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I've murdered my Hellebore
In the 2.5 years we've lived here, this plant has been a magnificent 4 foot high architectural shrub that flowered for months from midwinter onwards. Following advice here, in books and on the internet, I pruned it hard in the autumn, but it is obviously not going to come back - this is all that remains....so be warned 
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Far too early to expect any new growth ...... I wouldn't expect to see anything until April - ish.
Last edited: 27 January 2018 10:39:38
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
So there is still hope!
Definitely
Maybe now is the time to give it a nice mulch of leafmould/compost/well rotted manure?
Last edited: 27 January 2018 11:01:47
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Not sure on this one ..............I have a yellow flowering Hellebore in bloom right now ; the other fourteen or so are all developing fat flower buds .
I've always left the leaves on them all throughout the winter , then trim the old ones off in February/March .
Never had any problems with them , though would have thought yours should be showing signs of life by now .
I don’t cut the old leaves off of mine until late January, just done them now. hopefully it will start to sprout out. Unfortunately you will get conflicting advise on the Internet.
i would have thought some new leaves would be showing by now.
From Sandy's earlier thread the hellebore is a H. argutifolius
http://www.gardenersworld.com/forum/plants/pruning-hellebore/995587.html
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
If it was H. argutfolius, then IMO you do not remove the leaves at all, or at least I don't.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
H.argutifolius is an evergreen species (didn't know that from the original thread)!
Should not cut the leaves off at all ; looking at the picture , probably dead , but may be lucky when it warms up .
Last edited: 27 January 2018 11:47:28
Agree, it is only the orientalis hybrids which need their leaves removing.
If this argutifolius is anything like ours there will be a large number of seedlings about,so keep any eye out for them and grow them on.
I feel your pain Sandy. I did the exact same thing and regret it. I can see a tiny sign of life so maybe all is not lost. I can't see it ever getting back to its magnificent best though.