Angast 13. 1868. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



113 



ConceBsam, rosy pink, centre paler; Cnrrieannm, rosy lilac, centre 

 paler, trass lurgo ; Dorliinsii, puce, very fruo bloomer ; DaUo of Cara- 

 bridgo, bright li^bt crimson scarlet, ctntro paler, truss large, a showy 

 sort; Duke of Norfolk, bright reddish rose, fine; Faust, pale lilnc, 

 splendidly blotched; Gem. pule rose, deep-coloured towards thn mar- 

 j^u, showy; Gnlnaro, blush, of tiiio form; Hogarth, rosy crim.'ion, 

 tine ; lugrami, blush, blotched with lemon colour, tine ; Johu Waterer, 

 crimson, splendid, free bloomin"^', hut the habit needs improvement ; 

 Lady Dorothy Nevill, purple, spotted with black, very line; Lefevro- 

 aunm, purplish crimson ; Leviathan, blush or purplish white, deeper 

 at the margin, large and good ; Leopardi, lilac, covered with chocolate 

 spots ; Lord Johu liusscll, rose, splendidly spotted ; Londinense, crim- 

 aon purple, form good ; Maculatum grauditlorum, pui-jilish rose, 

 largo; Maculatnm purpuroum, parplish"rosc, much and finely spotted ; 

 Stotaphor, rose, form and truss fine ; Ne Plus Ultra, rosy purple ; 

 Papiliouaoeum, pale lilac, changing to white, good ; Keediaunm, cherry 

 re(l; Sehiilor, light purple, shaded dark spots, showy; Towardi, rosy 

 lilac, an old sort, for shape unsurpassed ; Vesuvius, crimson scarlet, 

 with a few black spots, truss large ; Victoria, plum, free blooming and 

 fine; Victoria (Pince's), claret, very fine; and William Downing, 

 dark puco, blotched, very fine. 



In addition, I would mention as desirable, though I have not sufii- 

 'Cient experience of them to warrant my placing them in the foregoing 

 list — Bride, white ; Due de Brabant, yellowish white, spotted with 

 red, semi-double ; Lady Lopes, waxy rose, dark spots ; Lord Clyde, 

 deep crimson ; Lucy Neal, claret, spotted ; Madame Miolan Carvalho, 

 white ; Neilsonii, rosy lake ; Ochroleucum, centre lemon, shading off 

 to straw, brown spots ; Prince of Wales, rose, shaded pui-ple, black 

 apots ; Princess of Wales, magenta edge, white centre, primrose flake 

 on upper petals ; Sir Thomas Adand, shaded rose ; Standish's Per- 

 fection, white, shaded with pinkish lilac, blotch greejiish yellow ; 

 Sydney Herbert, bright crimson, with a blotch of black spots 



Section II. — This consists of the early- flowering hybrid Khododen- 

 drons. They flower early — in April and the beginning of May — and 

 on that account are liable to injury from frost. In sheltered situations, 

 however, they succeed very well, especially when protected from the 

 north and east winds by trees at such a distance as not to overhang 

 the Rhododendrons. In such sifnr-tions they seldom fail to flower 

 finely. They arc the best of all Rhododendrons for forcing, and it is 

 aorprising they are not more extensively used fsr conservatory de- 

 coration, as they only reqnire a sheltered situation in winter, and 

 need but a slight amount of heat to bring them into bloom. Indeed, 

 if merely placed in a cool house and allowed to come forward naturally, 

 I know of no plant that will afford such a gorgeous display with bo 

 little trouble, whilst for forming groups in the flower garden, to be 

 succeeded by bedding plants, they are unequalled. Of these Rhododen- 

 drons I would recommend the following ; — 



Altaclerense, scarlet; Altaclerense coccineum, scarlet, but richer 

 in colour; Barbatum. deep rose; Broughtonianum, rosy red, splendid 

 trass and foliage ; Campanulatum, creamy white ; Campauulatum 

 hybridum, white ; Cartoni, scarlet, spotted with black ; Caucasi- 

 cnm album {Cunningham's DwaH White) ; Caucasicum punctatum, 

 creamy white, spotted with brown ; Lady Duckwoi-th. pink, very tine ; 

