Very true Verdun, but only really for H. orientalis hybrids, all the rest definitely should only have dead, dying or diseased leaves removed as and when they are seen.
Maybe i have a much longer dormant spell cos my one now large hellebore won't flower till next spring and by then the leaves would be totally wrecked, brown-edged, white-blotched, torn, ravaged by a Yorkshire winter, then the new flowers are all the more welcome. If in doubt start by removing some of the leaves and if it makes no difference to the plant's health go a bit further next year. Trial & error without the error. The most disappointing characteristic of the hellebore is how its flowers all face downwards but I have mine in a plant support 'cage' so at least they don't collapse onto the soil completely.
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Very true Verdun, but only really for H. orientalis hybrids, all the rest definitely should only have dead, dying or diseased leaves removed as and when they are seen.
Maybe i have a much longer dormant spell cos my one now large hellebore won't flower till next spring and by then the leaves would be totally wrecked, brown-edged, white-blotched, torn, ravaged by a Yorkshire winter, then the new flowers are all the more welcome. If in doubt start by removing some of the leaves and if it makes no difference to the plant's health go a bit further next year. Trial & error without the error. The most disappointing characteristic of the hellebore is how its flowers all face downwards but I have mine in a plant support 'cage' so at least they don't collapse onto the soil completely.