I love going to Watson's. It is near Tacoma but is located in Puyallup. Sorry I can't help with the hellebores. They are great plants.

You can order online from Bluestone Perennials.

by the way, I'd love to stop by and see your garden sometime...

socalnoly...well, I never think it's show worthy, but we'll see how it shapes up this spring. Thanks for the online order info. I was hoping there was someplace I could visit. I'm wondering if Bainbridge Gardens might have some more unusual ones. Too late this year, but maybe next year I'll check with them. I was in Sequim this week and found out about this place...they only have one Hellebore listed; not sure what I think of it, but they have many other wonderful plants to order. I don't think they have in-person service, though. I might be able to order and pick things up when I'm visiting again.

http://sequimrareplants.com/plant%20list.html

Bainbridge Gardens has a really poor plant selection overall....ask me how I know :-) Would never recommend it and seldom go out of my way (maybe 5 miles!) to look for anything special. Valley Nursery in Poulsbo has a much better selection and a huge number of perennials on offer. The last time I was there (10 days ago?) there were tons of hellebores, many the owner grows on himself from plugs he orders directly from the breeders.

I'd also encourage you to check out some of the better Seattle nurseries like Swanson's or Sky or Wells Medina in Bellevue. Wouldn't bother with Molbak's either.....it is much less of a plant nursery than it is a gift shop that sells some plants :-)

The top two are both available from Spring Hill Nursery

Nice to know I can mail order those specific hellebores. Thank you, Aaron.

Interesting, Gardengal about Bainbridge...I haven't been for years but have bought a few choice, unusual plants there, so maybe it's changed or changed hands? I never seem to get to Poulbo, but will put that on my list; sounds like that may be the place I've been seeking. I'll try to get there in Feb or early March next year.

I've shopped Swanson's fairly frequently and bought a few nice things but never thought they had anything too far out of the ordinary. I did pick up a Full Moon Japanese Maple there at the end of the season several years ago - 1/2 price because it was struggling. Still a bucketful of $$ and I worried it wouldn't survive. But it did and it's very happy - and so am I that I got such a great deal.

I had a wonderful shopping trip to Molbak's a couple of years ago and found they had some wonderful unusual plant varieties that I'd not seen elsewhere. Plus, an amazing selection of Hellebores, but I thought I was done planting them so didn't notice the selection of unusual ones. But as with so many addictions, we never know if we are "done" with them or not. Guess I wasn't.

Thank you all!

Bainbridge Gardens started to go downhill after the founder, Junkoh Harui, passed away. His wife and daughter took over the operation but I don't think they have gardening in their heart like he did. The place is always messy, weedy and unkempt, stock is average at best and the sales staff sparse and not very knowledgeable. I have never found anything 'unique' or unusual there.

Because of my business and my past experience working both the local retail and wholesale nursery market, I am pretty on top of who carries what and I know where to find the best stuff :-) I know the buyers personally at most places.

btw, if not on the Seattle side of the Sound, Valley Nursery in Poulsbo is head and shoulders the best nursery on the west side. Poulsbo is just a hop, skip and a jump up the road from Bainbridge and well worth a visit!

Thanks Gardengal - I remember now reading the owner had died a few years ago. We used to attend the Bainbridge Island Garden tour every year, so hit all the nurseries we could find in the area. Poulsbo is just not on my radar from Oly. Off the I-5 corridor and not on the way to anywhere I ever go. In fact, I'm not sure if I've ever been there in the 73 years I've lived in Western WA. But I will make sure I go now, based on your recommendation. I'll be asking for lunch site recommendations when I do!

Oly, if you are coming from anywhere south of Seattle, it is much easier and faster to get off I5 in Tacoma and take the Narrows Bridge. Far less traffic, no ferry fees and a direct shot up 16/Hiway 3 to Poulsbo! In fact, the best route to get to Sequim or Port Townsend as well.

And for sure I can make lunch recommendations :-) We might even arrange to meet up at the nursery and can put faces to names!

