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THE RHODODENDRON
AND
‘AMERICAN PLANTS.”
THE RHODODENDRON
“AMERICAN PLANTS.”
A TREATISE ON THE CULTURE, PROPAGATION, AND
SPECIES OF THE RHODODENDRON;
WITH
CULTURAL NOTES UPON OTHER PLANTS WHICH THRIVE UNDER
LIKE TREATMENT, AND DESCRIPTIONS OF SPECIES AND
VARIETIES; WITH A CHAPTER UPON HERBACEOUS
PLANTS REQUIRING SIMILAR CULTURE.
BY
EDWARD SPRAGUE RAND, JR.,
AUTHOR OF “FLOWERS FOR THE PARLOR AND GARDEN;” ‘‘GARDEN FLOWERS;”
“PBULBS;” ‘**SEVENTY-FIVE FLOWERS.”
BOS LON:
LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY.
1871.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1871, by
EDWARD SPRAGUE RAND, JR.
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
CAMBRIDGE: %
PRESS OF JOHN WILSON AND SON.
TO
HENRY WINTHROP SARGENT
AND
H. HOLLIS HUNNEWELL,
TO WHOM AMERICAN HORTICULTURE IS SO LARGELY INDEBTED,
AND WHO FULLY APPRECIATE THE BEAUTIES OF
“American Plants,”
THIS VOLUME IS CORDIALLY INSCRIBED.
Het PAY P
77°
INTRODUCTION.
HE object of the present volume is to introduce
to popular notice a class of plants which, in
England, forms one of the most attractive orna-
ments of the garden. They are commonly known
as “* American Plants;” as the earliest known Rho-
dodendrons, the Kalmias, and some of the Azaleas,
are natives of this continent. The name has, how-
ever, been extended to embrace many other plants
that require the same general culture, but which
are not indigenous to America.
It is a singular and most unaccountable fact that
these plants are in this country but little known in
cultivation.
The hillsides, from Massachusetts to Virginia,
are glorious masses of the Mountain Laurel (Kal-
mia); and all through the Middle States, and up
the slopes of the Alleghanies, we find thousands of
acres of the Rose Bay, or “Great Laurel” (Rhodo-
Vill INTRODUCTION.
dendron). Yet seldom is a plant of either to be
found in the garden! There is a popular belief that
these plants “ cannot be cultivated.”
In spring we eagerly buy the spicy blossoms of
the May Flower (Hpigea), yet never think we
may have it blooming in perfection in our shrub-
beries.
Popular opinion says it “cannot be grown in
gardens ;” and there we rest, without trying the
experiment.
To show that these plants can be grown as easily
as any others is the purpose in the following pages.
The species we may find wild in our woods are
beautiful enough to merit every attention, but we
are by no means limited to these.
The skill of the hybridist, exercised during a score
of years, has created a wealth of floral beauty in
Rhododendrons and Azaleas.
We may have masses of bloom of almost any
color and shade, and combinations and contrasts
innumerable.
To those who have seen the magnificent displays
of these plants at Wodenethe, the charming resi-
dence of H. W. Sargent, or at Wellesley, the magni-
ficent estate of H. Hollis Hunnewell, no word of
ours in praise of their beauty will be needed.
In our own culture, at Glen Ridge, we have not
been unsuccessful; and although our experience is
INTRODUCTION. 1x
limited to the past ten years, the results have been
so eminently satisfactory as to excite most sanguine
hopes for the future.
Our collection of hybrid varieties of Catawbiense
Rhododendrons is probably larger than any in the
country, and is yearly largely increased for the pur-
pose of experimenting as to their hardiness.
These plants are attractive at all seasons: in
flower they are magnificent, in foliage they excel
any evergreen.
They can be grown as easily as lilacs, and bloom
quite as freely.
In the arrangement of the following pages, Part I.
is purely cultural; Part II. comprises a list of the
species of Rhododendron, and also a selection of
hybrid Catawbiense varieties. To give a full list of
these latter would be almost impossible: some Eng-
lish catalogues contain hundreds of varieties, and
often but very few of these will be common to any
two catalogues.
We have in every case, where possible, referred to
a colored illustration of the flower, where one was
to be found in any book generally accessible ; and
have, in the list of books quoted, stated where in
this vicinity they could be found.
Part III. treats of Azaleas, Kalmias, and other
plants which resemble Rhododendrons, and thrive
under similar culture. This list has been extended.
x INTRODUCTION.
to include many plants not generally known, and
seldom found in gardens. Of most of these we
write from experience, and can urge their cultiva-
tion. Many are low-growing, and suited for an
undergrowth in shrubberies, or as a covering for
the surface soil in Rhododendron-beds.
All are very desirable, and, if not to be obtained
in this country, can be easily imported with but
little expense.
In Part IV. we have given brief descriptions of
plants which grow well in Rhododendron-beds.
We would strongly urge their cultivation, as they
add much to the attractions of the shrubbery; and
thus we are enabled to grow many botanical treas-
ures which never find place in the herbaceous
border.
This chapter is, however, only a condensation of
a portion of a volume on “Herbaceous Plants,”
which we hope soon to lay before the public.
To all who would obtain large floral results, with
but little effort, we would say: ‘ Grow Rhododen-
drons, and other American Plants: they are always
beautiful, pleasing alike in evergreen foliage and in
gorgeous bloom.”
Guten Ripvce, February, 1871.
CONTENTS.
TD ICAI ONG Wcewien 6 oer nm Wien Sued 8) eo og teh 1S he v
TR PROMUCTIONT 2) ugeoke. 2 Geis. +) e « 1 s ts vil
List or BoranicaL WORKS REFERRED TO .. - - XV
15 Vale gees le uaa
CULTURE OF THE RHODODENDRON.
CHAPTER IL
Preparation of Soil. Planting. Mulching. Manuring. Prun-
ing. Transplanting. ‘Treatment after Flowering. Diseases.
Insect Enemies. Winter Protection. Importing and Pro-
curing Plants. Standard Rhododendrons. Dwarf Rhodo-
CnCOnse Gade moder oe hile Ferra ghia tia Selrisa4o
CHAPTER II.
Indoor Culture. Rhododendron Houses. Forcing. As Par-
Peep Pints: oc, al seGas | cha )Bos. Pab. Lib.
xx LIST OF WORKS REFERRED TO.
SwEeET, Orn. G. .
Tore. N: Y:
Wicuat, Ic. .
Wieat, In.
Woop. MeEb.
Sweet, The Ornamental Flower Gar-
den. London, 1854. 4 vols. 8vo.
Col. Pl. 288.
Lib: E..S: BR. Jr:
Torrey, Flora of the State of New
York. Albany, 1843. 2 vols. 4to.
Col. Pls 1-161,
Libs. Rader:
Wiacut, Icones Plantarum Indize
Orientalis. Madras, 1838-53. 6
vols. 4to. Pl. 1-2101.
Lib. Mass. Hort. Soc. and E.S. R. Jr.
Wicut, Illustrations of Indian Bot-
any. Madras, 1838-48. 2 vols.
4to. Col. Pl. 1-182.
dab.ohs S. Re ox:
Woopvittz, Medical Botany. Lon-
don, 1832. 5 vols. 4to. Vols. 1-4,
Col.:, Pl. 1=2743 -vels25; Cole FE
1-39.
a raed, Ot brea ope bes
CULTURE OF THE RHODODENDRON.
THE RHODODENDRON.
—
[ee lee dbs dae
CULTURE OF THE RHODODENDRON.
——$$_____—
CHAPTER LI.
PREPARATION OF THE SOIL.
HE highest aim in the cultivation of a plant is
to grow it in such a manner as to attain the
most perfect results. Careless culture, though some-
times partially successful, in most cases brings dis-
appointment.
To grow a plant well, requires a study of its
peculiarities, and adaptations to suit them.
There are, in plant culture, certain general rules
which can never be transgressed: these are usu-
ally understood. There are also many lesser points
to be observed, too often wholly ignored, but they
contribute greatly to success, which is often in direct
ratio with their observance.
The Rhododendron requires careful culture. To
those who are not willing to give it, we say, Do not
x
4 THE RHODODENDRON.
attempt to grow Rhododendrons; yet, so doing, you
give up one of the most beautiful of plants, one of
the most glorious ornaments of the garden, which
more richly repays the care it requires than any
plant we can mention. Let us not, however, be
misunderstood. After the first planting, that being
well done, the Rhododendron requires less attention
than any other plant; but this preparation of the
soil is of primary importance.
We are aware that in this we differ from some
cultivators, who maintain that Rhododendrons will
do well in any garden soil. This is true in a degree ;
for the plants will live, grow, and bloom in any deep
loam not containing lime; but they will not, under
this culture, attain the highest perfection, either of
foliage or flower.
The Rhododendron is a native of swamps, of
shady mountain sides, or of deep ravines, usually
on the banks of mountain streams. ‘In these situa-
tions it forms impenetrable thickets or jungles, the
plant attaining great size, the boughs bending down
and rooting by natural layers, producing in the
Middle and Southern States the nearest approach
our flora can make to a tropical jungle.
Some species are found in mountain swamps,
occasionally in high latitudes, but always in moist
situations.
The natural habitat of the plants gives us the first
requisite for their successful culture,—a moist soil.
The roots of all the species, except perhaps some
of the epiphytal kinds of the Himalaya Mountains,
are fine and hair-like; and drought is certain death.
PREPARATION OF THE SOIL. 5
In a wild state, they grow most luxuriantly in a
peaty loam, formed by the débris of decayed vege-
table matter, such as wood and leaves, with an
admixture of disintegrated rocks, and generally in
a shady situation. These conditions we must, in a
measure, imitate in cultivation.
It is a singular fact that cultivation has in some
plants produced greater abundance of bloom and
luxuriance of growth than they ever exhibit in their
native haunts. This has especially been shown with
some of the orchids of India and South America.
The fact is, to some extent, true of Rhododendrons ;
many species producing in our gardens larger and
finer flowers than in their wild state.
