For May, 1922 



149 



that rhododendrons will clash if proper precaution is 

 taken in placing the impure and glaring reds. For nice 

 arrangement the hybrid rhododendrons may be divided 

 into four large or main groups within any one of which 

 the different varieties will harmonize fairly well, (1) 

 the red, (2) the pink, (3) the white or substantially 

 white, (4) the lavender and purple. Almost any of the 

 whites may be inserted into one of the other groups, if 

 that should be desired, or can be used in effecting a 

 transition from one group to another. The chief point 

 is that out of any one of the groups should be kept the 

 jnirple-reds like Caractacus and Abraham Lincoln, the 

 magenta-pink of rosciim clcgans, the dark magenta of 

 catazi'biensc grandiflonim and the reddish plum of Presi- 

 dent Roosevelt or H. \\'. Sargent. Each one of these 

 "dangerous" colors should be kept by itself or marked 

 off b)'- white. 



With azaleas more care is sometimes necessary. 

 P oukhanense s color does not harmonize with that of 

 any other azalea blooming at the same time and so it 

 should be kept away from all others to avoid a chance 

 overlapping of blooms. Hinodegiri is of a shade so in- 

 tense that it clashes frightfully with the a)n(Viia and the 

 mollis varieties ; it can be used with white to make a 

 very charming contrast. 



Where to Plant and in What Soil 



The answ-er to this cjuestion also has been framed very 

 well by Mr. Wilson. "Evergreen rhododendrons are 

 mainly woodland and in a measure also Alpine plants 

 and they must never he allowed to get dry at the roots. 

 A situation screened from the morning sun and sheltered 

 from cold cutting winds and where the roots may be kept 

 cool is essential to success. The strong sun in March, 

 which draws moisture from the leaves when the ground 

 is frozen and the roots perforce incapable of making good 

 the loss, is a potent cause of death. This in conjunction 

 with the tender strain in the present day race and the fact 

 that the majority are grafted on the not hardy R. ponticuin 

 very thoroughly explains the disappointment experienced 

 by American lovers of these plants, and especially those 

 whose gardens are in New England. 



"If practicable it is best to plant rhododendrons in as- 

 sociation with trees, for by so doing they receive a meas- 

 ure of protection from the sun's direct rays. In thin 

 woods or on the margins of such woods are good sites 

 and if the situation is open and exposed a screen of 

 conifers — Hemlock, White or Red Pine — should be af- 

 forded them. If the situation be such that the roots are 

 kept cool by a thorough water supply the nature of the 

 soil (always provided it does not contain lime) is of less 

 importance than is often claimed. Where the White and 

 Red Pine, Birch, Chestnut and White Oak thrive rho- 

 dodendrons will grow. A soil free of lime, sweet, moist 

 and porous and fairly rich in leaf soil is the ideal. A de- 

 composed granitic soil rich in humus is excellent. In 

 the absence of lime rhododendrons will grow in good 

 loamy soil ; but it should ever be remembered that they 

 are humus-loving plants and require to be mulched with 

 leaves and the soil enriched with leaf soil or sandy peat. 

 It is usually assumed that peat is necessary in order to 

 grow these "plants; but as a matter of fact a far greater 

 number of the species find a home on the humus-clad rocks 

 and cliffs than in peat swamps. 



"In regions where the seasons are milder than in New 

 England these rhododendrons will thrive in positions 

 more or less fully exposed to the sun; but no matter 

 where they are planted tTiey must never be allowed to 

 suffer from drought. The root system of all rhododen- 

 drons is fibrous and scarcely descends more than a foot 

 below the surface. Obviously a mass of fine hair-like 



roots near the surface of the ground can not withstand 

 drought and the need of a mulch of leaves is clearly 

 shown. On account of their fibrous root system rhodo- 

 dendrons are easy subjects to transplant, provided this 

 be done with a large ball of earth and due attention be 

 paid to kee])ing them properly supplied with water after- 

 ward. 



"The hardy members of the azalea section are all vir- 

 tually deciduous and a majority will stand more exposure 

 to sun and drier conditions than will their evergreen 

 relatives ; but drought has very evil eft'ects upon these 

 also. It is advisable to place these azaleas fairly close 

 together and as a ground cover to plant different vari- 

 eties of heather {Colluna vulgaris) and hardy heaths 

 {Erica carnea, E. Z'agaiis), which are not only pretty in 

 themselves but mask the ground from the sun's rays." 



To grow rhododendrons and azaleas in limestone areas 

 it is recommended there be made mounds of specially 

 prepared soil. The lime will thus not be so apt to impreg- 

 nate the site. But in such a situation particular care 

 must be exercised to prevent the plants from drying out. 



In agreement with Mr. Wilson's declaration that peat 

 is not indispensable is the English writer quoted twice 

 before : in heavy soils, if the right sort of peat be not 

 obtained it may be absolutely deadly. Particularly if 

 a plant has been grown by a nurseryman in peat is it apt 

 to die when it is moved into a heavy soil where the cli- 

 mate is at all moist. 



But at Lindenhurst it has been found that grown in 

 the native soil alone the vigor is less, as is proven by 

 the shortening of the stems. It has there been found best 

 to prepare a bed for permanency by digging in in the 

 Fall, to a depth of three feet, peat at the rate of one 

 barrow-load to fifty square feet and one-half wagon-load 

 of leafmold. The peat, however, should be that con- 

 taining silver sand ; the mucky peat from New Jersey 

 serves well for orchids, but not for the plants here being 

 written about. .'Mphano also has proven to be quite satis- 

 factory ; but it is not put so deep down. For the ordi- 

 nary border there is dug in in the Fall, to the depth of a 

 foot and a half or two feet, cow manure, well rotted, at 

 the rate of thirty tons to the acre, and in the Spring a 

 layer of leafmold two inches thick. A good dressing of 

 decayed cow manure is applied every third year. Humus 

 in the form of old sod or of any vegetation not sour im- 

 proves the general conditions greatly. 



To provide a mulch of leafmold it is not well to allow 

 dry leaves in the Autumn to remain around the plants ; 

 the danger from fire is too real, as the superintendent of 

 Lindenhurst has experienced upon an estate the owner of 

 which declined his advice. Carted away to a pile and 

 held down with a little manure, which is later forked into 

 the mass, the leaves are within less than a year in condi- 

 tion to make an ideal mulch. For the Summer mulch- 

 ing of young stock Mr. Koster, of Bridgeton, New Jer- 

 sey, advocates the use of cornstalks chopped fine ; it 

 provides coolness, retains the moisture and admits the 

 air. 



{Continued in the June issue) 



You think that one hour buries another, but it is not 

 so. You think that you have parted forever from the 

 things that have passed by you. No, you have not. 

 That which you have done is with you today ; and that 

 which you are doing will be with you tomorrow. When 

 the mason carries up the wall, the course of the brick 

 which he laid yesterday is the foundation on which he is 

 laying another course today ; and all that you do today 

 on the structure which you are building, will remain as 

 a basis for that which you do tomorrow. — Bcecher. 