Northwest Garden Nursery is a wholesale hellebore breeder in Eugene, and this page lists their retailers. I'd start with those nurseries.

https://northwestgardennursery.com/wholesale/retail-outlets/

If you make the journey up to Poulsbo you could make a Nursery Hopping Day Trip and hit Far Reaches as well. Unfortunately they don't have any Hellebores, but always have other unusual interesting plants. Can be pricey. I'd say my favorite plants I've purchased from them is a climbing Monkshood. Vines travel up 12 to 15 feet, and have the most ethereal flowers.

Just saying, if you're going to be in the neighborhood.

^^ Great idea!! Far Reaches is awesome and a candidate for becoming an exceptional plant source like Heronswood used to be. Unfortunately, it is not currently open for drop-in visitors but only order pick-up by appointment. Hoping that will change in the coming months but they had limited open to the public days pre-pandemic anyway.

Yikes, good point. I got my first vax shot Friday and began to think of "normal" times.

I will check out Far Reaches, too. I am also looking for an Alpine Mint plant that I bought several years ago. I loved it so much, it filled in perfectly in a difficult spot on my terrace garden. Gorgeous. Until the gardeners decided it was hanging too far over the stone and whacked it back. Arggghhhhh! It never recovered. I bought it at Jungle Fever in Tacoma. I was going to try to buy another one a couple of years ago and went to call Jungle Fever and it said online that it was permanently closed. I drove by on the way to ferry to Vashon and it was obviously abandoned. But today I was looking for the name of Jungle Fever to relate it to a friend who was with me when I bought the Alpine Mint and googled Nurseries on Pearl St and Jungle Fever popped up as open! I called and spoke to the owner. He remembered the plant, said he'd never had another, couldn't get one now and that his nursery had never closed. Alrighty then! So long story to say that I'm also looking for Alpine Mint - Prostanthera cuneata. Maybe one of those Poulsbo nurseries will know of it.

eta: I looked and Far Reaches shows it but is out of stock :-(

Xera plants in Portland lists it but it's not shown as in stock. I'll contact them next.

Petal Heads (Portland, OR) has the variety 'Sandy Shores' --online ordering too.

Warning...this link will make your wallet much thinner.

Petal Heads Online Shop

OMG...They have 'Tropical Sunset' too.

Oh, thank you! just the place I was looking for! Those are gorgeous. I just ordered and you're right, my wallet is $180 lighter, lol!

Yes,clicking that link was a mistake. A $76 mistake. Thanks. Thanks a bunch.

Olychick, I'm not sure you'd be interested in this, as the flower isn't anything unique, but I have variegated hellebores (originally from Pine Knot Farms) that usually produce variegated seedlings. I'd be happy to share some of this year's seeds if you'd like.

Ruth, that would be wonderful! I've never grown from seeds - can they go directly into the ground? I don't have any way/place to start them indoors or before planting.

Mine seed around with no help from me, or by sprinkling seeds where I want them. With limited seeds, I'd probably clear the planting area and scratch them in a little, but they're pretty tough! If you PM me your address, I'll send some seeds when they ripen this year.

Thank you, Ruth, it's definitely worth a try. I don't see that you have messages enabled. If you will turn them on, I'll send my address.

Most independent garden centers have had one version or another of mint bush in later years. I am sure I am seeing it at outlets I go to right now.

Anyone currently given to accumulating hybrid hellebores should be aware of this:

Helleborus-Black Death | Pacific Northwest Pest Management Handbooks (pnwhandbooks.org)

Olychick - I thought I had messaging enabled (I did at some point), but I had to update the setting. For anyone who's interested, it's under Profile/Advanced Settings/Who can message me/ Allow anyone to message me

Received my plants today. Holding off on judging, but first impression I'm skeptical they'll live up tot he website photos. Only one has flowers, and while they may be past their prime it doesn't look like the photo. The colors are washed out and not as vibrant. One is yellowing pretty badly. Are there hellebores orientalis with yellow leaves? I know argutifolius can be variegated, but these look like they haven't gotten enough sun.

I don't think mine came today, but UPS has been failing to bring things all the way to the door, so my package could be on the driveway. Hoping they will be as pictured. I talked to the people at the nursery (their home actually is where they grow) and they are very nice; I'd call them if you think you order isn't correct.

