672 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. RHODODENDRON. 



vigorous hardy plants. R. palmatum 

 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. 

 nobile 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. 

 The garden Rhubarbs worth growing 

 are R. australe, R. compactum, R. rugo- 

 sum, R. hybridum, Victoria Rhubarb 

 (with very large leaves and long red 

 stalks), Myatt's Linnaeus, Prince 

 Albert, and Scott's Monarch. 



RHEXIA (Meadow Beauty). R.vir- 

 ginica is a beautiful dwarf bog plant 

 with vivid, deep rosy flowers 6 or 8 

 inches 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. vir- 

 ginica, 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. 



Rhodothamnus. See RHODODEN- 

 DRON. 



RHODANTHE ( Everlasting] . 

 Charming half - hardy annuals from 

 Australia, valuable as border flowers 

 and for winter bouquets. They are 

 all of slender growth, i to i| feet 

 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. maculata has a deep crimson ring 

 encircling the eye of the flower ; and 

 there is a pure white variety. R. 

 atro-sanguinea differs considerably 

 from R. maculata, being not only 

 d warier, but more branched. The 

 flowers, of a bright magenta colour, 

 are rather smaller than those of 

 maculata, but average i inch in 

 diameter. It is rather less hardy 

 than maculata, 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. Sow them in a 

 warm, open position, and a good light 

 soil if peaty, the better. I have 

 found some gain from late sowing in 



July, the May-sown plants dying off 

 in the August heats. We sow at both 

 seasons. 



RHODODENDRON (Rose Tree). A 

 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 North 

 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. ponticum. 



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 

 nurserymen 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, as these are apt to perish and 

 their places be taken by the common 

 stock, of which we have already far 

 too much. Hitherto it has been very 

 difficult to get layered plants ; but 

 some of our best nurserymen see the 

 change suggested here is a good one, 

 and are providing for it. It makes 

 great difference in the end whether the 

 kind has its own roots and is spread 

 about into many plants, or is on some 

 wretched stock on which it perishes. 



Rhododendrons are of free growth in 

 almost any soils except those with lime 

 in them. On many loamy soils free 



