Hi, I am only familiar with the Orientalis strain. I find those to be extremely hardy and your soil sounds great.
If you can find some at local nureries I would get plants that are old enough to bloom. 3 years about. You may want to wait till you can see what colors you will get in the spring.
These plants are tough and seem to be able to withstand snow and drought and still hold those blooms for about 3 months and give you lots of baby plants the next year.
I hope that you get some.
Mary

Some of the easiest types to grow are Helleborus foetidus and argutifolius. Flower color is pretty much restricted to pale greens with some reddish ovecasts or edging, but these are extremely hardy and durable plants suitable for a range of conditions.

I grow a number of oriental hybrids as well and their flowers tend to be more showy and with a much larger range of colors, but IMO for size of plant, more attractive foliage and less disease and pest problems, it's hard to beat the Corsican and Clawfoot hellebores.

If you want a really early flower on an impressive looking plant, go for H. foetidus 'Wester Flisk'. I have it here now just coming into flower, and it will last through the coldest winter weather till late April. The plant itself will reach a dome of about 3' with hundreds of green flowers with a red edge. If you find a nursery with these plants, choose the one with the reddest stem. They're very easy from seed, only 2 years to flowering and I believe are better planted small in situ and allowed to grow to their full capacity. This will also give you a longer lasting plant. They will self seed lightly about, again weed out the green stemmed varieties and select to reddest to pot up and give to friends.
The variety 'Wester Flisk' is believed to have originated in Northern Spain and was brought from there by Professor John Fleming of Aberdeen University in Scotland. He lived in 'Wester Flisk', an old rectory on the South side of the Firth of Tay, in Fife(Zone6/7), Scotland, from 1811 to 1832. It's always good to have a bit of history round the plants you grow. If you want a good read about Hellebores, find "The Gardeners Guide to Growing Hellebores" by Graham Rice and Elisabeth Strangman. From there it's only a short step to starting a collection, how much space do you have??

Cheers, Greenmanplants

Well, Greenman...how much space do I need? Thanks all for your suggestions.

We have 1.4 acres, some of it is still wild in the back of our property, some of it is literally for our dogs (1/3 acre on the northeast side), the rest of it is fair game. Right now we have approx 1/2 acre (the whole front lawn area) that is relatively unlandscaped, with the exception two japanese red maples, a kousa, 2 dogwoods, a redbud and a few oaks.) It tends to get dappled sun, plenty of light though. All we have done on the front, so far, is add daffodils around a grouping of 3 oaks, but I really need to liven it up, especially for future winters. In my zone, when will they bloom, will they become invasive? And, when is the best time to plant. I will probably lok for a 3 year old plant as recommended, I can't see my self starting from seed & then waiting 3 years for blooms.

Helleborus foetidus grows to a size of about 2'x2', sometimes wider and the orientalis hybrids will be about the same H. argutifolius is slightly larger. All would like a location in dappled shade but will tolerate a lot of sun as long as they receive some midday protection. Well draining soil. In my zone you can plant anytime - in yours, best time to plant is most likely when you find them in nurseries, March or April? H. foetidus and argutifolius are coming into bloom now here, x hybridus in January and early February. You should figure maybe a month later for your zone. And no, they are not invasive.

Not invasive but addictive!
Gardengal is spot on. foetidus and argutifolius look great from a distance, on a slope under trees, they both have a light green hue that is picked up by the winter sun at a low angle, the sort of thing you see throughout Europe when you're going skiing and you wonder "What's that"? ie possibly better for the wilder areas of your property, though they both have space in my front garden because of their early flowering.
The orientalis hybrids are for the more cultivated areas, again seen at their best looking up a slope at them because of their slightly drooping flowers.
Buy and plant in the spring when they're in flower and you can see what you are getting.

Good luck, Greenmanplants

Thanks all, is it worth starting them from seeds or will it take too long & I'm better off with a more mature (approx. 3 years) plant?

It depends what you can afford and how fast you want your landscape to fill in and look mature. Personally, I would live on oatmeal for a couple of weeks if I had to, in order to start with at least a few mature plants of the lovely 'Wester Flisk' that Greenman suggests and, as he also suggests, let them self-seed and select the keepers from the seedlings.

Your property sounds as if it has tremendous potential. How lucky! In thinking how to landscape for winter color, I would think of plant groupings and patterns, so that you get maximum winter color effects both from contrasts and from masses of related color. I think 'Wester Flisk' looks stunning against a backdrop of red-twig dogwood, which will grow into lovely clumps that are colorful all winter. The dark foliage of 'Wester Flisk' makes a stunning contrast to the red dogwood stems, but the reddish stems of 'Wester Flisk' also pick up the red. You can get standard red-twig dogwood or the dwarf form, depending on how much space you want to dedicate to it.

I have this combination in part of my garden, along with Euphorbia robbinia 'purpurea', which has purple-red foliage with almost a touch of black in it, and puts on big, spring-green flowerheads. This group really stands out when it snows!

I also have 'Wester Flisk' and another H. foetidus selection - 'Red Silver' - around a coral-bark maple, Acer sangokaku, which has coral-to-red bark and on which the new growth is bright red. It's a good winter combination.

Another combination that I have seen and liked is H. foetidus around witch hazels, which display their fireworks flowers in winter.

Have fun planning and planting!

Best,
Elizabeth

I invested more money in two "mixed colors" Helleborus than anything else in my shade garden. When they finally bloomed this spring, the blooms were almost the same color as the leaves - I'd been hoping for pinks & purples. The nursery where I bought them just said, "sorry, it sounds as if they've reverted back to their wild colors."
Has anyone else experienced this?