In preparing for Rhododendrons, the situation of
the bed is of primary importance. The plants will do
well in any exposure, but they naturally love shade ;
and a northern hill-side is the best place for the bed.
Our largest plantations are on a steep hill, sloping to
the north-west, and exposed to the full fury of the
winter storms. In such a situation not only do the
hardy varieties do well, but even some kinds, con-
sidered tender in England, stand the winter unin-
jured.
In a southern exposure the foliage is seldom as
fine as where the plants are sheltered from the full
sun, though they sometimes set more bloom. A
large bed on our lawn stood uninjured the parch-
ing summer of 1870, and is now in fine health, with a
promise of abundant bloom for the coming year.
The roots, however, never became dry, as the bed
was kept moist by heavy mulching.
6 THE RHODODENDRON.
The test was, nevertheless, a very severe one, as
the bed was made by filling in an old gravel pit;
and the location was so hot and dry, that large
white pines, growing naturally close by, perished
from drought.
The fact that the Rhododendron thrives on a
northern exposure should of itself be a great incen-
tive to its cultivation. What country place is there
which has not a bare northern slope, some cold
exposure where “nothing will grow”? Yet in
such a situation Rhododendrons will thrive ; change
it to a gorgeous mass of bloom in June, and give a
glorious show of rich evergreen foliage all the rest of
the year. Who will say the result is not worth the
necessary labor of preparation? And if we wish
flowers after the Rhododendrons, plant a few moun-
tain-laurel (Kalmia latifolia) for succession, and
here and there dot in bulbs of our noble American
lilies (Lilium superbum and canadense), with a few
clumps of the purple martagon, all of which bloom
magnificently ; and around the edges of the clumps
cultivate a host of the more dwarf-growing species
of our native plants which love a peat soil, such as
cypripediums, trilliums, and others, even to the
Christmas rose (Helleborus niger), to bloom often
to the dawn of New Year’s morning.
We do not appreciate the wealth of our American
flora, and have shut our eyes to the richness which
lies around us. In England, a crowning glory of
horticultural exhibitions is the show of ‘ American
plants;” and we in America do not know what they
are.
PREPARATION OF THE SOIL. fi
The situation of the bed chosen, the first labor is
excavation. If the surface is level, the soil should
be removed to a depth of four feet, at least; if the
soil is a dry gravel, another foot may be taken out
advantageously.
Be the shape of the bed what it may, the soil
should be picked out underneath the sides, as much
as can be done without letting down the surface, in
order that the soil around the sides may not be
drained by the surrounding gravel. If the soil is a
strong loam, and the subsoil clay, of such a nature
that the water will not run off, loose stones to the
depth of a few inches should be laid in the bottom
of the bed, and a blind drain be laid to carry off
surplus water: this, however, will rarely be neces-
sary. The primary rule in Rhododendron culture is
to keep the bed always moist, never very wet, never
very dry; for either extreme is injurious.
The bed excavated, fill in old litter, pine needles,
leaves, or stubble, to the depth of two feet ; spread
this, letting it lay loosely; the soil, in filling, will
press it down to a thickness of about six inches.
This will keep the bed from draining too rapidly,
and will in decaying furnish rich food for the roots,
when in the course of years they reach it.
It must be borne in mind that the Rhododendron
is not a deep-rooting plant, —the upper soil, if kept
moist, will supply every need of the roots; but it is
to insure this moisture that so deep a bed is recom-
mended.
In our own experience it has been necessary, for
all our beds are dug out of loose gravel hills.
8 THE RHODODENDRON.
Where the soil is of a different nature such excava-
tion may not be necessary, and in this each must be
his own judge.
There is some difference of opinion as to the best
compost for the beds. The component parts are
peat, loam, and sand: the proportions, however,
need not be exact.
Probably no two of our beds have been prepared
in exactly the same way, and yet in all the plants
have done perfectly well. As a general rule, we
have found a compost of five loads peat, five loads
loam, one load sharp sand, to be the best.
Where peat is not easily obtained, it will be suf
ficient to fill only the upper two feet of the bed with
the compost, the rest of the bed being good loam.
By peat we mean the dark, black soil, composed
of decayed vegetable matter, often fibrous, but never
hard. It should be dug out in summer, and spread
in thin piles for exposure to the action of the winter’s
frost. In spring it will be of a loose and crumbling
texture, and ready for use. It should not be used
fresh, as it is then hard and sour: the more the frost
works upon it the better it is.
If it is difficult to find peat, meadow mud, leaf
mould from old woods, or any well-rotted vegetable
compost, may be substituted.
Our first Rhododendron bed was made wholly of
soil obtained from an old wood, where the mountain-
laurel (Aalmia) grew naturally, by scooping it out
from among the roots of the trees, and carting it
four miles.
The loam should be good garden soil, free from
PREPARATION OF THE SOIL. 8)
stones. Old sods are a good filling for the lower
part of a bed: care should be taken, however, not to
use any containing couch grass, as the roots of this
erass find the surface from a great depth, and are
eradicated with great difficulty.
Any good clean sand, if free from stones and salt,
is suitable : common building sand will answer every
purpose.
Our mode of filling a bed is as follows: Three
heaps of peat, loam, and sand, respectively, are made
near the bed; two men, with long-handled shovels,
fill from them, one throwing from the pile of peat,
the other from the pile of loam, and in every eight
or ten shoyelfuls sprinkling in one of sand. The
compost is thrown up against one side of the bed.
which is raised to its full height, and the bed is thus
gradually filled. Thus we have often planted one
end of a bed before the other was filled.
This mode insures a thorough mixing of the com:
ponent parts, and in beds thus made we have found
- the plants succeed much better than where the com
post was mixed previously to filling.
Two of our largest beds are on a very steep hill
facing the north-west, and their construction differs
somewhat from the mode we have given.
The bed was first marked out on the surface as <
large oval about midway down the hill, the object
being to look down upon the plants when in bloom,
which is always desirable if possible. The excava-
tion was begun by digging out the soil to the depth
of four feet along the upper side of the bed, and
piling it along the lower side. This course was pur-
1*
10 THE RHODONDENDRON.
sued, always pushing the soil out from the upper to
the lower side, until an oval plateau was formed,
just the size of the proposed bed, but everywhere
four feet below the level of the upper line where the
excavation was begun.
The whole bed was then filled in with soil pre-
pared as we have described, four feet deep, so that
a large level bed extended out at an angle to the
hill-side. The heavy banks at the sides and lower
part were then sodded, and the bed was ready for
planting.
This is a most satisfactory mode of making a
bed, and we should recommend it to every one who
has a northern hill-side. It utilizes and beautifies a
place where little else will grow, and the plants are
more effective both in foliage and flower from their
position. We should not advise such a treatment
of a southerly slope, as the plants would probably
suffer from the sun both in summer and winter.
PLANTING.
The bed being prepared, a few days should be
allowed for the soil to settle to the level of the sur-
rounding ground; then planting should begin. The
time should be about the first of May in the latitude
of Boston, but we have often varied it a fortnight
earlier or later. If the plants have been imported,
they will have come close packed in the cases, every
interstice being filled with moss. In unpacking, the
branches should all be carefully straightened out,
and the plants, which always come with good balls
PLANTING. TT
of earth, placed in a covered, open shed, not exposed
to the sun.
As soon as unpacked, they should be well watered
overhead with a coarse-rosed water-pot, which will
clean and freshen the foliage and moisten the balls.
In this position they may be left for weeks without
injury, moss being placed over the balls to prevent
undue evaporation, and occasional waterings being
given. It is, however, better to plant them within
a few days after unpacking, if the weather is settled
and favorable.
Plants obtained from nurseries in this country
may be planted as soon as received.
There is nothing more simple than planting Rho-
dodendrons. The plants have fine thread-like roots,
which seize hold of and retain the soil; thus, unless
very carelessly packed, they always come with good
balls, and our only care is to place these balls in
congenial soil.
A hole proportioned to the size of the ball should
be dug in the prepared bed, the plant set as deep as it
was before (or if a little deeper it will do no harm),
the earth filled in and firmly pressed around the ball.
Waterings should not be given after planting: the
balls having been well moistened after unpacking,
the soil of the bed will be wet enough to keep the
plants in good condition. Newly imported plants
should be set rather close, so that the leaves almost
touch, that during the first summer and winter they
may protect each other.
All planting, however, must be done with an eye
to the ultimate appearance of the bed. ‘Thus, a bed
12 THE RHODODENDRON.
large enough for ten Rhododendrons of moderate
size may the first season contain a hundred. The
next spring, however, every other one should be
removed, and so on year after year.
In the first planting, care must be taken to so
arrange the plants which are to remain permanently,
that future transplanting may be avoided. This is
easily done by first setting them out in position, and
then filling in the others.
After planting, the surface of the bed should be
raked smooth, and prepared for
MULCHING.
We have said the Rhododendron is a surface-root-
ing plant, and therefore one great aim in cultivation
should be to keep the surface-soil moist. In old
beds, where the plants are masses of foliage, no ray
of sun will ever reach the ground, and the soil sel-
dom becomes dry.
In new plantations we must prevent undue evap-
oration by mulching. The best mulch is spent tan,
which may be obtained at any tannery for a few
dollars a cord. It is cool and moist, the best pre-
ventive of evaporation, furnishes nutriment to the
roots as it decays, and accords in color so well with
the dark foliage of the plants as to produce a charm-
ing effect.
The tan should be spread evenly over the surface
of the bed from one to three inches deep, according
to the exposure of the bed to the sun. It should be
applied by the middle of May, before the surface has
MANURING. 13
had time to dry, and will not require renewal oftener
than once in three years.
This mulching of tan seems particularly adapted
to the plant: it is not infrequent for branches which
chance to be bent down and covered with the tan
to strike root; and we have many plants from such
accidental layers.
Where tan cannot be procured, pine needles are
the best mulch. These should be spread about two
inches deep, and will last undecayed for years.
