Winter's Hellebore

A young Hellebore has lots of stamens in the center. This means that they are in their most delicate stage. If you expose them to heat at this stage, they can flop or wilt prematurely.

There is a way that you can easily transition them to a more mature phase. If you notice that your Hellebore is drooping or flopping, you need to do three things:

  1. Cut the end of the stem at a diagonal (so it absorbs as much water as possible).
  2. Put the end of the stem in about an inch of boiling water. Leave it for 10 seconds and then put it into a vase of cold water. This clears the stem of air bubbles, which means that when you add it to the cold water, it can absorb it really quickly.
  3. Prop the bloom upright if the head is flopping. You want the stem to be as straight as possible and you can use the other flowers to support it staying upright. Water will then travel quickly to the bloom head and the Hellebore will transition into a mature phase. You’ll know this is happening as the stamens will fall out of the center of the flower. This isn’t an issue, it means the Hellebore is maturing and will hold and last for a long time. If you notice it flopping again, you can follow this process again and, over time, they will dry and hold really beautifully.

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