hellebores

Well, they enjoy some shade - but not dense shade. I think you will just have to be patient. I got three new ones from the RHS last year and they haven't flowered yet. As long as yours look healthy...

Where they flowering when you bought them - I would expect they were? We have some in deep shade but I don't think an overhanging tree should have too much effect unless the ground is very dry and undernurrished. You could try giving them a little feed of bonemeal and keep your fingers crossed.

I have some in very deep shade under a beech tree, I think Bulbaholic suggestion of giving them a feed might do the trick. i mulch mine in the spring and autumn with leaf mould.

Mine took a good few years before they started to flower, but they were very young plants when I planted them. Last year a load of soil was accidentally dumped on mine - I thought they'd had it, but they're flowering better than ever this year! So maybe they enjoy a deep mulch?

Many thanks fellow 'Goyers' i have been down the garden again today and have noticed a new leaf poking through so am trying to be patient!!! I will give them a mulch and maybe next year there will be flowers, its not deep shade so i think they'll be ok when they get going, watch this space!!!

I bought some small plants from a garden club and it was several years before they flowered. But now they are huge with masses of flowers. They don't seem to mind shade so I think its just a matter of time.

~when I was at the open day at Farmyard Nurseries~ the owner gave a talk on his hellebores and he recommended slow release hanging basket fertiliser pellets dug in around the top area of the pots but I would think it will work just the same .
I bought some unnamed very small seedlings from them a couple of years ago and they have been in pots ever since.
They have all flowered this year~I have had a white double
a pink spotted double etc and whilst they ahve been small plants this year they should build up into nice big ones! .

I'm too impatient LOL!! thanks everyone if they are putting up new leaves i guess they must be happy

Hang in there. Some 3-5 years to flower but then they are tremendously self-sowing and you'll have lots and lots of good flowering plants. Since they bloom well before any tree canopy leafs out, I doubt your problem is your trees or too much shade, at least in my experience, and the leaf mulch and humus from the trees seems to benefit them. I don't move my many seedlings from the site where they drop for a couple of years or even longer, unless you really want to. One variety we've had for about 5 years and this March were finally rewarded with something other than a single flower, in fact we got 7 flowers and it was very showy.To me, hellebores are worth the wait since they are so early and often keep the bloom for about 2 months. Good luck. Oh, and in the late winter often the old leaves will turn very black while the flower buds are just breaking ground; sometimes people think the plant is dead. I just cut the old leaves off whenever they look icky enough so the flowers can show off better.

I've just planted 2 hellebore plants, they are small, I was just wandering how long they would take to flower...lol
now I know.

can I keep them in a pot?