FLOWERING TREES AND SHRUBS 91 



intended purchase shall not be abandoned. The rhododendron 

 likes plenty of moisture and a little shade, and in early spring the 

 early flowering varieties will require some protection from north 

 and east winds and from May frosts. The shrub will also benefit 

 enormously if it be regularly fed during the summer months 

 with liquid manure. Unless this be done, and especially in certain 

 soils, the leaves will turn pale or yellowish. This is a sure indica- 

 tion that the plants lack sufficient nourishment. 



The choice before the prospective purchaser of rhododendrons 

 is a very wide one. There are more than a hundred species, and 

 of these there are any number of varieties. But the beginner 

 should confine his attention to the hardy evergreen species which 

 experience has proved to be suitable for outdoor cultivation in 

 Britain. These come principally from the mountainous regions 

 of the Southern United States of America, from the Caucasus, 

 and from Asia Minor. The best hardy rhododendron is Pink 

 Pearl, and other excellent varieties are R. Kewensis, White Pearl, 

 Doncaster, Mrs Anthony Waterer, Bacchus, Ascot Brilliant, and 

 Marquis of Waterford. 



These are, of course, only a few of the better-known varieties. 

 There are hundreds of others which can be found enumerated hi 

 the catalogues of the great florists and growers. 



The amateur will doubtless be somewhat puzzled, as he realises 

 the enormous number and variety of the shrubs and flowering 

 trees at his disposal, in arriving at a decision as to what is the 

 best time of the year for planting and transplanting them. A 

 little consideration will help us to arrive at a good working plan. 

 It may be taken as a general rule that the most suitable time for 

 planting all kinds of shrubs is in early autumn. Certainly this 

 is true of deciduous plants that is to say, shrubs and trees that 

 shed their leaves as winter approaches. An exception may 

 however be made hi the case of evergreens, which may be planted 

 with as much success in April as in October. 



But whenever the transference is made from the nursery bed 

 of the grower to the garden the operation needs to be performed 

 with care and foresight. Some three weeks or so before the 



