Does anyone use hellebores as cut flowers?

No, I always leave them in the garden where hopefully they will last longer and seed around.

I do.

I put one or two in a tiny short container/ vase and scatter them down the center of the table.

Small vases

They don't do well as cut flowers. I recall reading somewhere about plunging the stems into boiling water, but I'm hazy on the detail (too lazy to google, I suppose )

I always prick just below the heads of cut tulips to stop them drooping. I wonder if the same trick would work with hellebores? Now I'll have to go and pick some and try it...

I gave in and googled.

The general advice seems to be to dip the stems in nearly boiling water for 10 - 30 secs (timing varies) and one site says to also lay them horizontally in cold water overnight.

They also say that you should wait to cut them until the seed pods start forming as they are less floppy then.

Most sites say it's much easier to just cut the stems off and float them in a bowl of water...

My ones smell dreadful - can’t possibly have them in the house

Stinking hellebores carry that name for a reason, lol.

Helebores of every kind do go limp and sad very quickly when put in a vase, sadly. So I no longer try.

Ours have no smell (some are neutral), cut short, put in small vessels (above), dispose of in the garden after dinner. Works a treat.

Norah

Ours have no smell (some are neutral), cut short, put in small vessels (above), dispose of in the garden after dinner. Works a treat.

Oooh, I like my cut flowers to last a bit longer than an evening

I only have a tiny garden not much room for anything so I put stuff in pots.I saw Hellebores the other week, really pretty but OMG the price.
Garden flowers don’t last in the house do they?

Depends which? I pick flowers from the garden from March to October- and only pick thos which do last. I mix with wild flowers from the surrounding meadows- picking a few here or there.

I alwayy put those bouquets on a pretty large tray to catch any falling petals.

I saw Hellebores the other week, really pretty but OMG the price.

I think they're expensive because they take a years or two to get to flowering stage, so require a lot of care from the nursery that produces them. Also there is plant breeding to take into account that produces those showy cultivars.

OTOH If you know someone who has ordinary bog standard Lenten Roses in their garden they'd probably be happy to give you some seedlings as the common or garden ones seed themselves prolifically. That's how I got mine.

Self seeded ones can be any colour ranging from white to plum. Gardening writers tend to be very snooty about them but, as one of the first flowers of the year I find even the derided 'muddy' pink ones to be a welcome sight.

The common ones also bulk up nicely. I bought a beautiful deep red named variety from Harlow Carr about 4 or 5 years ago and it hasn't got any bigger than it was when I bought it.☹

My mother was an expert flower arranger :

I think that she used to use Hellebores in pots and the pot would be disguised with strategically placed lichen covered tree bark !

I don't think that they survive well if cut .

Germanshepherdsmum

No, I always leave them in the garden where hopefully they will last longer and seed around.

absolutely agree