I potted then up and will give them some time. Other than the yellow leaves on the one, they look like healthy plants. If it doesn't recover, I'll give them a call.

I have a long driveway (100 ft) as well and sometimes they leave things at the top. One day it was a 40lb box of sluggo. Was glad it wasn't raining. :o)

I emailed the grower yesterday to ask about the shade/sun preferences of Hellebores. I see all kinds of conflicting info. I've always planted in the shade, or where there was at least shade in later spring after the deciduous trees and shrubs above them leafed out. But last year I planted some in a sunnier location to test if deer would eat them. They received some pretty intense (for the PNW) overhead sun in the height of summer. Well, the deer haven't eaten them so far and they seem to really like the sunny location.

This was the grower's reply (they are in Portland OR): "Its true. They can handle a fair amount of sun. My mom in central Illinois grows them in full sun. she gets a little burn on the foliage during the summer, but the plant is fine. :)"

This is probably common knowledge to those of you who grow them. I've grown them for years but the past couple of years my interest has really increased. I think it's because over the years my plants have gotten so much bigger and more dramatically beautiful that I realized I love them more than I ever acknowledged. So now I'm trying to do right by them.

Phoenix Perennials has a wonderful collection! It's located in Richmond BC.

Follow up on my purchase. They all survived and were planted out in the garden late last year. They are all coming nicely with a few flowers. Now to wait 2 or 3 more years for them to really fill out. Gardening is an act of faith and patience.

I don't have any flowers yet and I fear my gardeners may have pulled some of my new ones when they cleaned up this fall, despite my leaving all the i.d. stakes with them. :( I can't really tell yet, and have been a little fearful to look too closely. I may have lost my clematis that was all dead and brown that climbs my fence to them, too. The bindweed had taken over and the gardeners approached getting it out with a scorched earth policy, so nothing was safe. Ugh. I had a bunch of seedling Hellebores from ruth_mi that may have been sacrificed as well. I was worried about them anyway because I planted the seeds shortly before our record setting heat wave last year and many things did not survive, despite my best efforts to keep them watered. Double ugh!

Sorry to hear about that. I haven't hired many other people to work in our garden. Partly cash, and part I can still do most if it. We did hire a friend many years ago and it didn't go well. I explicitly pointed out an Akebia growing against the fence. I told him that was the only thing in this bed I cared about. When I returned it had been ripped out along with all the weeds.

Still a good friend, but I don't let him work in the garden any more. :o)

This year, in the two main hellebore beds we have hundreds of seedlings. Never seen so many. They're in a good place to spread, so I try not to disturb them.

I bought a seedling mix from Pine Knot Farms in Dec 2019. Twice now the weather has been able to kill off new growth that was advanced in December, so I have never seen any of them bloom to decide what colors I got. Our weather has gotten so unpredictable that it's 80s in December, then the next day it's 14F, no chance to adapt.

Luckily the interspecific hellebore hybrids bloom early enough to avoid it, it's just the later blooming orientalis group that has this problem for me.

I keep hoping for a more gradual cooldown.

I would never (and have never) let anyone clean/deal with my garden but myself, for I fear of the tragedies and the anger that would result. I'm dangerous enough (overplanting something that was dormant) myself.

"I would never (and have never) let anyone clean/deal with my garden but myself" - well, you are lucky so far to be able to do it all. I was, too, along with cutting and chopping and hauling all my firewood for my woodstove, until arthritis put the kibosh on many things I used to do myself. So, never say never, as they say!

Given what I hear and read (and expect), I should just have turfgrass and bushes when I am unable to maintain my own stuff. Everything else gets mowed, pulled, etc.

I'm 65 and will retire in a year or so. I hope to be able to work in the garden for a few more years. When the time comes I can easily imagine that I would opt for hiring some help so that I can continue to enjoy the garden for a while longer. When it becomes too much we'll sell and move somewhere with a much smaller garden, but not yet...

I'm pretty sure you don't live close enough to me that they would be an option for me...in a few years. :o)

Yeah, I'd love to benefit from that..but unfortunately by then, I probably couldn't come and get it even if I were local ;)