674 RHODODENDRON. THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. RHODODENDRON. 



In very dry summers mulching the 

 roots of a few single plants that occupy 

 a rather dry position is often necessary, 

 but where the beds are on level ground 

 they succeed without this attention. 

 This is not so in all cases, as drought 

 in the early autumn months often kills 

 many of the large plants on shallow 

 soils. Rhododendrons are, as a rule, 

 safe from over-dryness at the root 

 until August ; then, if the weather 

 should be dry, a good soaking of water 

 twice a week and a mulch over the 

 roots of half-rotten manure, 3 or 4 

 inches in thickness, will maintain them 

 in health. Some degree of shade is 

 helpful to Rhododendrons, all the 

 more so in dry soils and in the districts 

 with a slight rainfall. 



A propos of the evils of grafting, Mr 

 Scrase Dickins writes : " We have a 

 large number of grafted Rhododen- 

 drons, planted over thirty years ago, 

 from the base of which every year 

 a thick growth of suckers springs up ; 

 these require to be cleared off in 

 the early summer, and again in the 

 autumn, if the intended variety is 

 to retain its claim to existence ; 

 but the labour entailed is con- 

 siderable, and many are overlooked or 

 passed by for want of time. Occa- 

 sionally one comes across a great bush 

 of the common ponticum, with a small 

 scraggy piece in the centre to show 

 that once it was meant to be a hybrid 

 variety of special beauty ; but the 

 worst of the whole business seems to be 

 that the older the plant the larger is the 

 base from which the suckers spring, 

 and consequently the larger is the 

 number of suckers. With Ghent 

 Azaleas the trouble is nearly as bad ; 

 the common yellow form on which 

 they are grafted, being a strong grower, 

 soon makes short work in ejecting 

 the less vigorous intruder. It is very 

 unfortunate when, after a certain 

 number of years, the labour and money 

 spent in an endeavour to obtain some 

 specially beautiful effect results in a 

 common - place arrangement of lilac 

 and yellow. When the snow has 

 prostrated large Rhododendrons, those 

 on their own roots will often raise 

 themselves in a thaw without help ; 

 whereas those grafted will most likely 

 have broken off short at the base. 

 If the union between the stock and 

 the scion is so imperfect as to give 

 way under these provocations, it 

 follows that the flow of sap and 

 consequent development of the plant 

 must be seriously interfered with. In 



some cases this may prove beneficial 

 in restraining a coarseness of growth 

 and inducing fertility, but it is the 

 reason why we do not possess in our 

 gardens finer examples of graceful and 

 well-developed natural specimens. In 

 order to gain new and improved 

 varieties it is necessary to raise a 

 large number of seedlings. If nur- 

 serymen were to give their attention 

 more generally to raising seedlings and 

 layered plants, it might with reason 

 be expected that they would raise a 

 large number of new and improved 

 varieties. If planters, looking forward 

 to the future, as planters as a rule 

 must do, would insist on being supplied 

 by the nurserymen with own root plants 

 only, then our successors would have 

 finer examples to thank us for, and we 

 should be increasing our store of what 

 is beautiful among our treasures in 

 garden and wood." 



Marked progress has been made with 

 hybrid Rhododendrons of recent years, 

 such fine new kinds as Pink Pearl, 

 White Pearl, Mrs E. C. Stirling, and 

 others of a like class, having put many 

 of the older kinds in the shade. These 

 varieties are, however, still scarce, and 

 likely for a while to remain so. The 

 following is a good selection among 

 the best hardy varieties : 



