
Got a Lenten rose from a garden center. Leaves are slowly turning yellow, then completely brown. Never bloomed. I don’t know how to help it survive or do I throw it away?
I am having great success with my hellebores. They are blooming right now like crazy, filling my otherwise barren garden with their beauty, but when I cut them and bring them in the house, they almost always wilt within and hour or so. What am I doing wrong?
I’ve read you are supposed to ignore their wilting for two days and they spring back. I have also read if you cauterize/ burn the stem ends that it helps. I have had zero success thus far with either technique despite professional assurances that this is correct. If you succeed let me know!
I bought 2 Helleborus in early March, due to cold weather I’ve held off planting,will they be ok until the weather warms up? I water them when The soil feels dry, amI doing right
I usually cut my old foliage right when I see the new blooms coming and I leave the spring foliage long after the blooms are spent, well into the summer. However, I have a different question about pruning, if you wouldn’t mind answering. After the spring bloom this year, I let a tree that is next to my hellebore get too long and it transferred white flies to my plants. I just couldn’t get out soon enough to prune the tree and I’ve paid for it. All the old blooms and foliage were covered in white flies, and so I cut everything down. My question is this: have I ruined my spring 2018 bloom by cutting down the old foliage? I’m sick 🙁
Great info! Thank you ! I have a GIANT Hellebore near my front porch. It gets full sun and has truly outgrown the space. I would like to move it. The place I want to put it will give it plenty of room to do it’s thing without having to prune however the space I want to move it to is NOT in full sun. It maybe gets dappled sun. Do you think this is a good location or should I look for another spot similar to where it is thriving now?
I am moving and live in Massachusetts going to New Hampshire. I want to take my plant with me. Can I pot it up and what do I do with it for the winter?
I have three to each tub, they are growing like mad now that spring has arrived………..are they too cramped and should I thin them out? One or two of the stems are laying down, reading your recommendations I think I may be over watering.
My pink Lenten Rose is flat like in center do i fertlize or what. All at once it went down . Thanking of moving been in some shade for years and just found i may need to move but at the end of May should i wait or would i kill my plant
Have enjoyed this plant but several years i never knew what i had.
The landscapers weed whacked all of our well-established hellebore to the ground. I am sick about how they were taken down with very little sign of any growth at all. Can they come back from such a severe pruning?
They have been growing there for many years.
Should I cover my Hellebore for winter?