Hellebores cut to ground!?!?

[Jen320]

I returned home from vacation yesterday to find my garden pruned (not sure yet whether it was the gardeners without our asking them to do so, or the deer), but it appears that my hellebores have been cut to the ground. I have only had this garden a few years but have never pruned them so severely. Will they grow back??? My fingers are crossed!!

In the future, when should these be pruned, if ever???

[rainbowgardener]

You do want to cut the old foliage from hellebores off at ground level. This keeps the plant neater and helps prevent fungal diseases. But usually this would be done a little later, like late winter or early spring.

You didn't say what kind of hellebores. The bear's foot (H. foetida) flowers on buds that were set the previous season. So if that is what you have and the flower stems were cut down also, it may not bloom this season. Otherwise, established hellebores are pretty hardy and should be fine.

[Jen320]

Thank you! I'm not sure what kind of hellebores I have (I inherited the garden when we bought the house), but I believe they are the common hellebore orientalis based on pictures online. I guess there's not much I can do now. We'll see come Spring! Thanks for the advice.