As the plant flowers and produces seed, new seedlings will pop up around the mother plant. I suggested the topic because so many gardeners think hybrid hellebores are difficult to … Sorry that is not too much help. The stemmed hellebores, including foetidus, argutifolius, and lividus, are all somewhat touchy about transplanting, so be careful to get as many roots as possible and to avoid touching the stem, if at all possible - it's best to handle the plant by one of its leaves when moving it. The early-spring flowers, however, can be an emergency source of food for insects if other native plants aren’t blooming yet. The most common Helleborus grown in the home garden are orientalis hybrids, which are available in a range of bloom colors. When transplanting hellebores directly from their nursery containers, be sure to shake off the potting mix and free up any bound roots. Hellebores are easy plants to grow, but they do have a reputation for resenting any root disturbance, so try to avoid transplanting them, if possible, and take care when you do. Spring Planting Issue 2006, Horticulture Magazine. Planting Hellebores..Plant Lenten roses in well-drained soil that has been amended with a shovel or two of dehydrated cow manure, working / mixing it into the soil 8 inches to a foot into the ground. gb, technically the Christmas rose is Helleborus niger and the Lenten rose is Helleborus orientalis, although most plants sold under the latter name are usually Helleborus x hybridus and they can be white or they can be many other colours. Make sure the crown of the plant is just slightly buried beneath the soil. Hellebores.org is a good site for more info on the various species. Dave, helleborus resent disturbance, and can take 2 years to settle down, keep as much soil round the plant you are digging up, the best time to do this is autumn, or when just coming into growth in the spring.. summer is not recommended..I usually move any when the leaves start to drop off the trees, and never lost one yet.. One problem, though, is illusory. Hybrid hellebores (Helleborus X hybridus) are very tolerant and will grow well in most soils as long as the ground is not extremely dry or stagnantly waterlogged, although they usually survive even those conditions.They prefer a sheltered position in semi-shade (dense shade can reduce flowering) with a rich, moist, free draining soil. Be careful not to plant your hellebores too deeply as this can hinder flower production. Plant hellebores 18 inches apart in all directions. It is easiest to dig the entire plant and shake or wash off the soil, so you can see where the buds are on the crown. It’s common to see a stray bee or fly stop by while foraging for nectar on a warm sunny day. Hellebores can be propagated by division. The best time to divide is in early spring before they flower. It can be done at just about any time, and smaller seedlings transplant much easier than more established ones. Propagating Hellebores . The first hellebores will be coming into flower soon, if they’re not blooming already, and it’s around this time that evidence of problems may become apparent. These seedlings can be transplanted but you will want to wait until they have their first set of true leaves before you move them. Helleborus species are native to Europe and Asia, and there are no known native pollinators here. Make sure each division has at least 2 buds. Back when I was writing for gardening magazines, I authored an article for Horticulture on dividing hybrid hellebores. Fortunately, there’s still time to do something about them. Late winter and spring are the perfect times to be planning ahead for summer and autumn containers – they’ll need planting up in the coming months. Cultivation.