Dear Gary,

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YOUR QUESTION #0010576:

Hellebore Black Death virus?

Hello, while cleaning up my garden beds in mid-March, I noticed unusual spotting/streaking on one of my hellebores. I removed and disposed of the plant, along with one other that had slight signs f the same condition on a couple of stems. After researching online I am wondering is the the Black Death virus, or one of the other treatable viruses common to hellebores? Also, do these viruses infect the soil or are they only spread by the insect hosts and remain only in the infected plants, not the soil? I would like to replace the hellebores I lost, they are the anchor plants in my dry shade garden. I’m attaching photos of the damage. The photo of the more greenish-flowered plant shows the slight damage in the bottom center and bottom right of the photo. Both have been dug out, bagged and disposed of in the trash. I submitted a question and received a reply from my county extension office, but am still wondering about the soil-borne question. Any help would be appreciated, thanks in advance!

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