What should I do to encourage hellebores to flower please?

[alp]

Dug up and divided my hellebores, and wonder how I could encourage more blooms in January .. Advice appreciated.

 

[Verdun]

Hellebore prefer to be left undisturbed really alp .....I do divide now and then however. It will do what it will do now you have divided it; unlikely to flower before spring.
If you can get hold of mushroom compost then do. Ideal for hellebores ....and be generous with it; in the planting hole and with mulching. Feed now with fish blood and bone.

 

[alp]

@Verdun I will do that with fish and bone. I have to do it as they were so crowded. I won't do the rest now, but just feed them. Unfortunately, the mushroom compost farm has gone bust and the one recommended by Tetters is too far - in Ashford..

 

[Verdun]

I know alp. Used to be 3 or 4 mushroom farms locally and I would buy a lorry load of it. Cheap too. The garden centres sell it in 50 litrer or so bags though

 

[alp]

Verdy: I remember Monty, a TV presenter, talked about the LIME in the mushroom compost helps the hellebores bloom. How so?

I was very happy when I saw the mushroom farm in Essex was near us, I rang and the number was not recognised. I know it sounds stupid - I kept dialling hoping that I had misdialled. No, very sad. Perhaps, I could phone Michel Roux Jr, the man who paid his staff below living wages and kept their tips (I hope this critter -well, there is a similar sounding word, but I can't use it - has mended his way) to see if he could spare me some of his mushroom compost as he cultivates them in unused underground stations.