Oak leaves, or leaves of other deciduous trees, may
be used where nothing better can be obtained ; but
they are objectionable, because they blow away, and
give the bed and its surroundings a slovenly, ill-kept
appearance. ;
Sawdust is teo fine and close, preventing the access
of air to the roots, which (as far as we can judge
from our own experience), is of vital importance to
Rhododendrons.
The coarse chippings from a boring machine
would probably serve a good purpose if nothing
better can be obtained. Meadow hay and litter are
objectionable, as containing seeds of weeds and
erasses, and forming a fermenting, decaying mass,
injurious to the roots of the plants.
MANURING.
If the bed has been carefully prepared as we have
directed, it will need no manuring.
Kvery thing of a stimulating, heating nature is
injurious.
14 THE RHODODENDRON.
It is the best policy to do the work well at first,
and then no further enriching of the soil will be
needed. The roots of all ‘‘ American Plants” feed
on thoroughly decomposed vegetable matter. This
we supply in abundance in the peat, of which the
bed is composed, and as long as this nutriment lasts
no more need be provided. It is, of course, within
the range of possibility that in time, in old beds,
this supply may be exhausted, and then a top dress-
ing of peat, leaf mould, or even well-rotted stable
manure, may be beneficially applied. Special ma-
nures, certainly any containing lime, would probably
prove injurious.
Our own beds, some of which are ten years old,
and contain plants twice that age, have never had. a
shovelful of manure of any kind, except what may
have been derived from decaying tan, and are in
vigorous health, growing stronger every year.
Where Rhododendrons are suffering for want of
proper nutriment, the ground may be enriched ; but
all manure should be well rotted and thoroughly
decomposed before application.
With liquid manures we have had no experience:
we should, however, judge them to be of too stimu-
lating a nature, and likely to prove injurious.
A mixture of charcoal with the soil is said to
give intensity to the colors of the flowers. We see
no reason to doubt the statement; but in view of the
brilliancy of color in some of the varieties of recent
origin, we see no need of such extraneous assist-
ance.
PRUNING. 1S
PRUNING
May be performed freely when necessary. It was
once thought that Rhododendrons could not bear
pruning ; but, on the contrary, they bear it remark-
ably well. We have had large plants, which were
accidentally broken or cut down by the frost, pro-
duce young shoots as freely as rose-bushes, from
wood an inch in diameter. As a fact, Rhododen-
drons need very little pruning: in growth they are
symmetrical, and when left to themselves make such
beautiful plants, that any attempts to prune them into
formal shapes would prove wholly at variance with
good taste.
Some tall-growing varieties, such as A. Cataw-
biense album elegans, need to be cut in when they
erow too high. This may be freely done in early
spring, or immediately after flowering.
We prefer, however, to rub out the terminal buds
of shoots that would grow too high, just before the
buds begin to swell in the spring.
When in bloom, Rhododendrons may be freely
cut; the only care to be observed being to cut in
such a way as not to injure the symmetry of the
plant, or to leave bare places where there is no grow-
ing bud coming on to fill up the gap.
Standard plants occasionally need pruning; but,
by a little care in rubbing out buds, the knife will
seldom be needed for Rhododendrons.
16 THE RHODODENDRON.
TRANSPLANTING.
This is an easy process, and with a little care may
always be successfully performed. We have said
that the fine rootlets of the Rhododendron hold a
mass of soil, so that the plants always ‘‘ lift with a
ball.”
The only care is not to break the ball or to allow
the rootlets to become dry. With these precautions
Rhododendrons may be transplanted to any distance,
and left out of the ground for a long time without
danger of loss.
The season for transplanting is any time when the
plant is not in growth. The Rhododendron makes
its annual growth and ripens its wood in a few weeks
in summer.
In most species, the growth is contemporaneous
with, or closely succeeds, the flowering period ; that
is, with hardy kinds, from the middle of May to the
middle of July, according to the species.
In a comparatively short time the growth is made,
and the remainder of the summer the plants are
forming the flowers or leaf-buds, and ripening the
wood for the next year. By the middle of July we
can usually tell how well the plants are to bloom the
following June.
Some varieties often make a second growth; and,
indeed, where the autumn is warm and moist, this
is not an unfrequent occurrence. As this second
growth seldom ripens well, and is usually killed by
the winter, it should be prevented as much as pos-
TRANSPLANTING. a kT
sible. Plants in which this tendency exhibits itself
should be planted in dryer soil, and kept quite dry
during the months of August and September.
The only variety which we have known to ripen
the second growth successfully is ‘* Cunningham’s
Dwarf White ” in its different kinds, the hardiest of
the *‘ponticum”’ varieties, and which not unfrequently
gives a pretty autumn bloom.
The best season for transplanting Rhododendrons
is undoubtedly spring, say from the middle of April
to the middle of May; but some cultivators move
the plants in August, and there is no objection to
autumn or winter transplanting, provided care is
taken that the plants do not suffer by being thrown
out of the ground by the frost.
A few years since, at one of the spring exhibitions
of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, there
being a scarcity of pot-plants, we removed from the
beds a number of large Rhododendrons in full bloom,
some bearing hundreds of flowers, put them in large
boxes, carted them into the exhibition, where they
remained two days, and bringing them back placed
them again in the positions whence they were taken,
without the plants receiving the slightest check or
injury. In England it is customary to bring hun-
dreds of plants from great distances, just as they are
coming into bloom, to form the celebrated exhibitions
of American Plants yearly held in the cities, and to
take them back again, the plants not feeling the
removals.
Every autumn we take up hundreds of plants of
the more tender kinds, some of immense size, set
18 THE RHODODENDRON.
them in boxes, and keep them in cellars until spring,
when they are replanted in the open air. The plants
are not unfavorably affected, and bloom finely year
after year.
Thus it will be seen that the Rhododendron,
usually reputed a plant of difficult management, is
capable of enduring quite as much hard usage in
removal as any plant of our acquaintance ; and this
should serve as an additional incentive to its in-
creased cultivation.
By a little attention to a reserve Rhododendron
bed where a number of duplicates may be grown,
we may yearly insure a display of bloom near the
house, and produce gorgeous effects at will from
masses of flowers.
TREATMENT AFTER FLOWERING.
As soon as the flowers have faded, the seed-cap-
sules should be removed. This is a work of much
labor, especially where the plants are large and tall.
It must be done carefully, that the tender shoots,
which are then just starting into growth at the base
of the flower-truss, may not be broken or injured.
The best way is to grasp the branch with the left
hand close to the upper tuft of foliage, and with the
thumb and finger of the right hand bend the truss
of seed-pods to one side: it will usually break off
clean, without injury to the young shoot.
The young wood coming from the base of a bloom-
truss will not usually, except on very strong plants,
set bloom the first year; but if the seed is removed,
TREATMENT AFTER FLOWERING. 19
it may be depended on for strong bloom the follow-
ing year. Thus we can easily regulate the bloom
on any plant or portion of a plant, by removing
bloom-buds one year to obtain a profusion of bloom
the next.
Large and old plants, however, will always set as
much bloom as they ought to carry; and the difficulty
with Rhododendrons is rather overblooming than
the contrary.
Some cultivators assert that the removal of the
seed-vessels is not necessary. Yet they do not deny
that ripening the seed weakens the plant for flower-
ing; and the best reason given for neglecting it is
that it takes too much time. We have tried both
ways; and the superior beauty, vigor, and health of
the plants from which the seeds were removed, has
taught us always to do it at any expense of time
and trouble.
Another objection to leaving the seed-vessels is
that, when they have opened and scattered the seed,
they become very hard and persistent, and are very
unsightly, disfiguring the plant.
If the weather is very dry after the flowers have
faded, the Rhododendrons should be plentifully
watered. At this season they are in full growth,
and need a great amount of moisture. This, how-
ever, should not be given after the young growth
begins to harden ; for then the object is to fully ripen
the wood and mature the flower and foliage buds for
winter. If the bed has been properly prepared, there
will seldom be any need of watering; and mulching
is always the best way of retaining moisture.
20 THE RHODODENDRON.
No weeds should be allowed to grow over the sur-
face of the bed ; but no spading or hoeing should ever
be permitted. The annual spading of shrubberies is a
relic of barbarism, which should long ago have been
discontinued in a civilized age.
DISEASES.
The Rhododendron has no diseases, at least this
is in our experience; and of itself this fact should
lead to its general cultivation.
INSECT ENEMIES.
These are very few, and seldom do any great
injury.
We have occasionally noticed a branch in a dying
condition, and upon investigation have found the
pith eaten out by some species of borer; but have
never been able to capture the insect in any state.
A species of saw fly sometimes cuts holes in the
young foliage, but never to any great extent.
A year ago, noticing a young Rhododendron in
bad health, and finding no apparent cause in the plant,
we were led to examine the roots, upon which we
found myriads of the white root aphis. This, how-
ever, is an exceptional case.
Our experience gives us the above facts, from
which we deduce that insect enemies, as they exist
at present, need deter none from cultivating Rhodo-
dendrons.
WINTER PROTECTION. 21
WINTER PROTECTION.
Rhododendrons vary much in hardiness. The
greater part of the varieties found in English and
continental catalogues are tender in the latitude of
Boston.
Yet there are some magnificent varieties that
are as hardy as a white pine, and which will endure
uninjured our severest winters. But even these
should be protected when first planted.
The first Rhododendron bed we ever made is on
the north-western slope of a steep hill, exposed to
the full force of the winter storms. It was planted
ten years ago, with seven varieties of Catawbiense
hybrids. For two years it was well protected in
winter; but ever since it has stood without the
slightest protection, entirely uninjured, although the
mercury has at times fallen to fifteen degrees below
zero. ‘The plants are now ten feet high, immense
masses of glorious foliage; and every June display
thousands of gorgeous flowers.
Some of the more tender varieties endure the win-
ter perfectly well if protected from the wind, and we
may safely state that—of say seventy-five—of the
hardiest of the Catawbiense kinds, the greater part
will endure severe cold below zero, if they can be
sheltered from the direct influence of the wind.
