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Post by Mr Grinch on Feb 26, 2007 13:48:31 GMT
Hi,
One of my Hellebores has gone black and manky. Mainly on some old flowers but also on the leaf's. There were also loads of green fly on the underside of these leafs. Ive pruned the black bits off, is this the right thing to do ??
Mr G
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Post by madonplants on Feb 26, 2007 13:58:02 GMT
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Post by lottielady on Feb 26, 2007 15:01:52 GMT
You've done the right thing Mr Grinch. The info I had from someone on another forum was that they always cut the leaves off when theirs are in flower, so avoiding any of the black manky looking ones. Don't put them in the compost bin though. I would rub the green fly off too.
LLx
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Post by Rosefriend on Feb 26, 2007 16:00:52 GMT
Hi Mr G,
As I was in the garden today I had a quick look and 3 of a cluster of 4 are lovely and the fourth is just as you have described.
I have cut everything off that looks manky although I didn't see any green fly at all.
RF
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Post by Plocket on Feb 26, 2007 18:44:40 GMT
It is absolutely the right thing to do Mr G - black is not usually a good thing for plants ;D
It could be that the plant is dying back ready to produce fresh new growth, in which case you would cut the affected leaves off, but I would expect this to happen at the start of the season (winter) rather than now.
On a more serious note, was the black in lines on the flowers and leaves? If so it could be "Hellebore Black Death" so make sure you don't compost the bits that you've removed, and either burn them or destroy them safely. If it returns to the plant you really should dig up the whole plant and destroy it. Sorry!
Px
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Post by Mr Grinch on Feb 26, 2007 18:52:21 GMT
Hi Plocket, Is was more of a squidgy blackness on the old flowers and some leaves, like it was rotting. As i said i chopped them off and gave it a spray just in case ! I'll keep an eye on it and if it persists, i'll dig it up and destroy it ! Mr G  |
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Post by Plocket on Feb 26, 2007 19:31:06 GMT
It probably won't come to that! Good luck with your hellebore - they really are lovely, and useful at this time of year!
Px
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Post by Mr Grinch on Feb 27, 2007 15:43:25 GMT
They are Plocket and really help this time of year ! They look a bit spotty in the garden at the moment as they are newly planted but hopefully should bulk up in the coming years !
Mr G
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Post by Plocket on Feb 27, 2007 17:12:00 GMT
They bulk up fairly quickly Mr Grinch so no worries there. What colours have you got?
Px
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Post by Mr Grinch on Feb 27, 2007 17:53:17 GMT
Hi Plocket,
I was given some white ones from next door. Two large clumps and a couple of seedlings. I then bought a dark red and a pink one. Hopefully i should get some interesting colours from their bubbies !!
Mr G
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Post by Plocket on Feb 27, 2007 18:58:21 GMT
Very nice - what kind neighbours you have. Funnily enough I've never had much success with the white hellebores - it's the darker ones that seem to thrive in my garden. I had two whites, one was a double, and both are looking really sorry for themselves this year and haven't produced any flowers. The black hellbores are looking stunning this year though, and I've got a few of the more mid-colours ones doing well too. I wonder if the white ones are fussier or anything like that?
Will we get to see photos of yours?
Oh and don't forget that they are poisonous plants so keep small Grinches away from the hellebores ;D
Px
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Post by Mr Grinch on Feb 27, 2007 20:09:28 GMT
Will do Plocket, Im off tomorrow looking after Missy Grinch so i'll see if i can take some pictures. I might upfate you on the garden aswell ! Mr G (Praying for Sun  ) |
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Post by Plocket on Feb 28, 2007 9:21:18 GMT
We've got sun at the moment Mr G so I'm keeping my fingers crossed you've got some too! ;D
Px
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Post by Mr Grinch on Feb 28, 2007 9:58:25 GMT
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Post by Chuckles on Feb 28, 2007 11:26:59 GMT
Lovely Gdn Mr G...you should start a Mr G's garden thread in the Gallery and a comments thread too. We could watch your garden grow then and comment  You do seem to have a problem with the water hanging about on the edges  needs some sort of drainage putting in probably. I'd start a thread if I were you and show the photo's of the water and ask for advise on what to do about it |
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Post by Plocket on Feb 28, 2007 15:34:52 GMT
Lovely photos. The water is a bit of a worry - we have a similar problem because of the clay soil - LP isn't allowed to stand on the grass at the moment! Have you done anything about drainage? As Chuckles says you could start a thread asking about water problems and you'll get lots of good suggestions. What I do is tine the grass regularly and scatter sand into the holes. It's a bit of a job though and my grass area is much smaller than yours!
You've got lovely big borders to work with though which I'm positively envious of. The hellebores are gorgeous and looking good. Nice snowy piccy too!
Px
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Post by Mr Grinch on Feb 28, 2007 17:16:39 GMT
Tell me about the drainage problems Plocky !  Ive come to the conclusion that bar putting in expensive drainage pipes then there nothing much i can do. The effected area is the top right hand corner from where the wendy house is to where the step is. Local legend has it that there was a deep ditch in this area which ran the length of the whole road, some 30 houses. My child minder lives at the top of the road and her garden is the same, very boggy at the back so this bares this theory out. Thats the reason why we extended the original patio at the bottom and created a usable space rather that a boggy mess. The tree (see previous thread) sucks up a lot of the water in summer so the grass isn't too bad. Its only during winter that its a no go area. Ive decided to use this boggyness and put in plants like Astilbe, Ligularia and Lobelia. Today i bought three Astrantia and some Primula so hopefully these should settle in the wetness. I think i will spike the law and shove some sharp sand down anyway, just to give it a helping hand !! Mr G |
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Post by Plocket on Mar 1, 2007 13:46:24 GMT
It makes sense to use it rather than try and cure it if it is a serious problem, which it sounds like. Like you we built a patio over the worst area at the end of the garden but the rest of the grass is still sodden, but not a puddle as the bottom of the garden would have been. All my plants have to cope with a certain amount of moisture - I can't change the nature of water!!!
Px
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Post by Mr Grinch on Mar 1, 2007 13:56:12 GMT
Very true Plocket,
When i moved into the place in Oct 05, i tried to sort it out but as you say, its very difficult to change the flow of water. Im doing some research at the moment into some plants which will accommodate the area !!
Mr G
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Post by Plocket on Mar 1, 2007 15:29:36 GMT
It sounds almost like a bog garden Mr Grinch. Perhaps you need to plant a willow tree - they are thirsy trees!!!
Px
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)
needs some sort of drainage putting in probably. I'd start a thread if I were you and show the photo's of the water and ask for advise on what to do about it 