Photographs by Nathan R. Graves 
The Christmas Rose 
ONE OF THE MOST GRACEFUL AND DELICATE OF FLOWERS, AND ONE 
THAT SEEMS MOST CONTENTED WHEN IT CAN BLOOM IN THE SNOW 
There are numerous varieties of Helleborus — 
white blossoms dotted with red and purple, 
others dark purple, rose color, crimson,'scar¬ 
let, yellow and green, but the white one is the 
real Christmas Rose 
A well-established plant will throw up a number of flower stalks 
in succession, thus prolonging the season of flowering, and a 
dainty pink bud is often the accompaniment of a pure white, 
fully expanded flower. 
The leaves of the Christmas Rose are dark green, thick, 
leathery, and practically evergreen. They make a fitting environ¬ 
ment for the dainty white blossoms and a pleasing contrast to 
them. If grown in a partially shaded location, the leaves are so 
rich in color and so vigorous that the plants are not unattractive 
even in summer. 
There are numerous varieties of the Christmas Rose, some with 
white blossoms dotted with red and purple, others dark purple, 
rose color, crimson, scarlet, yellow-flowered and green. Some of 
these have large blossoms and are showy and attractive, but most 
of them blossom in the spring and for that reason are not so 
popular or desirable as Helleborus niger. 
Here in Rochester, N. Y., and vicinity, the Christmas Rose 
begins to blossom in October (sometimes even in September) 
and continues to flower until the next spring. This is without 
protection of any kind. 
Carried into the house, the flowers seem to be none the worse 
for the chilling temperature to which they have been subjected, 
and will remain fresh a week or two if kept in a cool room, or if 
put out of doors or into an apartment with very low temperature 
at night. If the stems are slit up an inch or so, it will help to 
keep the blossoms in a good condition for a longer time after 
picking. 
If there are a few warm days at Christmas time, sufficient to 
melt away the snow, these brave blossoms are sure to display 
themselves, smiling as if they enjoyed blooming in the dead of 
winter. 
It has been particularly noticed that while in the fall the 
flower stems are six or eight inches tall, in the winter they are 
much shorter, the blossoms sometimes just appearing above the 
ground and seeming to want to nestle down under the snow. 
They seem to be grateful, too, for a covering of snow in the coldest 
weather. 
One bed of Christmas Roses just beyond the limits of our city 
is so large and fine that it has obtained more than a local reputa¬ 
tion. It was particularly beautiful last fall. The plants began 
blooming in October and the latter part of that month were in 
(Continued on page ix) 
green tint as they 
grow older, and re¬ 
maining a long time 
on the stems. The 
blossoms are from 
two to three inches 
across with a large 
number of yellow 
stamens. The true 
petals are small, 
tubular bodies, or 
nectaries, in the 
form of a horn with 
an irregular opening. 
T HE botanical name of the Christmas Rose, Helleborus niger, 
does not seem to be very appropriate, for the blackness 
indicated by the specific name certainly cannot apply to the pure 
white blossoms. It is, however, supposed to refer to the black¬ 
ish roots, or, possibly, to the poisonous properties contained in 
them. 
There is something peculiarly charming in a flower which has 
grace and delicacy, and yet can endure the chilling blasts of the 
north wind and the intense cold of winter. It may seem a little 
uncanny to go out when the ground is covered with snow, perhaps 
several inches deep, and, brushing the feathery pall aside, uncover 
beautiful and seemingly delicate flowers, stiff and brittle, it may 
be, and glittering with frost crystals, but smiling, withal, as if 
winter had no terrors for them; but this is what you can do if you 
have a bed of Christmas Roses. 
But while the plant is particularly interesting from the fact 
of its blooming in the winter, it also has beauties of its own that 
would attract attention even in a luxuriant garden of blooming 
flowers. 
The flower stems spring directly from the root and bear one or 
two blossoms each. Buds of the Christmas Rose are delicately 
tinted with pink on the outside when they first appear, but the 
full-blown flowers are pure waxy white, changing to a pale 
[ The Christmas Rose blooms from October to Spring without protection 
(207) 
