HORTI CULTURE 



December 30, 1905 



Rhododendrons 



It is gratifying to learn that a representative of a 

 groat firm of rhododendron growers is to visit Boston an- 

 nually in the interests of this magnificent hardy shrub, 

 especially as it is proposed to promote such as might 

 be most likely to stand the climate and to use the 

 native, maximum, which is at home in New England, 

 as a parent from which to raise high-colored varieties. 

 Bright colors are, of course, a desideration in all out- 

 door plants, notwithstanding the beauty of pure white, 

 delicate rose, pink or rosy purple which are prominent 

 in all the hardy species of rhododendrons. 



The reason the brilliant colors are more scarce is 

 that they are found only in the Indian species, K. 

 arboreum, which will not bear a cold climate, and so, 

 unfortunately, when used as parents upon the E. 

 Catawbiense which is hardy, they impart tenderness to 

 their offspring, a fault which it has been very difficult 

 to overcome. Therefore the efforts of Messrs. Waterer 

 to raise a more hardy race of bright colored varieties by 

 infusing into them the blood of the E. maximum, which 

 I have no doubt they will succeed in doing eventually by 

 a judicious system of crossing and selection, will be the 

 means of raising this already popular class to a yet 

 higher place in the estimation of the lovers of the 

 beautiful. 



If the stock of a grafted plant has any influence upon 

 the growth or vigor of the tree, I do not see any reason 

 why the hardiness of a rhododendron should not be 

 improved by being worked upon E. maximum stock. 

 I remember, a good many years ago, having some con- 

 versation with the late C. M. Hovey on this suljject and 

 he told me that he could not get grafted rhododendrons 

 which were imported to stand the winter; that the 

 stocks or stems were first affected by the cold. I 

 thought I saw the cause, namely, that they had been 

 grafted upon the E. ponticum, an Asiatic species which 

 is hardy in England, and is the most easily grown of 

 any variety, hence is used largely in that country as 

 undergrowth for game preserves, and being of a more 

 succulent habit than any other is the easiest stock to 

 work other choice sorts upon, and as it is not killed by 

 the British climate answers the purpose well, whereas 

 that might not be the case when the shrubs are exported 

 to a colder latitude. 



It is not only cold that kills rhododendrons but want 

 of knowledge on the part of the inexperienced as to 

 their culture. In the first place they should be given 

 a fair chance by planting them in a favorable situation 

 sheltered from the northeast and exposed to the genial 

 influences of the southwest. Choose for them a site 

 with a cool, moist subsoil and peat formation. 



All the natural order of Ericacese, to which the rho- 

 dodendrons belong, derive their nourishment from 

 decaying vegetable fibre, of which what is commonly 

 called peat or bog earth is composed. This contains 

 carbon and phosphoric acid which they delight in, while 

 they do not assimilate much with nitrogen, hence animal 

 manure is not congenial to them. I once killed 

 some valuable specimens by watering them with liquid 

 from the barnyard. If the nature of your soil is not of 

 the quality described your rhododendron bed should be 

 made so artificially by carting some bog soil and mixing 

 it with a small quantity of sand to keep it porous. If 

 the spring should be very dry a good watering may be 

 necessary, otherwise no further attention will be re- 

 quired. Do not prune the rhododendrons nor break off 

 large branches for house decoration. Do not plant too 

 thickly but give each specimen a chance to develop 



individually, and its beautifully symmetrical propor- 

 tions will be a charm. 



Ehododendrons, having fibrous roots only, can be 

 removed at any season except in the depth of winter or 

 while they are forming new growth, until this has 

 ripened, after which removal will not injure them. This 

 enables the great English growers to hold the magnifi- 

 cent rhododendron exhibitions which are among the 

 grandest horticultural sights of Great Britain. I re- 

 member, too, that the munificent H. H. Hunnewell held 

 one for the public in some large tents on Boston Com- 

 mon, and it is a pity that his noble example cannot be 

 repeated either by a private individual or under the 

 auspices of the great Massachusetts Horticultural 

 Society. Cut blooms of rhododendrons give but a lim- 

 ited idea of their Ijeauty while growing, and when 

 artistically arranged under canvas tents the subdued 

 light enhances their beautiful tints and they last much 

 longer in bloom. It is true that Mr. Hunne well's suc- 

 cessors and Professor Sargent generously throw their 

 grounds open to the public during the rhododendron 

 season, which is a great public benefaction, but if a 

 display could be made under tents in the city thousands 

 would enjoy the privilege of seeing them where only 

 hundreds do now. 



Every well-arranged pleasure ground should have its 

 group of rhododendrons. Beside the large-foliaged 

 species there are several others which are very interest- 

 ing. E. dahuricum or atrovirens is a small-leaved, 

 slender-stemmed one with dark green, glossy leaves and 

 jmrple flowers. E. hirsutum is a very dwarf species 

 with small leaves, quite hairy, pale green and dense; 

 the flowers are light rosy purple. Of this there is also 

 a variegated variety, E. ferrugineum, of larger growth 

 than the latter with dark green shining leaves on the 

 upper surface and rusty at the back or under side. These 

 all are beautiful objects in small gardens, but if some 

 clever pollenator would take hold of them and cross 

 them with the larger species it is possible that a new 

 and interesting class with various colored flowers might 

 be produced which would be very useful where space is 

 an object. 



Even if I shall be thought egotistical I will venture on 

 a little bit of personal history. When I was a very- 

 young man I was passionately in love — with rhododen- 

 drons — and assisted by a near neighbor, a most enthu- 

 siastic hybridist, Mr. John Willmore, the raiser of the 

 even now favorite. Erica Willmoreana, I, or rather we, 

 tried our skill upon rhododendrons. We crossed the 

 Indian species with the American and Asiatic with re- 

 markable results. We got a race of hardy varieties with 

 the characteristics of both. I had a nursery near Mr. 

 Willmore's and so the crossing was done at his place but 

 my father and I grew the seed and flowers. The plants, 

 one variety of which had all the qualities of Catawbiense 

 with flower of deep, rosy carmine and throat pencilled 

 and spotted with crimson and black was named for us, 

 Mooreii. I took this with fifteen others to the Eoyal 

 Botanic Society's exhibition and received a first class 

 certificate. At that time, about the year 1860, I had a 

 good many thousands of rhododendrons, but, alas ! I lost 

 them all in one dreadful night. One Christmas Eve 

 the mercury fell to 15 degrees below zero, not even a 

 frost previously, and the cold killed all my stock. We 

 do not think much of 15 below here, but in England 

 such a low temperature, especially after a warm season, 

 on account of the greater humidity of the atmosphere, 

 is most disastrous. On this occasion which was most 

 unprecedented, oak trees which were full of sap were 

 killed by bursting, and fissures several inches deep were 