 Loais Philippe, scarlet ; Mars, vivid scarlet ; Mariar, shaded pink 

 with dark spots, very fine, of dwarf compact habit, and a very bloom- 

 ing sort ; Nobleanum vars., scarlet, rosf, and other shades of colour, 

 all dwarf, early, and free bloomers ; Nobleanum superbum, scarlet, 

 being the best in colour and of dwarf habit : Perspicuum. white, large ; 

 Rosamond, rose, dwarf, free blooming: Russelliannm, crimson scarlet ; 

 Rnsselliaunm superbum. deep scarlet, large truss; Smithii coccineum, 

 bright scarlet ; Stamfordiauum, rosy scarlet, showy ; Vivid, rose : and 

 Wellsianum. scarlet, fine. 



Section III. — Catawbiense varieties. These are the hardiest of 

 Rhododendrons, having fine foliage, good trusses of bloom, of good 

 form and substance. They flower in May or later, according to season. 

 The best are Album elegans, waxy white ; Album graudiflorum, 

 blush white, green spots, fine ; Azureum, bluish lilac ; Ca^ralescens, 

 bluish purple, large, and very fine ; Eminent, rosy lilac, good ; Everest- 

 ianum, pale lilac, finely fringed and spotted ; Fastuosum flore-pleuo, 

 double-flowered, lilac, splendid truss ; Giganteum. light rose, fine ; 

 Glennyanum, blush white, of dwarf habit ; Grandiflorum, deep rose, 

 very fine ; Purpureum elegans, Purpurenm grandiflorum, both good 

 purples ; Roseum elegans, rose, fine ; Roseum magnificum, rose, large ; 

 Roseum pictum, rose, spotted, fine ; Splendens, rose, good; Standishii. 

 rosy purple, spotted ; and Superbum, deep rose, very fine. 



Rhododendron catawbiense. from which the above varieties have 

 sprung, is vastly superior to R. ponticum, and its colour is a bright 

 l^ht rose. It succeeds tolerably well under the shade of trees, and 

 is excellent for planting in shi'ubberies, withstanding drought better 

 than most Rhododendrons. 



Section IV. — Varieties of Rhododendron ponticum. These have 

 fine dark foliage, and are very hardy. The species thrives fairly 

 under the shade of trees, and on that account is extensively employed 

 for cover. In town gardens I consider them indispensable ; they 

 ought to take the place of the common Laurel, and be made the prin- 

 cipal evergreen, just as the Laurel is in country gardens. 



The varieties are Album, white, good ; Atro-purpureum, dark 

 purple ; An cubaj folium, flowera lilac, leaves finely blotched with yellow, 

 not unlike the old Aucuba, and it thrives in smoky town gardens 

 much better than the Aucnba, and ought to supersede it; Blandum, 



blush, foliage very fine; Outtatum, white, finely spotted ; Hyacinthi- 

 florum, lilac, double-flowered ; Mukniiaculatutn, whit«, prettily npattod, 

 very fine ; Nivaticum, white, green Idotch, habit clos.s and good ; Lowii, 

 white, spotted, largo; Punctatum, lilac, spotted; Roseum, rosy lilac; 

 Silver-striped, flowers lilac, leaves striped, not ho fine as Acuba-foliam 

 in the variec;atiou, yet distinctly striped; Vervaeneaum. lilac, double. 



Sixft'on V. — The very late-flowering Rhododendrona. Thcso aie 

 not particularly desirable except for their late flowering. Muximnm, 

 white, shaded with pink; Maximum album, white with green epotfl ; 

 Maximum purpureum, purplish ; WellKiauum. pink, fine truss, foliagO 

 and habit good, the best of this section, which is deserving of ex- 

 tension. 



Section VI. — Dwarf Rhododendrons. These are desirable for small 

 clumps and narrow borders, and for edgings to clumps of the large- 

 growing kinds. They uru Hltewiso pretty for rockwork, on which they 

 thrive well if moisture is afforded them in summer. 