Kven the hardiest kinds are sometimes injured in
their foliage by the wind; and for this reason only
we protect standards during the winter, as we shall
fully describe in another chapter.
99, THE RHODODENDRON.
Evergreen boughs are the best winter protection
for Rhododendrons. We use the common red cedar,
it being of very dense growth, and plentiful in the
neighborhood ; but any evergreen will answer a good
purpose.
The boughs of small trees are cut somewhat longer
than the plants to be protected, and are stuck into
the ground around the plant, in a slightly slanting
position. When the ground freezes they become
firmly fixed in position, and any weight of snow
causes them to bend over and protect the plant.
Thus it will be seen that this mode of protection is
also useful in preventing the branches of young plants
from being broken by the weight of the snow.
Another and an important object in protection is
to keep the plants from the winter’s sun.
Many reputed tender varieties are perfectly hardy
if they can be kept in a frozen state all winter.
We can readily see that in our changeable climate,
where the thermometer, at zero at sunrise, may by
noon be fifty above zero in the sun, the evergreen
leaves of plants are alternately frozen and thawed;
and no doubt can be entertained that it is injurious
to the foliage of the plants.
For this reason, Rhododendrons thrive better on
a northern than on a southern exposure; and varie-
ties, which on a bleak northern hill we never protect,
on a lawn sloping to the south are carefully covered
each winter.
While one great object of protection is to shelter
the plant from wind and sun, any covering which
deprives the plant of a free circulation of light and
air is injurious.
\
IMPORTING AND PROCURING PLANTS. 23
Trussing up with straw, to us any thing but an
attractive mode of winter protection, or covering
with close boxes, are to be avoided.
Any protection, however, which will break the
force of the wind, and partially shield from the rays
of the sun, may be advantageously employed.
The time for covering Rhododendrons is just
before the ground freezes up in the autumn, and the
protection should be removed as soon as the frost
leaves the ground in the spring. We generally
cover the beds the last week in November, and
remove the covering the first week in April.
In considering this question of winter protection,
it must be borne in mind that our experience has
been in the latitude of Boston, and near the sea
coast.
Further south and in the interior, winter protec-
tion may be entirely dispensed with: in this matter
experience is the best teacher.
very year we are giving less protection as plants
become acclimated and established; and ultimately
may be able to dispense with it altogether for most
varieties.
IMPORTING AND PROCURING PLANTS.
Although the Rhododendron is so well adapted for
general planting, a large collection would be difficult
to obtain in this country. The largest sale stock, to
our knowledge, is that of Messrs. Parsons & Co., of
Flushing, Long Island, who are now devoting a large
portion of their extensive grounds to the raising of
Rhododendrons.
24 THE RHODODENDRON.
In this collection are many fine specimen plants;
and a good stock of young plants of such varieties as
their experience has proved hardy and desirable, and
of which we speak more fully in another chapter, are
already for sale at reasonable prices. The plants in
this nursery are grown in a deep, moist, rich loam,
and such as have been supplied us have invariably
done well. Messrs. Hovey & Co., near Boston, have
many old and fine plants: their collection is grown
in a natural meadow. They have also a fine stock
of seedling Rhododendron maximum, the best species
for massing on woody places and on rocky hills.
There may be other sale collections, but we have
failed to find them. Every nurseryman’s catalogue
contains Rhododendrons, but probably not one in
ten could supply half a dozen good plants. We have
repeatedly ordered them, misled by an advertise-
ment; and the result has been no plants, or, what
was worse, a few ill-shaped, sickly specimens, only
fit for the brush-heap.
The greater part of our plants have been imported
from England, and yearly we thus add to our stock.
Probably the most extensive, as well as the oldest
collection of American Plants, in England, is the
Knap Hill Nursery, near Woking, Surrey, now of
Mr. Anthony Waterer.
Thousands upon thousands of plants, in hundreds
of varieties, are there annually grown for sale; and the
nursery and grounds contain some of the largest and
finest specimens in England. About the first of
January we send an order to Mr. Waterer; and the
plants leave England by steamer from the first to
STANDARD RHODODENDRONS. 95
the middle of April, arriving in about a fortnight
after shipping. ‘They invariably come in good order,
and we have never lost a plant from poor packing ;
nor have we ever had any occasion to complain of
the quality of the plants. The cost of importing
plants can easily be computed by reckoning an Ene-
lish shilling, cost price, at fifty cents currency. This
is an outside figure, and includes gold, freight, ex-
change, and the outrageous imposition of a duty of
thirty per cent in gold. By thus estimating, we can
always be within our calculations.
American plants are extensively grown in most
English nurseries, and catalogues before us contain
large lists of varieties, and from any nursery plants
could be imported. We, however, give the prefer-
ence to Mr. Waterer, as his long experience enables
him to send only such plants as are suited to our
climate. Those who are in doubt what kinds to
select can safely leave the choice to Mr. Waterer,
and will be sure of receiving only the best plants.
STANDARD RHODODENDRONS.
These are amongst the most splendid ornaments
of the garden, as those who have seen them in Eng-
land will admit.
Some of our plants when in bloom are wonder-
fully beautiful, and are always attractive from the
heads of rich glossy foliage.
Probably the largest standard in the country is on
our lawn: the trunk is one foot one inch in circum-
ference at the ground; it begins to branch four feet
2
26 THE RHODODENDRON.
from the ground, where it is eleven inches around ;
it is eight feet four inches high, and the head is
twenty feet four inches in circumference; and the
whole plant requires in winter, to cover it, a shed
six feet square by nine feet high.
It is of the variety rosewm elegans, which is par-
ticularly adapted for standards; and in June is so
covered with flowers as almost to conceal the foliage.
This plant was imported five years ago, and has
since stood uninjured two of the hardest winters
upon vegetation which we have known. We have
many other fine standards, both of hardy and tender
varieties: the former, with a slight protection from
wind and sun, are entirely uninjured by the winter ;
the latter are removed to the Rhododendron cellars,
of which we give a description in a future chapter,
upon the approach of severe weather.
Our advice would be to all to plant a few standard
Rhododendrons. They are expensive; but one will
make more show than a dozen smaller plants, and
will not cost much more. In the centre of a bed, a
tall standard rising above the more dwarf plants is
especially effective.
The only care necessary is to be sure the plants
are worked on Catawbiense stock: those grown on
ponticum stock would be killed or injured by the
first winter.
In planting them, the position should not be too
sunny, as the hot suns of summer may injure the
tall trunks. We have sometimes, when the weather
was very hot and dry, pressed a large flower-pot into
the ground close to the stems of the standards, and
DWARF RHODODENDRONS. vat
by filling it with water every morning a constant
moisture was kept up from the slow percolation of
the water through the hole in the bottom. These
pots, however, are not ornamental, and are seldom
necessary. Standards occasionally need pruning to
keep the heads in shape; but a little attention to
disbudding, as we have described, will render this
unnecessary.
DWARF RHODODENDRONS.
These are among the most charming of the family,
and no collection is complete without them. The
ereater part are perfectly hardy; and though in
flower they are not so showy, yet in delicate beauty
they far surpass the taller-growing varieties.
Tn this class we find the charming species A. dau-
ricum, rather a loose grower, and needing severe
pruning to make it symmetrical ; but always beauti-
ful in earliest spring, blooming with the crocus and
outlasting the hyacinth.
Next is R. Wilsonianum, with beautiful glossy
foliage, usually considered tender, but perfectly hardy
with us; and then we have #. odoratum, the flowers
of which, as the name implies, are delightfully fra-
grant.
R. hirsutum, and its variegated variety, are neat
little plants, useful for the edges of beds, but are not
particularly showy either in foliage or flower.
The charming Alpine R. lapponicum is most diff-
cult of cultivation, but is beautiful enough to repay
any care.
98 THE RHODODENDRON.
R. Torlonianum and Govenianum, both hybrids,
are very pretty, but have with us proved rather
tender.
R. punctatum can hardly be considered a dwarf.
It is a pretty plant, but rather insignificant in
flower.
Rh. ferrugineum is also rather tall-growing, and is
showy in flower. This is the true “ Alpen Rose.”
We shall have more to say of all these in a future
chapter, and only mention them in this connection
to call special attention to their beauty.
INDOOR CULTURE. 29
CHAPTER II.
INDOOR CULTURE.
HERE are many of the finest species and varie-
ties of Rhododendrons which are too tender
to survive the winters of our climate. Many kinds,
which in England are hardy, are tender with us, and
can only be grown with indoor culture. In this
class are all the fine varieties of Rhododendron pon-
ticum, and many of those which have a mixture of
Catawbiense blood; most of the best spotted and
scarlet varieties, and many of those with the best-
defined markings; all the glorious species of the
Himalaya Mountains, the so-called “ Sikkim Rho-
dodendrons;” and all the various forms of the
tree Rhododendron, R. arboreum, of Nepal; the yel-
low and buffflowered Javanese species; and the
delicate and beautiful kinds of which Rhododendron
jJasminiflorum is a representative.
Thus, we see that the indoor culture of this plant
affords a far greater range than we can find in the
garden. ‘This culture has as yet, however, received
but little attention: we find a few plants grown in
greenhouses, but usually they are neglected and in
bad condition. To grow Rhododendrons well, they
should have a house to themselves; and with such
culture the result would be the production of glorious
30 THE RHODODENDRON.
masses of flowers during the early spring months.
We know of no house of this kind, but one could
be readily constructed at small expense.
It should be low, span-roofed ; the sashes arranged
to take off in summer, and shutters provided for
covering the roof in early winter. The heating ap-
paratus need not be very powerful, for the most that
would be required would be to keep out the frost.
The plants should be planted out in beds of prepared
soil, and, by taking off the sashes, allowed to perfect
their growth and mature their buds in the open air.
When freezing weather approaches, the sashes should
be replaced; and during the short days the house
should be kept only a little above the freezing point.
As the days lengthen, and the sun gains more power,
more heat may be given, which will soon start the
flower-buds.
