I didn’t know hellebores existed until January 2018, when I grabbed a potted one from Trader Joe’s (a popular American grocery chain). It was a white variety, and I figured it would be a nice houseplant for the rest of winter.
It lasted about 12 hours before going completely limp. I watered it. It perked up. By the next morning, limp again. Total drama queens.
Eventually, I did some research and realized I’d been underestimating this plant entirely. Hellebores are perennials that thrive in shade, tolerate serious cold, and bloom earlier than almost anything else in zones 5 and 6. Mine start showing color in early March, when the rest of the garden is still bare. And the blooms hold on for months. That white one? It gradually turned green as it aged, which I later learned is completely normal for certain varieties.
When I started pressing them, I couldn’t believe how beautiful the results were. Fast forward to 2024: I have over 20 hellebores in my garden and I’m planning to add more.
Here are five things I wish I’d known about pressing them from the start.
1. The stage you harvest them changes everything.
Hellebores go through a visible transformation as they age. Some white varieties turn green over weeks. Pinks soften toward mauve. The center stamens, which start as a tight cluster, gradually loosen and eventually fall off entirely.
This means a hellebore you press in early bloom will look completely different from one you press a month later from the same plant. Early blooms give you brighter color and a full center with stamens intact. Older blooms have that green-shifted, weathered look with a clean, open center.
Neither is better. They’re just different tools for different designs. I’d recommend pressing at both stages so you can see the range for yourself.
Notice how the stamens of the bottom bloom are missing. That’s because the bloom is aged, though still perfectly ready for pressing!
2. One paper change, then patience.
Hellebores aren’t complicated in the press. Swap your pressing paper after about 2 days to pull out that initial moisture, then leave them alone for another 7 to 8 days. That’s it.
If you skip that first change, you risk the kind of browning that happens when moisture sits against the sepals too long. After that single swap, they’re low maintenance.
3. Stick with a traditional press.
I’ve tested hellebores in my microwave press and the results were disappointing. Some varieties handled it fine, but others shifted color in ways I didn’t expect, and a few outright browned. The quick heat seems to react unpredictably with whatever gives hellebore sepals that waxy texture.
A traditional press with good airflow is the safer choice here. You’ll wait longer, but you’ll get consistent results across varieties.
I recommend placing them face down to prevent the petals from folding.
4. Light is not their friend after pressing.
Some hellebore varieties fade faster than others once they’re pressed and finished. Light exposure speeds this up considerably. If you’re framing hellebores, UV-protective glass makes a real difference. And if you’re storing them, keep them somewhere dark.
I’ve had pressed hellebores that looked gorgeous for over a year in a shaded spot and others that washed out within months in a sunny room. Same flower, same pressing technique, completely different outcome based on where they ended up.
5. Don’t overlook the leaves.
Hellebore foliage has these distinctive palmate leaves, like a hand with long fingers fanning out from a central point. They press beautifully with almost no effort, and the deep green holds well.
The leaves are large enough to serve as a background element or a base layer in an arrangement, and their shape is so different from most pressed foliage that they add instant variety. I harvest them from the outer edges of the plant where they’re fully mature and lay them flat in the press with no special treatment.
If you’re already growing hellebores for the blooms, you’re sitting on a whole second pressing resource you might be ignoring.
What’s the first flower you look forward to pressing each spring? I’d love to hear what’s blooming in your garden right now. Drop a comment and tell me about it.