22 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING 



which is a good border Rhododendron and a most service- 

 able forcer. R. chrysanthum, a native of Siberia, is a dwarf 

 evergreen with the habit of R. caucasicum, and trusses 

 of beautiful, golden-yellow flowers, an inch in diameter. 

 Although not satisfactory in this country as a garden plant, 

 it is worth the attention of breeders. There are plants of 

 it in the Kew collection. Another refractory species is the 

 dwarf, Myrtle-like R. lapponicum, found in North America 

 as well as in the north of Europe and Asia. Finally there 

 is the northern R. Kamtschaticum, with the habit of a rock- 

 rose, deciduous, tongue-shaped leaves, and large, red, Azalea- 

 like flowers. A child of the snows, it has never become 

 established in British gardens, although it has been known 

 and tried often since its first introduction about one hun- 

 dred years ago. It is successfully cultivated at Kew in a 

 north frame where it can be kept fairly cool in summer and 

 from the effects of changeable weather in winter, though 

 it is capable of withstanding any degree of cold in this 

 country. It appears to be happy when planted in a shallow 

 pot in sandy peat and Sphagnum-moss. The flowers are 

 produced in June. The plant grows abundantly in muddy 

 mountainous places in the islands and along the coasts in 

 the neighbourhood of Behring Strait, extending southwards 

 to Sachalin and the north of Japan and eastward to Bank's 

 Island, off the coast of British Columbia. In Greenland, it 

 forms dense, tufted masses, which become crimson cushions 

 in June when they flower. 



