312 SLanfcscape Hrcbttecture 



dodendrons like similar places and in fact should be 

 planted underneath or with a background of trees. 

 If the trees are planted at the same time as the rhodo- 

 dendrons or azaleas the latter will do well, because 

 everything can then grow up together. To plant them 

 under old trees in dense shade where roots already 

 occupy the ground and take up the moisture and fertil- 

 ity and to expect them to thrive is asking too much of 

 any plant. The best soil for rhododendrons and 

 azaleas is mellow loam with plenty of humus in it to 

 retain moisture and lend fertility. If the soil is sandy 

 with hard-pan, it should be well cultivated and some 

 soil richer in clay and humus added to it; if it is a stiff 

 clay it will doubtless need a good deal of sand. To the 

 improper preparation of the soil of rhododendron and 

 azalea beds may be attributed much of the failure of 

 the plants. 



Of all the members of the rhododendron family 

 the best in the judgment of high authorities is the 

 Kalmia latifolia, commonly called the mountain laurel. 

 The splendid mass of the pinkish white flowers with the 

 evergreen foliage make a most impressive combination ; 

 and the formation of the flower and the truss has an 

 exquisite finish and elegance that should not be over- 

 looked, and the colouring is delicate and lovely. There 

 is nothing of its kind quite equal to the sight at the 

 great Arnold Arboretum near Boston where thousands 

 of kalmias or mountain laurels cluster in a glade and 

 run up among the trees of a great hemlock-covered 

 hillside. 



