444 
rose color, crimson, scarlet, yellow, purple and green. Some 
of these have large blossoms and are showy and attractive, but 
Helleborus niger is the one most generally cultivated and 
most widely known. Most of the other varieties do not 
blossom until spring and would seem not to specially deserve 
the name of Christmas Rose. 
In the northern part of New York State the Christmas 
Rose begins to blossom in October, continuing to bloom pro- 
fusely all the fall and more or less all winter. The plant 
requires no_ protec- 
tionthere. Itisnot at 
all uncommon in this 
latitude to be able to 
go into the garden in 
mid-winter and brush 
the snow from these 
hardy flowers, some- 
times to dig away 
several inches of their 
downy covering, and 
bring them forth cov- 
ered with frost crys- 
tals, but fresh and 
bright. When car- 
ried into the house 
they show that they 
are none the worse 
for the chilling tem- 
perature to which 
they have been sub- 
jected, and, if kept in 
a cool room, or put 
out of doors at night, 
they will keep fresh 
for a week or two. If 
the water in the vase 
freezes, the blossoms 
will not be injured; 
let the ice melt and 
the flowers will be as 
fresh as ever. Avery 
nice way to do is to 
set the dish contain- 
ing them on the out- 
side of a window sill; 
in this way they can 
be seen from within 
and will remain in 
perfection a longer 
time in the cooler at- 
mosphere. If the 
stems are split up an 
inch or so, the cut flowers will keep fresh and beautiful 
for a greater length of time. 
The plants usually blossom profusely during October 
and November; in December, frequently, the snow falls 
and covers them. If there are a few warm days at Christ- 
mas time, sufficiently mild to melt away the covering of 
snow, these hardy flowers are sure to display themselves 
and seem to smile as if they enjoyed blossoming in the dead 
of winter. In the fall, the blossom stems are rather tall, 
sometimes eight or ten inches in height. In winter they 
make but a low growth, sometimes only just appearing 
above the surface of the ground, the blossoms seeming 
to want to nestle down under the snow. 
Last winter the writer observed how the snow had 
drifted heavily over a border of hardy perennials and 
shrubs in which were some plants of the Christmas Rose. 
Toward spring it was thought prudent to remove some of 
the snow, which was heavily weighing down the branches 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
‘There is a wonderful garden of Christmas Roses near Rochester, New York, where the 
lovely flowers of this extraordinary plant peep up through the snows of mid-winter, while 
underneath they bloom in all their beauty 
December, 1911 
of the shrubs. In doing this, the Christmas Roses were 
uncovered, and there, under about two feet of snow, they 
were found blooming in all their beauty, as fresh and spot- 
less as they might have been on a bright October day. 
The culture of the Christmas Rose is not at all difficult. 
The plants will thrive in common garden soil, though they 
do best in a rich loam mixed with coarse sand, with a top 
dressing of well-rotted manure. They grow luxuriantly 
They should 
always have a plen- 
tiful supply of water, 
especially when 
making their growth 
after flowering, for 
on this depends the 
next season’s bloom- 
ing. A supply of 
weak liquid manure 
can be given occasion- 
ally with good re- 
sults, and a mulch of 
good manure imme- 
diately after flower- 
ing is over will be 
very beneficial. 
Propagation of the 
Christmas Rose is ef- 
fected by root divi- 
sion. ‘The roots sepa- 
rate readily, so it is 
no trouble to divide 
them. This should 
be done as early in 
the spring as it is pos- 
sible to work in the 
garden. The plants 
increase very rapidly 
and it is generally ad- 
visable to separate 
the roots every third 
year. 
On the border of 
Rochester, New 
York, just outside the 
city limits, is a bed of 
Christmas Roses 
which is undoubtedly 
the finest in the coun- 
try and which has 
gained more than a 
local reputation. The 
fortunate possessor 
takes pardonable pride in the size of the bed, the luxuri- 
ance of the plants, and the great number of blossoms pro- 
duced. The plants begin blooming in October, and the 
latter part of that month and the first of November they 
are in their glory, showing great numbers of blossoms and 
innumerable stems of buds just peeping above the ground. 
Hundreds of blossoms are constantly being cut without im- 
pairing the beauty of the bed. Last Christmas two hundred 
stems of blossoms were cut for church adornment and for 
friends, yet the bed lost not all of its beauty. Many admir- 
ers of this rare flower never fail to pay an annual visit to 
this bed, and always feel more than repaid for their trouble. 
Plants which afford so much pleasure and require so little 
care should be more generally cultivated. “Their season of 
bloom and their beauty give them claim on all flower lovers. 
The large white blossoms are beautiful, and it is delightful 
to go out into the garden on Christmas day and gather fresh 
flowers from under the snow that bear no signs of blight. 
under trees which furnish a partial shade. 
Bae, 
aed ar 
