Excerpt from an article in The Houston Press, Friday, June 16, 1944 
H. M. Russell Farm Writes Horticultural History 
with Variety of New Lilies 
H. M. Russell at the Russell Daylily farm near 
Spring, only 23 miles from Houston, has been making 
history in the horticultural world with many of his 
new hybrids. His new achievement is to make the 
Daylily forget its habit of closing up for the night. 
At his farm with more than a million plants all 
nodding in the sunshine and showing a wide range of 
colors, there are many lilies named for Houstonians. 
The Mrs. B. F. Bonner, produced in 1942, is one 
of the finest lilies. It has a pale yellow shade and 
has been pronounced by authorities to excel the 
splendid Hyperion, so well known in the Daylily 
world. Its bloom is large and holds well, appearing 
profusely in May and June. 
The Pride of Houston has dark mahogany-red 
petals with almost black eye zone. The throat is deep 
orange with the sepals a lighter shade. The Black 
Prince is so dark inits red thatit appears almost black. 
The Purple Flash, Purple Sage, Purple Waters 
bespeak their colorings in their names with Santa 
Fe, Juarez, Twinkle, San Felipe having red shad- 
ings. Some of the lilies are bicolored; some have 
ruffled petals. There are so many variations that 
it is almost unbelievable that they have been hy- 
bridized from the old-fashioned ‘Custard Lily,” 
found in Southern gardens. 
The true value of the Daylilies is their hardiness. 
They will flourish under a varied range of soil and 
climatic conditions. Wet or dry, acid or lime, sun 
or shade, sand or clay, these lilies will hold their 
own and will continue to grow in clumps for many 
years without any special culture. 
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Note the size, shape and form of the blooms 
The Easiest Plants on Earth to Grow 
Daylilies are the answer for planting that 
long bed that you have been trying to fill up 
and to plant it for keeps. Perhaps you need lots 
of color among your shrubbery borders or along 
the bank of a lake. Try planting Daylilies in 
hot patios or in that shady place where nothing 
else will grow. They need no coddling and will 
RUSSELL GARDENS, SPRING, TEXAS 
take hold immediately after transplanting if 
watered well once or twice. Best of all, perhaps, 
is the fact that Daylilies are not bothered with any 
insect pests or diseases, and you are therefore saved 
the trouble and expense of spraying and dusting. 
We send only excellent blooming-size plants, 
all postpaid. Plant early for next season’s bloom, 
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