According to the heat given, the plants will
bloom from March to May, or by a selection of
kinds a continuous bloom may be obtained. Such
treatment would suit all the ponticum and the more
tender Catawbiense hybrids: many of the Sikkim
varieties would thrive and bloom, and some of the
more tender species of other American plants might
be added for variety. The tropical kinds, of course,
require stove heat; but they are hardly numerous
enough to warrant the erection of a special house.
Indoor culture is, in almost every respect, iden-
tical with garden culture, only it requires more care
in watering, and air should be freely given on all
occasions.
Such a house of plants in bloom would be a mag-
FORCING. a |
nificent sight, and at other seasons it would require
very little care.
FORCING.
Rhododendrons are very easily forced into bloom,
and add greatly to the attractions of the green-
house.
Any varieties may be forced, although a selection
of the earlier blooming kinds would give those best
adapted for the purpose. The plants for forcing
should be selected in November from those best set
with flower-buds: they should be carefully potted
and removed to a cool, light cellar, where they should
be kept until the first of January, receiving only
sufficient water to keep the soil from drying up.
About the first of the year they should be gradu-
ally introduced into heat, and given a position near
the glass. Water should be freely administered, but
never allowed to stand around the roots. In a few
weeks the buds will begin to swell, and the plants
will rapidly come into bloom.
After flowering, the growth of the young shoots
should be encouraged, keeping the plants as near the
glass as possible to prevent them from becoming
drawn. After all danger of frost has passed, the
plants may be replanted in the bed from whence
they were taken.
The same plants cannot be forced for two succes-
Sive years, as they usually fail to set many flower-
buds the second year; but a hundred plants will
always supply plenty for annual forcing.
32 THE RHODODENDRON.
AS PARLOR PLANTS.
Many will be surprised at our recommending the
Rhododendron as a parlor plant; yet we know of
none more showy or of easier culture. We have
grown very fine specimens in a southerly window,
and had magnificent trusses of bloom during March
and Avril.
The process is very simple; being only to take up
the plants in autumn, pot them, and keep them in a
light, cool cellar, as above directed, and after the
turn of the year place them in the parlor-window.
The heat of furnaces or exhalations from gas-burn-
ers, which prove so fatal to most parlor plants, do
not seem to affect them, and they soon develop fine
trusses of bloom.
By a selection of varieties, fine contrasts of color
may be obtained; and, by taking some of the late
flowering kinds, a succession of flower may be main-
tained until the Rhododendrons bloom in the open air.
Parlor forcing is bad for the plants, as they sel-
dom make good wood, the growth being generally
weak and long; but in a few years the plants re-
cover, and are again ready for forcing.
We have found “ Cunningham’s Dwarf White,” in
its varieties, one of the best of the ponticum hybrids,
admirably adapted for parlor culture. We have also
successfully forced some of the most showy of the
Catawbiense hybrids, such as Nero, Lord John Rus-
sell, and Brayanum, with perfect success; and can
recommend parlor forcing to all lovers of Rhodo-
dendrons.
——"
PROPAGATION. 33
CHAPTER III.
PROPAGATION.
bere propagation of Rhododendrons is by no
means difficult, although as yet it has been
little attempted in this country. Old and approved
varieties are increased by layers, cuttings, grafting,
or inarching; and new varieties are obtained from
seed.
These various processes differ in no degree in the
case of this plant from the ordinary methods; but
we will describe them briefly.
%
LAYERS.
By this means the best plants are raised, and it is
the usual mode in England for propagating in large
quantities approved varieties.
In its native swamps the Rhododendron roots
readily wherever the branches bend to the ground,
and become covered with soil or a débris of moist
leaves.
In our own garden we have often obtained fine
plants from branches which had by chance beem
covered by the earth of the bed or by the tan mulch,
roots being very freely produced where the natural
sufficiency of moisture is afforded.
We have only to bend the branch to the ground, to
ox ?
34 THE RHODODENDRON.
cover any portion of the old wood with the moist
earth, and to secure the branch in position: roots will
soon be protruded, and the second year the branch
may be severed from the parent stock, to become an
independent plant. The production of roots may be
greatly facilitated by making an upward cut one
half through the branch where it is to be buried
deepest in the earth, in the ordinary manner of
layering: the flow of sap is in a measure thus
arrested.
These layers, if made in spring, will in two years
be very strong, and ready to remove; in some cases
a single season may be sufficient for them, but
ordinarily two years are required. The only atten-
tion necessary is to keep the branches in place by
strong pegs, and the soil moist.
By layering the branches, tall, ungainly plants
may be made in time fine specimens. The long,
straggling branches should be bent down and firmly
pegged at even distances all around the plant: they
will root, and the bending of the branches between
the old plant and the layers will facilitate the pro-
duction of buds; or, in gardener’s parlance, the old
wood will break, and the bare places be filled with
new shoots, and the plant will become of a bushy,
symmetrical shape.
CUTTINGS
Should be made of the half-ripened wood of the
growing shoots. They should be inserted in silver
sand, or peat and sand, and covered with a bell-glass.
INARCHING. oD
No special attention is required, except to shade
them from the direct sun, and to occasionally wipe
the moisture from the glass: the sand, of course,
should be kept moist. The cuttings root readily,
and may then be transplanted to single pots, and the
next season placed in the open ground.
Propagation by cuttings is seldom resorted to, ex-
cept in the case of new varieties, and with the fine,
tender species of the greenhouse and stove.
INARCHING.
This process is the same ordinarily employed for
the propagation of camellias, and like hard-wooded
shrubs.
Some vigorous stock of a common variety is
selected. The branch should then be brought close
to the stock, and the parts which fit best be care-
fully marked; next, at the places of contact, pare
away the bark and wood for an inch or more in
length on both stock and branch; then, letting the
bark join exactly, tie the stock and branch tight
together, and cover with clay or grafting wax.
When the stock and graft are of the same size, a
slit is made upward in the branch, and a correspond-
ing slit downward in the stock; the parts are then
tongued together, the whole joined exactly, tied, and
covered with wax or clay as above.
If the operation is performed out of doors, both
stock and graft should be carefully staked ; but in
the house this is not necessary.
A few months will generally be sufficient to unite
36 THE RHODODENDRON.
the parts, and the grafts may then be separated from
the parent plant.
They should be cut off close to the graft, and the
head of the stock also removed. Inarching is some-
times called approach grafting, and is a very sure
mode of propagation.
The best time for this operation is from January
to April, or in summer: when performed in the
house, the stocks should be well established in
pots.
SEED.
By this mode innumerable varieties are raised,
and thus all of the fine hybrids now in cultivation
have been produced.
The seeds, which like those of most of the Eri-
cacee, are small and fine, should be sown soon
after ripening. They retain their vitality about a
year; but the sooner they are sown the more certain
is their germination.
The soil should be very fine peat and silver sand,
in shallow boxes or pans: it should be made very
fine and moist, the seed be thinly sprinkled on the
surface, and just enough soil to cover it be sifted
over the pan. The soil should be kept at a uniform
rate of moisture, and be shaded from the direct rays
of the sun and from frost. A close, cool frame is the
best place. The time of germinating varies much
with the season of planting, from a few weeks to six
months. The seedlings are at first very small, and
should be allowed to remain in the seed-pans until
HYBRIDIZATION. 37
they attain some size. They should then be “ pricked
off”? in pans or boxes, and grown in frames, with
plenty of air in good weather, until large enough to
be planted out.
In its native haunts the Rhododendron seeds very
freely, and young plants are readily obtained.
In a recent journey through the Alleghany Moun-
tains, we saw acres of Rhododendrons of the species
Catawhbiense and maximum. On one mountain side,
where a stream ran along the road, myriads of plants
had sprung up. They were of all sizes, from the
tiniest plant to large trees; and we pulled up hun-
dreds of nice well-rooted plants, which reached home
in good condition.
In many places we found seedling Rhododendrons,
Kalmias, and Epigza rooting in the same cleft of
the rock, and often so firmly it was impossible to
dislodge them without destroying the plants.
HYBRIDIZATION
Has been but little attempted in this country.
Some few good seedlings have been produced, but
usually from chance seed.
The process is very simple, being only to fertilize
a fine flower with the pollen of another, having pre-
viously removed the anthers of the female parent.
It is a good rule to make the hardier plant the
female.
After fertilization, protect the fertilized flower by
a gauze covering until it fades, and carefully gather
the ripened seed.
38 THE RHODODENDRON.
Some of the seedlings recently produced in Eng-
land are of wonderful beauty, combining depth and
breadth of flower, brilliancy of color, and immense
size of truss, with great vigor of constitution and
beauty of foliage.
Of some of these we shall have occasion to give
descriptions in future pages.
It is, however, very doubtful if any of them will
prove thoroughly hardy, although in England they
are the most splendid ornaments of the shrubbery.
Our aim should be to raise American seedlings
suited to our climate.
Messrs. Parsons & Co. have a few, of which we
think well so far as we have tried them. We also
have exhibited for the last three years, at the weekly
shows of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, a
well-marked seedling, which has proved very hardy.
The color is very good, and the plant vigorous.
These good qualities, with its hardiness, will prob-
ably render it valuable.
The field is wide and open to all; and what better
can our nurserymen and amateurs compete in than
raising hardy seedling Rhododendrons ¢
COMPARATIVE HARDINESS. 39
CHAPTER IV.
COMPARATIVE HARDINESS.
HE hardiness of Rhododendrons is a very diffi-
cult subject to treat.
Kivery cultivator will express a different opinion ;
and while on some few varieties all will agree, upon
the greater number no two will form the same opin-
ion. ‘The reason is simply that we are upon the
northern limit of hardiness for most kinds, and
the difference of a few degrees in the range of the
mercury is life or death to the plant.
Yet, strange as it may seem, some varieties, which
we find marked as tender in English catalogues, prove
hardy in the latitude of Boston.
An instance of this is the fine variety, ‘ President
Van den Hecke,” the flowers of which are blush
white, thickly spotted with chocolate, which has
with us stood the last three winters uninjured, both
in leaf and bud.
