Rhododendron. 167 



will answer the purpose. The rhododendron makes a 

 multitude of fine, almost hairy, roots, such as do not 

 rapidly penetrate far into the ground, and so the soil 

 should be lighta nd somewhat porous, and in preparing 

 for planting there should be an excavation two and a half 

 or three feet deep, at least, and as many broad, for each 

 plant. This should be filled with chopped turf or rich 

 compost, and, if the soil is especially hard or heavy, a 

 mixture of peat and sand. The best plants I ever saw 

 were put into the ground in this way, with nothing else 

 than common garden and turf substances. Something 

 depends on the situation chosen as well as on the method 

 of the planting. The rhododendron is, in a measure, a 

 shade-loving plant, and this fact should be recognized 

 when fixing upon the location, whether for a group or 

 a single specimen. Sunshine in the morning and at even- 

 ing, and perhaps with rays darting through the tree-tops, 

 at midday, constitutes an ideal situation. So far as prac- 

 ticable, protection from the prevailing winds, either by 

 buildings or neighboring trees, should be afforded, and 

 with these simple counsels any one can plant and easily 

 maintain a bed of rhododendrons. Once established, the 

 really hardy varieties need little or no protection from 

 cold, even where the thermometer occasionally registers 

 several degrees below zero. They may be partially cov- 

 ered with branches of evergreens in winter, but the ad- 

 vantage of this is in prevention of sun-scald more than for 

 protection from frost or snow. Far more rhododendrons 

 are killed by too much sunshine than too much cold, though 

 by the ordinary grower this fact is scarcely ever appre- 



