My hellebore have finished blooming (west coast...started in January) and now have been attacked by aphids. Can I cut them down to about 8" inches till next year ? They are covering my hostas and sure would be nice out of the way !
Thanks
Cut em' down ?
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got the hosta bug
- Posts: 15
- Joined: May 25, 2008 12:55 pm
- Location: Vancouver, B.C. Canada, Seattle Washington
Cut em' down ?
Hosta collector with 800 different named hostas. Have gardens in both Vancouver B.C. and Seattle Washington.
Re: Cut em' down ?
Sorry no one has answered this one yet. I would just move them to a spot where they don't cover your hostas. Hellebores are evergreen plants and I don't think cutting them back would be a good thing. The old leaves do need to be cut off at bloom time. Throw them away and not into the compost pile as they can carry blackspot spores. But the new growth stays until the next bloom. Hope that helps you.
Kas
Kas
Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend; and inside a dog, it's too dark to read. - Groucho Marx
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kHT
- Posts: 10379
- Joined: Oct 31, 2001 8:00 pm
- USDA Zone: 7-8 Z-nial
- Location: PNW, some where over the rainbow?
Re: Cut em' down ?
We cut them back around August 15 after fighting insects all year they look pretty ragged. We leave about 4-6 inches
of the stalk and mulch them when they are cut back.
of the stalk and mulch them when they are cut back.
karma 'Happy Toes' (kHT)
The Goddess is Alive and Magic is Afoot!!!!
I'm just a simple housewife.
The Goddess is Alive and Magic is Afoot!!!!
I'm just a simple housewife.