The hardest winters for Rhododendrons are those
when there is but little snow, when the mercury falls
below zero. The greater number of Catawbiense
varieties will stand uninjured where the thermometer
occasionally falls to zero; but a long continuance
of zero weather is fatal to very many kinds. Snow
is a great protection: we repeatedly find plants
40 THE RHODODENDRON.
killed or badly injured above the snow-line, but
bright and in good condition below.
Heavy falls of snow, however, sometimes do great
damage by breaking the plants: we have had fine
plants ruined by a thaw succeeding a heavy snow-
storm, the snow settling and breaking all the
branches, leaving only a tall stem with a few
branches at the top. The covering of cedar-boughs
is often a great protection against breaking by
snow.
Of the hardiness of species we can speak with
ereater certainty.
All the Rhododendrons from Eastern and Central
Asia, and the numerous “ Sikkim” species, are ten-
der. Some of the Himalaya kinds are precariously
hardy in the south of England, and therefore might
succeed south of Pennsylvania; but we do not sup-
pose the experiment has been tried. A cold snap,
such as that which has recently (December, 1870)
visited the Southern States, would destroy them.
Rhododendron ponticum, and most of its varieties,
are tender in New England: in the Middle States
they would probably succeed. ‘* Cunningham’s
Dwarf White,” of which there are several varieties,
(although a variety of R. ponticum), is hardy with
us, some fifty plants having stood the last three
winters uninjured, both in foliage and flower-bud.
This variety is said to be the only Rhododendron
which will endure the winters of northern Europe.
Rhododendron hirsutum, punctatum, and ferru-
gineum, are hardy. RR. californicum is not hardy
in New England.
ot
COMPARATIVE HARDINESS. 41
Rk. dauricum, and its variety, atrovirens, will
stand in any exposure. &. caucasicum and chry-
santhemum should prove hardy, but they are seldom
found in cultivation.
RK. lapponicum is a native of high mountain ranges
and northern latitudess but is an “ Alpine ” of diffi-
cult cultivation. In its native habitat it is probably
protected by snow during the winter.
R. maximum is perfectly hardy ; and any hybrids
raised from it would probably partake of this char-
acteristic.
Rh. Catawbierse is hardy as far north as Boston,
though in severe winters the foliage has sometimes
been a little browned.
The hybrids of Catawbiense vary greatly in hardi-
ness. Though thus popularly called, they are of
mixed blood, and are hardy just so far as they
resemble the hardy parent. As a general rule, the
bright colors and the deeply spotted varieties will be
found tender; but we have great hopes that some of
the newer seedlings, which in color are superior to
any of the old kinds, may prove hardy with us.
In the description of varieties in Part I1., we pro-
pose to give our experience of the hardiness of the
several kinds. We must say, however, that the
experience of one locality is not necessarily that of
another, differing but little in climate. Each one
must experiment for himself with doubtful kinds,
and thus only can he ascertain the true rule for his
guidance.
There are many Rhododendrons that in branch
and bud are hardy, but of which the foliage is dis-
42 THE RHODODENDRON.
figured every winter. The result is, the plants look
badly the greater part of the year, and the flowers
are small and poor. These varieties should be dis-
carded. A great beauty of the Rhododendron is the
foliage; and as a variety which keeps its foliage
unhurt occupies no more room, and requires less care
than one which is thus partially tender, the hardy
varieties should be preferred. Greater attention is
now being paid in the production of seedlings to size
and color of foliage, and some of the new kinds are
of surpassing excellence in this respect.
HOUSES FOR WINTER PROTECTION.
Standard Rhododendrons, even of the hardiest
kinds, are liable to have the foliage very much dis-
figured by the cutting winds of winter. It is difficult
to protect or screen very large plants with cedar-
boughs ; therefore we must protect them otherwise.
We have found rough houses, made of light boards,
to answer this purpose perfectly.
Those we use vary greatly with the size of the
plant: some are so small one man can place them ;
others so large it takes half a dozen men to put them
in position.
They are not ornamental, but could easily be
made so, though this would increase their weight.
The matter of appearance is of little importance, as
they are in use only from the middle of December
to the first of April. In their construction we must
bear in mind that they are not to protect against
cold, but only against direct wind; so we must not
GROUPING. 43
make them tight. Those we use are made with a
sloping roof, the joints battened to keep rain from
leaking on to the plant; the sides of light boards,
nailed about an eighth of an inch apart, to allow a
free circulation of air. The northerly side is in one
piece, and is secured by screws: in the middle of
this side is a square window, a foot or more wide,
which is covered with a piece of white cotton-cloth.
The house is moved on from the southerly side, then
the northerly side is screwed on, and the plant is
housed for the winter. With this protection, the
standards come out in the spring with fresh foliage
and in splendid condition.
When not in use, the houses are stored in some
remote shed.
GROUPING
Is of great importance for effective display. The
different species and varieties differ greatly in habit
and foliage. Some are only suitable for the front of
the bed; others look well only in the background.
Color of flower also enters as an element in planting
for effective display.
While experience in this must be, in a measure,
the teacher, some hints may be given which may
prove advantageous.
Thus, of two fine white-flowered varieties, both
excellent and equally hardy, album elegans is a tall-
grower, and only suited for the middle or rear of a
bed ; and coriacewm is very dwarf, and in any posi-
tion but the front would be lost.
44 THE RHODODENDRON.
In Part II. we shall give the habit of the variety
where it is peculiar, in order to aid the planter.
Rhododendrons are particularly adapted for speci-
mens, and never look better than when so planted.
Large masses are, however, very effective in foliage,
and of wonderful magnificence when in flower. In
their native habitats the plants grow in huge masses,
and any one who has seen a Southern “ Laurel
swamp” in bloom will never forget its beauty.
Some of the hills of the Alleghany Mountains pre-
sent masses of Rhododendrons, than which one can-
not find a finer sight in the floral kingdom. We
can, in cultivation, excel nature in variety, if not in
quantity. We have masses of Rhododendrons which,
when in bloom, are sheets of color, — white, pink,
scarlet, and purple; and no more beautiful sight can
be imagined.
In planting masses, regard need not be had to
keeping the plants separate. Give each room to
develop, and then let the branches mingle: the
effect is far more natural and beautiful. Varieties
should also be arranged as to color to present the
best contrasts when in bloom: this is easily done by
selecting named kinds. Those which bloom at the
same season should be planted together: there is a
difference of many weeks in the flowering of species
and varieties.
Thus, Rhododendron dauricum blooms with the ero-
cuses ; but A. hirsutum not until the middle of June.
fh. grandifiorum is with us a week earlier than any
of the Catawbiense hybrids; while R. Hannibal is
the latest of all, seldom blooming until all the others
GROUPING. 45
have faded. R. maximum does not bloom until after
the first of July.
Those kinds which bloom very early or very late
should be planted as specimens, or in masses by
themselves; thus a continuous and effective bloom
may be obtained.
In the new seedlings, many are late bloomers ;
and this is a great gain, as thus the Rhododendron
season is prolonged.
In grouping, some attention should be paid to
foliage: the flower lasts only a few weeks, the foliage
the whole year; therefore those varieties with great-
est breadth of foliage, of a bright or very dark green,
should be chosen for the front of the bed.
. Wis ip 3h OM
ie 4
: 4
‘ata Poe ‘
PAE Lr
DESCRIPTION OF THE RHODODENDRON.
inopaael oa
a es?
Pale >
DESCRIPTION OF THE RHODODENDRON.
RHODODENDRON PONTICUM.
HIS species has been longest in cultivation, and
there are in England many very large plants.
It does not grow very tall, the largest of which we
have any record being about fifteen feet high ; but it
spreads its branches over a large space, and is not
unfrequently found thirty feet in diameter. Many
of the large plantations in England are of this species,
and it is extensively planted for game covers, as the
buds are not eaten by rabbits. Seedlings are very
easily raised, and are furnished by nurserymen for
about twenty shillings per hundred for flowering
plants a foot high. It grows freely in any good
loam, and flowers abundantly.
The flowers are purplish, and, though in the mass
very showy, are wanting in substance. The foliage,
though good, is by no means so handsome as in
many other species.
This species is a native of Armenia, the Levant,
Georgia, the Caucasus, and various parts of Asia
extending to the Himalaya Mountains.
8
50 THE RHODODENDRON.
It is not hardy in New England, and probably
would not succeed well north of Philadelphia ;
although it would doubtless survive with a slight
protection, or even unprotected in ordinary winters,
south of New York. Where it is hardy, its cheap-
ness, and the facility with which it adapts itself to
different soils, render it a most desirable plant for
massing on hill-sides and in open woods. Figured
in Bot. Mag. 18, t. 650.
There are many hybrid varieties and named seed-
lings, some hardier than the species and very well
worth growing. Of these we may especially men-
tion : —
R. P. FOL. ARGENTEIS, FOL. AUREIS, FOL. MARGINATIS,
The kinds with silver and gold striped foliage
which are desirable, as the markings are distinct
and permanent. The plants grow freely, and are
ornamental. The flowers are poor. Our plants
are wintered in a cold cellar, and planted out in
summer.
VARIETY CUNNINGHAM’S DWARF WHITE.
This is the hardiest of the pontic varieties, and
has with us stood the winter perfectly well for the
last four years.
The foliage is more glossy, and brighter, than in
the species ; and the flowers vary from pink to pure
white.
It is a rapid grower, though of dwarf habit; and
flowers very freely. For forcing there is nothing
DESCRIPTION OF THE RHODODENDRON. 51
better, as even in a parlor window it will bloom in a
few weeks after being brought from the cellar.
Plants may be imported for about fifty cents each.
We heartily recommend this variety for general
planting.
Variety ALBUM. This is merely a white-flowered
variety of the species, and is only desirable for
planting with it for contrast.
Variety SALICIFOLIUM and CHEIRANTHIFOLIUM, the
willow and wall-flower leaved, are very pretty for
contrast, the foliage being narrow and somewhat
curled. The flowers are small; pale purple. Our
plants do well wintered in the cellar.