Rhododendron amcenum, rose, does well under trees, especially under 

 those with stems of some height, so as to ftdmit light ; R. azalcoides 

 odoratum, white, shaded with purple, sweet-scented, fine for pots for 

 conservatories on account of its fragrance, and its blooms being good for 

 cutting; R. chama'cistus, very dwarf ((J iuehes), flowers pink, an alpine 

 succeeding in limestone soil ; R. ciliatum, white, faintly shaded with, 

 rose colour, sweet-scented ; IJ. daphnoidcs, rose-coloured, fine ; R_ 

 dauricum, purple, early flowering ; R. ferrugiueum, rose, dwarf, an 

 alpine succeeding on rockwork; R. gemmiferum, shaded crimson, 

 white centre, a gem in every way, fine for pots ; R. fragrans, rose ; R. 

 Govenianum, light purple, sweet-scented ; Hammondi, purplish rose ; 

 R. hirsutum. rose, similar in habit to R. ferruginenm (the variegated 

 form of R. hii-sutum is pretty ; both are alpines, succeeding on rock- 

 work. in peat and grit on sunny slopes, and in fissures when kept 

 moist) ; R. myrtifolium, rose; R. myrtifolium hybridum, pale rose; 

 R. ovatum, deep rose ; R. tenellum, lilac ; R. Torionianum, pale 

 purple; and R. Wilsonianura, rose. For the base of rockwork and 

 the open borders, where there is a dry subsoil or well-drained soil, the 

 dwarf Rhododendrons do well, and are very pretty. 



Rhododendrons and all American plants are seen to most advantage 

 in groups. In large gardens a group of each of the best kinds may 

 be planted, whilst in smaller ones a clump of the best sorts of each 

 section may be planted together, and will be found far more effective 

 than a large number of the varieties forming the various sections 

 mixed in one group. They do not flower together, the foliage is diffe- 

 rent, but the varieties in sis groups may be harmoniously arrant^ed. 



Clumps have the best appearance when on grass or suiTounded by it ; 

 single specimens are not good, excepting as staudards, wuich are 

 always fine objects in places sheltered from wind. All the varieties, 

 however, do not form bushy, close, handsome heads. A few of those 

 forming handsome heads are Atrosanguineum, Barclayanum, Blandy- 

 anum, Blatteum. Br^'anum, Congestum roseum. Erectum, Lady 

 Dorothy Nevill, Lefevreanum, and Sandlefordlanum. rose, finely 

 marked ; Everestiannm, and Grandiflorum. Standards should have 

 clean, straight stems, from 4. to 5 feet in height. Half standards in 

 my opinion are not handsome, being simply leggy dwarfs. — G. Abbey. 

 (To be continued.) 



GIANTS OF THE VEGETABLE WORLD. 



Within a day's journey of the metropolis of Victor!*, there 

 grow the loftiest trees of Australia, and, perhap'i, of the world, 

 la the back gullies of Dandeuong ou the Black Spur, aud near 

 the sources of the La Trohe river, as well as iu some of the 

 remoter valleys of the upper Yarra, a kind of Euualyptu^i, bota- 

 nically known as E. amygdalina (Almond-leaved Gum Tree), 

 attains such a marvellous height, as to rival at least iu this 

 respect, the Wellingtonia Pines of California. The stems rise 

 as straight as masts, but with a height far exceeding the masts 

 of any naval structure. The height of the loftiest ranges from 

 40(1 to 500 feet. A fallen tree on tho Blaek Spur measured 

 480 feet in length. Another in Daudenoog showed a height of 

 2'J5 feet to the first branch, the height then extended 70 feet 

 further in ramifications to the broken top branch, which here 

 still measured 3 feet across. A still larger tree at Berwick, 

 measured 81 feet iu circumference, at a distance of 4 feet from 

 ihe ground. The stems, with exception of the base, are beau- 

 tifully smooth, and of au ashy colour. The vvood is excellent 

 for shingles, and splits with facility. Like many other Eaea- 

 lypti, this huge species grows with celerity, far more so than 

 the Californian Wellingtonia, and the minute seeds germinate 

 with the utmost facility. Eucalyptus amygdalina is restricted 

 to Victoria, New South Wales, and Tasmtnia. — {The Builder.) 



[We have often heard of the remarkable size attained by 

 some of the native trees in Australia, as well as in Ta-*m*aia, 

 but we are not certain we ever heard of a height of 500 £eet 

 being reached. We hope, however, some of our readers in the 

 colony of Victoria will be good enough to forward us any in- 

 formation they can on these vegetable wondersi as well as on 



