THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN, rhododendron. 797 



RHEUM {Rhubarb). — Herbaceous 

 plants of great vigour and picturesque 

 aspect, and their fine leaves are well seen 

 by the margins of shrubberies and in 

 places where luxuriant vegetation is de- 

 sired. They like deep and rich soil. R. 

 Emodi is a fine-leaved plant, for groups in 

 the pleasure-ground, but requiring good 

 soil. It grows about 5 ft. high, and is 

 imposing with its wrinkled leaves and 

 large red vems. 7?. officinale, however, 

 as regards foliage, is the most effective 

 from early in the year, and should 

 be placed near the shrubbery, on the 

 turf, or in the wild garden. In small 

 glades with rich soil a bold effect might 

 be produced by a good selection of 

 Rhubarbs with Ferulas, Heracleums, Rhu- 

 barbs, Acanthuses, Yuccas, the common 

 Artichoke, Gunnera scabra, and other 

 vigorous hardy plants. R. pahnatum 

 is a slow-growing plant, and smaller 

 than its variety, R. p. tanguticum., which 

 increases rapidly, has fine foliage, and 

 will be welcome to those who grow 

 the other hardy species. R. nobtle is 

 distinct, forming a dense pyramid of 

 foliage. It IS, however, one of the most 

 difficult to cultivate, and in Europe has 

 succeeded only in the Edinburgh Botanic 

 Garden. Indian and Asiatic Mountains. 

 The garden Rhubarbs worth growing are 

 R. ausfrale, R. compactur/i, R. 7'ugosiim, 

 R. hybridum, Vxctonsi Rhubarb (with very 

 large leaves and long red stalks), Myatt's 

 Linnseus, and Prince Albert. Scott's 

 Monarch is the most ornamental of all the 

 garden varieties. 



RHEXIA {Meadow Beauty).-— R. vir- 

 ginica is a beautiful dwarf bog plant with 

 vivid, deep rosy flowers 6 or 8 in. high, in 

 sandy swamps in New England and the 

 Eastern States, and is found as far west 

 as Illinois and Wisconsin. R, Mariana 

 is even scarcer in this country than R. 

 virginica^ and less important, growing in 

 drier places. The Rhexias must not be 

 divided much, and healthy tufts should 

 be obtained from their native localities, 

 and planted in a sandy peat bed. 



RHODANTHE {Everlasting).-Ch2irm- 

 ing half-hardy annuals from Australia, 

 valuable as border flowers and for winter 

 bouquets. They are all of slender growth, 

 I to i^ ft. high, and have glaucous-grey 

 foliage and pretty flowers. The original 

 species, R. Manglesi^ has fine rose- 

 coloured blossoms with yellow centres, 

 and of this there is a double variety. 

 R. niaciilata has a deep crimson ring 

 encircling the eye of the flower ; and there 

 is a pure white variety. R. atro-san guinea 

 differs considerably from R. viaculata^ 



being not only dwarfer, but more branched. 

 The flowers, of a bright magenta colour, 

 are rather smaller than those oi maciclata., 

 but average i in. in diameter. It is rather 

 less hardy than niacuhifa, but sufficiently 

 hardy for the open air. All these kinds 

 should be sown thinly in heat in pots in 

 February or March. In the southern 

 counties they may also be sown in the 

 open air in May on warm borders in good 

 soil. In frames, freely watered, and 

 placed in a temperature of 65° to 70^, the 

 seeds quickly germinate, but if in- 

 sufficiently watered, they remain dormant 

 for several weeks. The seedlings should 

 be pricked while young, as they do not 

 transplant well when large. Plant them 

 in a warm open position, and a well- 

 manured light soil — if peaty, the better. 

 They ought to be protected for a iew days 

 after transplanting. 



RHODODENDRON {Rose Tree).—^ 

 noble family of shrubs, so popular that 

 they are often over-planted ; that is to 

 say, we see Rhododendrons in large and 

 often lumpy masses in many country 

 places where no planting of any other 

 kind worth speaking of is carried out. 

 In districts where they do well, the soil 

 and climate being suitable, monotonous 

 effects arise through their over-use, against 

 which all who care for beautiful gardens 

 should protest. The mild climate of our 

 country and generally our rather mild 

 winters allow many more kinds to grow 

 with us than on the Continent of Europe 

 generally, or in N. America. In severe 

 winters some kinds are touched by frost 

 even with us, and therefore we must be 

 on our guard against planting other than 

 the hardy varieties except in the south 

 of England and Ireland. The hardy 

 American species should be grown more 

 in lowland valleys, as I find that they 

 stand winters which kill R. ponticmn. 



The vast range in our country over 

 which the plant will grow well, alike in 

 Ireland, England, and Scotland, makes 

 the possession of the finest kinds most 

 important. Among the numbers of kinds 

 that have been raised by English nursery- 

 men, a good many poor, dull, or ugly in 

 colour have been sent out, and therefore it 

 is important to get kinds good in colour 

 and to group and arrange them better 

 than has hitherto been done ; that is to 

 say, not so much in flat areas and lumpy 

 beds. A far better way is to break them 

 up into bold and simple groups, holding 

 the colours more together and not scatter- 

 ing them about in spotty mixtures. It 

 is important to get plants from layers 

 where possible, and not grafted plants. 