Variety AZALEOIDES is a hybrid with some species
of azalea. ‘The leaves are small, and the flower not
especially showy; the plant is dwarf, and suitable
for the borders of beds. With us it has stood eight
winters, flowering freely; but the leaves are liable
to be browned by the winter’s sun without protection.
A sub-variety, crispiflorum, figured in Illus. Hort.
5, t. 181, has very showy flowers; rich pink, with
wavy petals.
Variety PICTUM is very distinct, and worthy a
place in the choicest collection; color white, with
very dark spots on upper petals; requires cellar
protection in winter.
Found in catalogues as Lowit.
Variety MULTIMACULATUM is a very neat variety ;
flowers white, spotted with red; tender.
Sp THE RHODODENDRON.
Variety NIvaTIcUM is a very fine flower; white,
spotted with pale yellow; tender.
Variety BLANDUM, a good pale blush kind ; tender.
Variety RosEUM has rosy flowers, not especially
desirable with so many better flowers of the color ;
tender.
Variety AUCUBEFOLIUM is a very distinct kind, with
spotted leaves. The flowers are light lilac, and very
pretty. It has stood the winter with us for three
years uninjured.
Variety TORTULOSUM has light green and curiously
contorted foliage. It is only desirable as a curi-
osity.
Variety FLORE PLENO is desirable if any one wishes
a double-flowered Rhododendron. The color is pale
purple, the flower of good form; but it is wanting
in the simplicity and beauty of the single varieties.
It seems tolerably hardy, having stood the last
four winters with us in a northern exposure, the
flower-buds surviving, and the foliage only being
slightly browned one year.
Variety HYACINTHIFLORUM is another double-flow-
ered kind, and open to the same objection as the
last-mentioned. The flowers are very double; and
the plant is a good grower, and blooms freely.
It has proved hardy with us.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RHODODENDRON. 53
Variety VERVANEANUM is also double-flowered.
We cannot speak as to its hardiness.
Variety Gurratum is delicate and pretty. The
flowers are white, distinctly spotted. Well worth
erowing, but tender.
There are other varieties, varying in color from
deep purple to pure white, some very pretty and
desirable, and all worth planting for experiment.
It is impossible to tell whether these will prove
hardy, and the only course is for each cultivator to
try them for himself. As the plants are very cheap,
the experiment cannot prove expensive.
We have given descriptions of those which we
have grown at Glen Ridge, and probably any which
we have found hardy will prove so anywhere south
of the latitude of Boston. We do not, however,
advise the amateur who only plants a few Rhododen-
drons to choose any of the pontic varieties. They
are less showy than others, and may be cut off at
any time by a winter of unusual severity.
RHODODENDRON MAXIMUM.
This is the Rose Bay, or Great Laurel, of the New
England States ; and is found plentifully from south-
ern New England southward. The farthest north-
ern limit is a swamp near Sebago Lake, near
Portland, Me.; it next occurs in a large swamp on
the banks of Charles River, in Medfield, Mass., and
next in a swamp in Randolph, south of the Blue
Hill.
54 THE RHODODENDRON.
In Medfield it was till recently very abundant,
and flowered so freely that we have seen wagon
loads of flowers gathered; but the tall trees which
sheltered it have been cut down, and the plants in
many places chopped off even with the ground. So
a few years hence, it may be extinct in that locality.
The plant is a tall grower, of loose habit ; foliage
large, dark green above, rusty or whitish beneath.
The flowers are small, white or pinkish, with yel-
lowish-green spots on the upper petals.
This species is the latest blooming Rhododendron
we have, never blooming until after the first of
July, in New England.
It is common in cultivation, the plants having
been brought from the swamps ; and plants are often
seen for sale at the large markets, in the spring. It
is, however, the least desirable of all the Rhododen-
drons, its only merit being its late flowering. For
large masses on the banks of ponds or on shady
hill-sides, it is to be recommended, as it is perfectly
hardy. It will not bear drought, however, as well
as other species, and does not do well in full sun-
shine. The only losses of Rhododendrons from the
excessive drought of the past summer (1870), at
Glen Ridge, have been large plants of Rhododendron
maximum. Figured in Bot. Mag. 24, t. 951; in
Michaux, vol. 3, pl. 4; and in Big. Med. pl. ol.
In English magazines we find mentioned as varie-
ties maximum album, purpureum, and Wellsianum.
The first is probably little different from the species,
and is the R. Purshii of Loudon. The second is
DESCRIPTION OF THE RHODODENDRON. SY)
the R. purpureum of Pursh, which never existed as
a species, is not now recognized, and is probably
some hybrid of R. Catawbiense. Of the last we have
Leen able to obtain no information. It is said by a
writer in the “ Cottage Gardener’ to have “ pink
flowers, fine foliage, and to be of good habit; ” if so,
it must be indeed desirable.
RHODODENDRON DAURICUM.
This charming species we place among the most
desirable of Rhododendrons, not so much for the
beauty of the individual flowers as for its hardiness,
its early blooming, and the abundance of blossoms.
It is a native of Siberia and Hastern Asia. The
fohage is deciduous; the flowers are rosy-purple, and
appear in very early spring before the leaves. A
mass of this plant is a charming object in early
spring; and no collection, however small, should be
without it.
Figured in And. Rep. 1,4; Lodd. Cab. 605 and
1446. Bot. Mag. 17, t. 636.
Variety ATROVIRENS is also a native of Siberia, and
differs only from the species in having dark ever-
ereen leaves, which render it more desirable, as when
in bloom it is more effective.
Figured in Bot. Mag. 44, t. 1888 ; and in Lodd.
Cab. t. 1584, under the name of sempervirens.
These plants naturally grow tall and spindling,
and are much benefited by careful pruning.
They may be imported for about fifty cents a
plant.
56 THE RHODODENDRON.
RHODOPENDRON CALIFORNICUM.
This species is a native of California, and is well
worthy of cultivation wherever it proves hardy.
The chances are, it will not stand the winters in
New England. In England it is hardy, a writer
in the ‘ Cottage Gardener” calling it the ‘“ hardiest
Rhododendron” he has ‘‘ met with, standing wind
well.”
The flowers are rosy, very showy; and the habit
of the plant is good. Figured in Bot. Mag. 81,
t. 4863.
RHODODENDRON ARBOREUM.
A noble species, native of Nepal, attaining larger
size than any of the family, the trunks being found
twenty feet high and twenty-four inches in diameter.
The foliage is large, dark green above, silvery be-
neath ; the flowers bright scarlet, in dense heads.
This species varies much in the color of the
flowers: in the wild state they are found of every
shade, from deep scarlet to pure white ; and in culti-
vation numerous varieties have been raised, differing
ereatly in color, markings, and size of flowers, and
in fohage.
Some of these are among the most valuable Rho-
dodendrons for greenhouse culture and for forcing.
With us all are tender, and require greenhouse
protection. As they bloom very early in the spring,
they are not suitable for outdoor culture, even if
protected by removal to the cellar in winter. For
DESCRIPTICN OF THE RHODODENDRON. 5
a tender Rhododendron house they are perfectly
adapted, and furnish a variety of brilliant colors
not to be found in other species.
The species is figured in Bot. Reg. 11, t. 890;
Hook, Hx. Flot. 163; Pax»Mas. Typ; 101, and. 2,
p. 98; Sweet’s, Fl. G. 250.
The following are native varieties : —
Variety ALBUM has white flowers, with delicate
purple spots. Figured in Bot. Mag. 61, t. 3290;
and Bot. Reg. 20, t. 1684.
Variety ROSEUM has bright rosy flowers. In its
native country this variety is higher up the moun-
tains than the scarlet species, and is hardier. Figured
in Bot. Reg. 15, t. 1240; and in Sweet’s FI. G. t. 339.
Variety NIVEUM is a charming variety, with white
flowers, spotted with purple. Figured in Sweet’s, Fl.
G. t. 148.
Variety CINNAMOMEUM has rosy-white flowers,
spotted with brown. The foliage is rusty on the
under side. A very showy plant. Figured in Bot.
Mag. 67, t. 3825.
The figure in Bot. Reg. 23, t. 1982, under this
name, is a different plant.
Variety PAXTONI is a fine kind, with deep crimson
flowers of great substance. Figured in Pax. Mag.
dA eos
This variety should not be confounded with the
Catawbiense hybrid of the same name.
o*
58 THE RHODODENDRON.
The following are hybrid varieties : —
Variety RUSSELLIANUM is a hybrid between Cataw-
biense and arboreum; color, bright crimson. Fig-
ured in Sweet’s, Fl. G. 2, t. 91.
Variety SmirHit coccInEA has scarlet flowers,
beautifully spotted; a hybrid between A. ponticum
and arboreum. Figured in Sweet’s Fl. G. 2, t. 50.
Variety ALTA-CLARENSE was raised from /. arbo-
reum, fertilized with a seedling between ponticum
and Catawbiense. The flower is clear, bright, trans-
parent scarlet, and the foliage very rich. Figured
in Bot. Reg. 17, t. 1414; and in Bot. Mag. 62,
t. 3425.
Variety UNDULATUM is a hybrid with &. ponticum.
The flowers are deep, shaded purple ; and the foliage
has a peculiar, wavy form. Figured in Sweet’s Fl.
G. t. 341.
Variety ALBUM SPECIOSUM, figured in Illus. Hort.
1, t. 1, has white flowers, beautifully spotted with
crimson.
There are many other fine hybrids, and new ones
are constantly produced. All are showy in flower ;
but many popular this year will be lost a few years
hence, giving place to varieties of newer origin.
Some of the old varieties we have mentioned still
hold their place as standard kinds, and are as yet
unsurpassed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RHODODENDRON. 59
The tendency now is to raise hardy Rhododen-
drons ; but the tender kinds should not be neglected,
as they comprise some of the most beautiful of the
family.
Many other hybrids, in which the blood of &.
arboreum is mingled, are mentioned in future pages.
Indeed, it is to this species we owe much of the
high coloring found in some of the most popular
varieties.
RHODODENDRON ALBIFLORUM.
