Hellebores are drought tolerant evergreen perennials once established in zones 4-8. They prefer rich, moist (not wet), well drained soil. In general, watering slowly (hose on a trickle), deeply (for about 15-30 minutes for a 1c size container grown plant) and less often develops strong, drought tolerant root systems (that goes for all plants). The amount of water a plant needs depends on soil type, rainfall, wind and temperatures. In general, water new plants every 3-5 days for the first 4-6 weeks, then maybe once a week through out the growing season. If you live in an area that receives high summer temperatures, you may need to water more often throughout the summer months. If you receive a slow steady soaking rain without a lot of wind, you might be able to wait 5-7 days between watering. You can purchase soil moisture meters at garden centers or use your finger to check how moist/dry the soil feels around the roots, approx. 4" below the surface. Leaf compost or finished compost from your compost pile makes great mulch around Hellebores. Depending on your soil type (always helpful to do a soil test, check with your local county extension office or local garden center), a slow release organic fertilizer can be applied in spring. You can also cut the brown leaves off the plants in late winter being careful not to cut the flower buds that are forming for the current year's blooms. Hope this helps and Happy Gardening!

Thank you Ms. Consoli. I can manage compost as we make our own, as well as have plenty of leaves. Our CA drought may cause problems but it's worth a try. The ones we have on the north side have been tenacious.