IRISH GARDENING 



VOLUME XIV 



No. i6i 



Editor J. W. Besant 



A MONTHLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO THE 



ADVANCEMENT OF HORTICULTURE AND 



ARBORICULTURE IN IRELAND 



JULY 

 1919 



Rhododendrons at Rowallane in May* 



B\ H. Armytage ^Ioore. 



Where a representative eolleetion of Fihodo- 

 dendrons is grown the number of ^lay-flowering 

 plants, both species and hybrids, is so extensive 

 that only a selection from them, can be refeiTed 

 to within the limits of an article such as this. 

 Amongst species, a first-rank position must 



gardens. Ajjart from the extreme brilliancy of 

 the flowers, its good, compact habit, and ap- 

 parent hardiness, the plant possesses the fur- 

 ther conspicuous merit of starting late into 

 growth, and thus escaping the terrors of spring 

 frosts. 



Photo hi)] 



Rhododendron Loderi, v.\r. Pretty Polly, 



Royal Botanic Garden.s. Glasnevin. [W. E.Tiei-ithkl-. 



be assigned to Eh. neriljiorum (mentioned in 

 my previous notes under Xo. 8939 of Forrest), 

 whose season of flowers extends well into May, 

 though brilliant blooms were noticeable from 

 mid-April onwards. I need add little to the 

 description of this plant that I have previously 

 ventured to give in the pages of Irish Gardex- 

 iXG, except to say that in Rh. neriiflorum we 

 have a plant which cannot fail to excite en- 

 thusiasm, and one which seems destined to 

 take a proud place in all good Rhododendron 



In RJi. callimorphum we have another out- 

 standing plant which has attracted much atten- 

 tion here this season. Of neat, compact habit, 

 the leaves are rounded at the apex, and blue- 

 white beneath, as in Rh. Thomsonli. The 

 flowers are borne in a loose yet shapely truss, 

 the bursting bud being of a brilliant cherry-red, 

 fading off as the blooms expand to a delicate 

 salmon-pink, faintly tinged with lilac, beauti- 

 fully marked, with a striking crimson blotch at 

 the base of the bell-shaped corolla. The effect 