A very distinct and beautiful species, native of
high regions in the Rocky Mountains. It is a low
shrub, bearing the leaves in tufts at the ends of the
branches, and below them a few small drooping
creamy-white flowers, which bear little resemblance
to those of other Rhododendrons. It first bloomed
in England in 1837, but probably is not now in
cultivation. Figured in Bot. Mag. t. 3670, and in
Hook. Fl. Bor. Am., vol. 2, p. 48, t. 183.
RHODODENDRON ANTHOPOGON
Is a small-flowered species, with rusty leaves and
yellowish-white flowers, not especially ornamental.
It is not hardy. A native of the Himalayas. Fig-
ured in Bot. Mag. 68, t. 3947.
RHODODENDRON CAMPANULATUM.
This is a magnificent species, native of the moun-
tain of Gosainthan, in Nepal. In England it is
60 THE RHODODENDRON.
hardy, but the flowers expand so early as to be
often injured by the frost ; therefore, with us it would
require house protection. The flowers are rosy-
lavender, with dark spots; the foliage deep green,
rusty underneath. Figured in Bot. Mag. 66, t. 8759 ;
and in Sweet’s, Fl. G. IT. t. 241.
The variety A. c. superbum (Pax. Mag. 16, p. 190)
has waxy white flowers, spotted with crimson-purple.
RHODODENDRON CAUGASICUM.
This is a small species, in its native country
forming a low shrub, with procumbent branches; a
native of the Caucasus, on high rocks, near the
limits of perpetual snow.
The flowers are white, tinged with purple or rose.
It is a desirable species, and should prove hardy
with slight protection. Figured in Bot. Mag. 28,
t. 1145.
Variety STRAMINEUM has straw-colored flowers, and
is a very handsome plant. Figured in Bot. Mag.
62, t. 3422.
Variety ALBUM is a hybrid with the white variety
of Azalea pontica, and resembles an Azalea more
than a Rhododendron. Figured in Bot. Mag. 67
t. 8811.
Variety PULCHERRIMUM is a hybrid between arbo-
reum and caucasicum. The flowers are rosy, and
very showy.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RHODODENDRON. 61
Variety NosLteanum has bright scarlet flowers,
and is a very beautiful kind. There are also sub-
varieties with rose and pink flowers; but that called -
Nobleanum superbum is the best.
RHODODENDRON CHRYSANTHUM.
This pretty little species is a native of Siberia and
other extreme northern countries: it is also found
in the Caucasus Mountains. It is a low shrub, never
exceeding one foot in height, with evergreen leaves,
and large, irregular, yellow flowers.
While perfectly hardy, it is difficult to cultivate,
the heat of summer probably affecting it unfavorably.
It is rarely found in cultivation. Figured in Wood.
Med. 2, 103; and in Steph. Med. 2, 80.
RHODODENDRON PUNCTATUM.
This pretty species, although a native of Carolina
and Georgia, generally stands the winter with us;
although the foliage is usually somewhat disfigured,
and the flower-buds are killed if the mercury falls
much below zero. The foliage is dark green, covered
below with rusty dots, whence the name; the flow-
ers are small, pink, very pretty, but not especially
showy. The habit of the plant is straggling. It is
worth growing in a collection, but is only interesting
for variety. Seedlings vary much in shade and
markings of the flowers.
Figured in Bot. Mag. 49, t. 2285; Bot. Reg. 1,
t. 37; and And. Rep: 1,0. 36.
Sometimes called AL. minus.
62 THE RHODODENDRON.
RHODODENDRON HIRSUTUM.
A low-growing species, and the most common of
the dwarf Rhododendrons. The leaves are small,
evergreen, thickly covered with rusty hairs; the
flowers pale red, in small clusters.
Native of the Alps, and one of the flowers most
commonly sent home in collections of Alpine plants.
This and &. ferrugineum are known as the “ Alpen
Rose.”
This plant is useful for the edges of beds of Amer-
ican plants, but is not showy. Figured in Bot. Mag.
45, t. 1855.
Variety VARIEGATUM is a more showy plant than
the species, and the foliage variegated with yellow
is very pretty. It can be readily obtained from
England, but is not common.
RHODODENDRON FERRUGINEUM.
Although this plant and the last are considered
by some botanists as but varieties of one species,
the differences are quite sufficient to abundantly
distinguish them. The foliage of R. ferrugineum
is smooth above, rusty and dotted below, and far
larger than R. hirsutum ; the flowers are also much
larger, lighter-colored, and the habit of the plant is
taller. The buds seldom open until other Rhodo-
dendrons, except 2. mazimum, are out of bloom;
and this renders it a very valuable species.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RHODODENDRON. 63
The blossoms cover the whole plant, and, though
not brilliant in color, in the mass are very showy.
It stands the coldest winters uninjured, will grow
in any moist garden soil, and never fails to bloom.
Figured in Lodd. Cab. t. 65, though the flower is
too bright in color.
Variety ALBUM, figured in Sweet’s, Fl. G. II.
t. 258, has white flowers. We do not now find it
in any catalogues.
RHODODENDRON LAPPONICUM.
A small Alpine species, growing about six inches
high, with small violet-purple flowers. We have not
seen it in cultivation, although it can easily be
obtained from the White Mountains. Probably, like
all Alpines, it would prove of difficult cultivation.
Figured in Bot. Mag. 58, t. 3106.
RHODODENDRON KAMTSCHATICUM.
A low-growing species, with purple flowers, native
of Kamtschatka; probably not now to be found in
cultivation.
RHODODENDRON CHAMAICISTUS.
This species, in foliage, is wholly unlike a Rho-
dodendron, the leaves rather resembling some species
of thyme. It is a native of the European Alps and
of Siberia ; and would probably prove hardy, with
64 THE RHODODENDRON.
slight protection, such as a winter covering of pine-
needles, as it never exceeds a few inches in height.
The flowers are large, for the plant; pale purple,
and very handsome.
Figured in Pax. Mag. 3, p. 169; Bot. Mag. 14,
t. 488; Lodd. Cab. 1491.
We now come to the most showy of the family,
the magnificent species of the Sikkim Himalayas.
Of these. we can only briefly cite from English
authorities. We have had no experience in their
culture. They are all tender,—many true green-
house plants; others wiil stand a few degrees of frost.
These latter are worthy of cultivation in a Rhodo-
dendron-house.
The magnificent work of Hooker, on the “ Rho-
dodendrons of the Sikkim Himalaya,’ from which
we derive most of our information, gives beautiful
colored figures of these noble species. We have
also given references to such figures as we have
been able to find in other illustrated works; but our
notice of all these species must necessarily be
brief, and can only serve to call the attention of
the amateur to the wealth of floral beauty which is
within his reach.
All the best species can now be obtained of Eng-
lish nurserymen, and many fine hybrids have been
originated within the last ten years.
We also mention some of the tropical Rhododen-
drons: species of easy growth with stove-heat,
many of which are exquisitely beautiful, and some
deliciously fragrant.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RHODODENDRON. 65
RHODODENDRON DALHOUSLA.
This species, one of the noblest of the family, pro-
duces flowers three to four inches in diameter ; white,
tinged with rose, and very fragrant.
It is parasitical on the trunks of oaks and mag-
nolias, in its native habitat ; but in cultivation does
not require the treatment of an epiphyte, growing
freely in the ground or inarched on other species.
No description can do justice to its beauty ; but some
idea may be formed by reference to the illustrations
in Hook. Rhod. tab. 1 and 2; Bot. Mag. 79, t. 4718,
and 88, t. 5822; Fl. des Serres, 5, t. 460-468.
RHODODENDRON BARBATUM.
A tall-growing species, attaining the height of
sixty feet; the leaf-stalks covered with long bristles,
or hairs. The flowers are blood-color, in a close,
compact head; very handsome. This species has
proved hardy in England. Figured in Hook. Rhod.
pl. 38; and Fl. des Serres, 5, t. 469-472.
RHODODENDRON LANCIFOLIUM.
A shrubby species, with lanceolate, coriaceous
leaves, and small, close heads of rich crimson
flowers ; nearly allied to the foregoing, but wholly
destitute of hairs.
Figured in Hook. Rhod. pl. 4.
66 - THE RHODODENDRON.
RHODODENDRON W ALLICHII.
A shrub attaining a height of about eight feet,
with showy foliage, and large lilac flowers, with
rosy dots. In foliage this species is distinct from all
others.
Figured in Hook. Rhod. pl. 5. It is, however,
regarded as a form of &. campanulatum, and as such
is figured in Bot. Mag. 82, t. 4928.
RHODODENDRON CAMPBELLIZA.
A species often attaining the height of forty feet,
and only distinguished slightly, botanically, from R.
arboreum. Flowers scarlet, in close heads.
Figured in Hook. Rhod. pl. 6.
RHODODENDRON ROYLII.
A. low-growing shrub, with brownish-red flowers,
tipped with blue; not a very showy species.
Figured in Hook. Rhod. pl. 7.
RHODODENDRON CINNABARINUM.
A small species, very distinct both in foliage and
flower ; the former beautifully reticulated, the latter
of a fine cinnabar color.
Figured in Hook. Rhod. pl. 8.
Variety PALLIDUM has fine rose-colored flowers, in
an irregular terminal umbel. Figured in Bot. Mag.
80, t. 4788.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RHODODENDRON. 67
RHODODENDRON ELAAGNOIDES.
A little known, low-growing species, from the
snowy regions of the Himalayas. The flowers are
usually yellow, but vary to deep-red purple.
Figured in Hook. Rhod. pl. 23.
RHODODENDRON ARGENTEUM.
A tall-growing, magnificent species, with leaves
a foot long, by three or four inches in breadth.
Flowers white, two or three inches long, and as
much in diameter.
Figured in Hook. Rhod. pl. 9; Bot. Mag. 84,
t. 5054; and Fl. des Serres, 5, t. 473-476.
RHODODENDRON F'ALCONERI.
A large tree, with immense leaves, downy on the
under side; and heads of numerous, small, white
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