Hi!
That's a good question, but I don't have an answer-I just ordered a Lenten Rose from Wayside Gardens, because it looked so pretty. I have a shady damp sheltered spot in the rock garden among the hostas and ferns.
Those Asian Lily Beetles-are they the ones that make a noise, you can hear them if you hold them up to your ear, and their larvae are disgusting messy things that eat the lilies down to nothing? I have been picking them off but I think I am ready to poison them this year. I don't like pesticides either, but a little should go a long way with them. They first appeared 2 years ago. Diatomaceous earth works with soft-bodied critters like that. But I am so busy by the time the larvae appear, I want to get rid of the adults before they breed.

Paula: Yes, that's the beetle. Brilliant red. They'd be
pretty if not so destructive. Yes, the larvae cover themselves with their own excrement to make them unattractive to birds...I'd say it works! Nothing seems to bother them except me. I believe the adults are either poisonous or just horrible tasting to birds.

I do think I will try the Lenten Rose. Just one to see
how it does. If it doesn't, well another experiment on
the compost pile. LOL

I have tried Lenten Rose a few times. Tried different places but I haven't had any luck with them. One lived through the winter one blossomed then disappeared. I think I have bought around 7 and 3 different types none bloomed or lived through the winter.I gave up..

I'm just up the road from you in Augusta and I've lost 20 or more helleores. I got them wholesale from Sunshine farms. They were supposed to be one of the hardiest strains but they only lasted a few seasons then they just gave up. Just an expensive annual if you can buy them in bloom! Ken

Hellebores are a hell of a bore when they dissappear on you. I tried a Lenten Rose one year. It vanished without a trace.

I'm down in Maine's "banana belt", I've never tried them, either. But my boss has them and they've done well for her. Her home is away from the coast and the microclimate is chillier than mine. I will try to remember to ask her about how she has sited them for success.

Lily Leaf Beetle... don't you just HATE them? I am pretty vigilant, haven't seen any so far, but I KNOW they will turn up any day now. I have tried a couple of things; one was from Garden's Alive and was decently effective when applied every 5-7 days. I'll have to scrounge the "amendment" and insecticide department to remember the name. I've also gone for the big guns when I had to deal with a lot of them (I didn't use the more benign control early enough!), something by Bayer, I think.

I love squishing the maggots and the adults between my fingers... they are truly maddening!

Well, maybe Hellebore's aren't such a wise choice.
Good news is my brother in law just gave me a packet of painted trillum seeds that he gathered behind his house
last fall and after soaking for three days and crossing
my fingers I have sown them in several damp, shady and acidic spots under hemlocks that are out of the way. Hopefully in a few years I will have blooms. I'm not overly optimistic as there are none the woods behind the house, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Hello
I have been killing the red beetles the past week. They did not show up until then. I think I have successfully eradicated them from my garden but the adults travel from neighbor's gardens. I did not see any eggs or larvae so I think if I stay on top of it I might be okay again this year. I used horticultural oil (NEEM is a brand name) Home Depot sells their version much cheaper. My understanding is that the oil only works on the eggs and larvae, it smothers them. You still have to squish the adults but that is manageable. After five years of work, I do not believe I had one overwinter at my house.
I was sorry to hear that hellebores do not work here, I was looking forward to trying them this year. Thanks.

hello,
I'm joining this thread to say that I have some hellebores in bloom as of this week, and they are fresh and beautiful. My variety is 'Ivory Prince' and is sometimes listed as zone 5, sometimes 4. They are in a walled in garden, underneath a vernal witch hazel and alongside sweet woodruff. I planted three a couple of years ago. Two are strong and thriving, one struggles and is smaller but does bloom every year. I give them an annual dressing of compost, and trim up the tatty foliage in the spring. They have not reseeded and colonized, and are only 18" tall rather than the 30" height that is possible, but that seems par for the course in my northern Maine garden. They really do lift the spirits, as they are my first perennials to bloom, even before scilla. The foliage is multi-colored and beautiful to look at all year. I have them edging a path near a garden bench in the shade. I think they are elegant and beautiful, and hope someday to find some other hospitable nooks and crannies for additional varieties.
Hope this helps! Mine came from Plainview Farm in North Yarmouth.

NEEM is a tree not a brand. Some manufacturers use the word ie. BioNeem. Neem oil is in the product you are using, just to clarify.
I gave up on lilies a couple of yrs after the first orange ?/#$%&!! arrived. Has anyone tried BT with success for the larval stage? My lilies were under attack the second they emerged. I'm assuming the eggs were laid right there the previous season.

Hansayellow-are you a painter?
I looked up a picture of Ivory Prince at Wayside and it is very beautiful.
My Lenten Rose survived the year. It is up, but has not bloomed yet, or ever.

hi Paulaj,
yes, I'm a painter.
Maybe there's still hope w/ you lenten rose. I've read, & have been told, that they can be
s l o w.
!

Hansayellow-thanks for the hope. I'll take good care of the little lenten rose. i'm a painter too.
If you have a photo of your hellebores, I'd love to see them. Your setting for them sounds lovely.