Helleborus can be propagated by division or seed. The division of a plant leads to absolutely identical plants. Seedlings can significantly differ from the plants where the seed was harvested.

Growing from seed:

The best time for growing hellebores from seed is the early summer. The seed can be planted directly in the garden in a protected place or it can be placed in pots. If the pots are planted into the ground it will reduce the soil drying out too fast in the pot. The soil must remain moist over the summer. The seeds will germinate the following spring. As soon as the primary leaf emerges the seeds need to be transplanted into single pots. The base of the seedling is weak – it should not be touched – only handle with the leaves. The full development of a seedling to a flowered plant takes three years for all hellebores species. The first time that one can tell how similar the seedling is to the original stock plant will take three years.

One should work with gloves because the hellebores seeds can cause skin irritation.

Division:

Propagation by division should take place in the spring or in autumn. One must identify if the plant is caulescent or acaulescent before dividing the plant. This is important because the caulescent species cannot be propagated by division. The acaulescent plant can be divided by division.

Before lifting the plant with a fork, the foliage should be tied loosely together with a rope to avoid injuries.
The splitting of the plant can be done by the traditional two fork technique.

Put one fork vertically through the centre of the rootstock. By placing the other fork in the back of the first fork, the rhizome can be divided by careful moving of the forks apart. If the plant is not large enough for the two fork technique, use a sharp-edged knife for dividing the rhizome.

The seperate pieces should be planted as soon as possible, so that the roots do not dry out. Furthermore remove all injured leaves, because these are places where pests and diseases colonize at first.