10 
NEVILL PRIMROSE FARM 
Geum Borisii 
GEUM Mrs. Bradshaw —Large double scarlet 
flowers on erect 15-in. stems. All sum¬ 
mer. 35c. 
Lady Stratheden —Golden yellow counterpart 
of Mrs. Bradshaw. 35c. 
Borisii (R)—Very gorgeous bright orange- 
scarlet blossoms with dark green crinkly 
leaves forming a handsome rosette. It is 
constantly in bloom from early summer 
until frost. We think it is by far the best of 
all the alpine varieties and have eliminated 
the others. 8 to 12 in. 50c. 
HELLEBORUS (Christmas Rose) —An an¬ 
cient legend tells that it was the only flow¬ 
er which Adam and Eve were permitted to 
take with them from the Garden of Eden. 
A later story, however, is better known and 
makes the plant a part of the Yuletide sea¬ 
son. At the hour when the Christ Child 
was born in the manger at Bethlehem, the 
mountain folks say, this blossom first 
sprang up into the light. And ever since 
that time it has been known as the Christ¬ 
mas Rose. 
But the Christmas Rose is not really a 
rose; for no rose could be happy growing 
out-of-doors in a chilly atmosphere. In 
fact, it is one of the relatives of the Hepat- 
icas and the Marshmarigolds and the 
Anemones and the Buttercups. Unlike 
them, however, it has dark, leathery foli¬ 
age that stays green the year round, and 
its waxy blossoms actually thrive with 
snow and ice round them. It seems a 
miracle of the garden. 
No one knows in whose garden the 
Christmas Rose was first planted to be a 
delight to its owners. But gradually from 
its rocky home in the mountains it was 
carried into Central and Southern Europe 
and into English gardens. To most Ameri¬ 
can gardens it is still a stranger but it 
could be grown and enjoyed much more 
than it is, for it endures the winters of 
western New York and northern Ohio. 
If the plants are dug in early fall and 
placed in pots, they will blossom at Christ¬ 
mas time, providing they are given plenty 
of light and water and rich soil. And no 
blossoms make more charming holiday 
gifts, not only because of their own beauty, 
but also for their association with the 
Christmases of long ago. 
The foregoing is an extract from the De¬ 
cember 1929 issue of Better Homes and 
Gardens, article by Hazel Hankinson. 
foetidus —A handsome and interesting win¬ 
ter blooming plant, very frost resistant. 
The tall stem is bushy with dark green 
narrow leathery palmate leaves topped by 
a large cluster of light green nodding bells 
with purple penciling near edge. Good 
deep soil and part shade. 3 ft. high. 75c. 
Three and four stalked specimen plants 
$2.50 and $3.00. 
niger (var. altifolius) (Christmas Rose)—A 
truly wonderful plant by far too little 
known and cultivated. From a clump of 
dark green leathery evergreen foliage that 
strongly resembles the foliage of the Peony 
rises a mass of flower stems 12 to 18 in. 
high. Flowers 2V 2 to 3 x / 2 in. diam. A well- 
established clump is an indescribably beau¬ 
tiful sight. The flowers do not drop their 
petals, but from the purest white they 
gradually turn a rosy pink and then a 
green; and, as the seed pods form, the 
petals become like a green calyx. Truly 
it is an astonishing plant. One New Jersey 
woman told us she had seen a clump 30 
years old, and that it was a marvelous 
sight. Plants from 35c to $2.50. Blooming 
size 50c. 
hybridus or orientalis —These are most ex¬ 
quisite and so interesting; they come in 
shades of violet rose, white flushed pink 
or green speckled and splashed with rose 
and in maroon; the center is covered with 
ivory-colored anthers set in a colarette of 
little pale green tubular florets. There are 
from two to four flowers on a stem which 
hang somewhat in bell fashion; leaves are 
palmate, not quite as heavy as those of 
Helleborus Niger. Blooming size mixed, 
$ 1 . 00 . 
aurora— Mauve pink, flushed green. Bloom¬ 
ing size $1.50. 
fascination —A wonderful blending of shades 
in rosy lavender with dark veining. Bloom¬ 
ing size $1.50. 
ideal — A daintily ruffled greenish white 
speckled maroon, petals beautifully point¬ 
ed. Blooming size $2.00. 
Plants suitable for the rockery are marked with an (R). 
