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Garden and Forest. 



[April 23, 1890. 



It should he more generally known that the list of well 

 tested hardy kinds has been largely increased of late years, 

 thanks to some of the skillful hybridizers in England, who 

 have raised new varieties for this country with special refer- 

 ence to their hardiness combined with splendid foliage and the 

 most gorgeous Mowers. Enterprising nurserymen on this side 

 of the water have also accomplished much in this direction, 

 and it is to be hoped they will be repaid for their trouble and 

 expense. To show what progress has been made in the intro- 

 duction of new and choice varieties, I can testify that it is not 

 a great many years ago when but very few of the bright flow- 

 ering varieties termed precariously hardy were to be seen here; 

 and I remember hearing the statement made by one of our 

 most intelligent horticulturists that not one of them could be 

 considered perfectly reliable in our most severe New England 

 winters. All doubt, however, on this point has been entirely 

 removed at the present day, for we have numerous fine crim- 

 sons and scarlets, many of which have proved as hardy and 

 reliable as the old favorite Everestianum. 



In the cultivation of Rhododendrons, a mistake is frequently 

 made in selecting for them the most sheltered southern ex- 

 posure that can be found and one where the sun shines on 

 them the whole day, under the impression that they are all 

 extremely tender. In such a location the soil is likely to be- 

 come very dry and parched in midsummer, and the result is 

 that the plants suffer from drought, which, together with poor 

 cultivation, in my judgment causes more injury than our most 

 severe winters. As is well known, the Rhododendron requires 

 a cool and moist soil, and it is sure to suffer the moment the 

 roots become dry, though the injury may not be apparent to 

 the casual observer at the moment. The latter part of the win- 

 ter, however, tells the tale in the browned foliage and then the 

 injury is often wrongly attributed to the cold weather. The bad 

 effect of drought is also occasionally seen in the spring in dead 

 flower buds which have never fully ripened. For many years 

 I thought extreme cold weather was the cause, but with closer 

 investigation I have concluded it is oftener owing to very dry 

 weather, and I am confirmed in the opinion by the fact that this 

 rarely occurs except after an unusually dry summer. This 

 objection, however, of selecting a southern exposure for plant- 

 ing will not apply with the same force in cases where the place 

 is a reclaimed meadow or has a soil which keeps moist even 

 in very hot weather ; but these are conditions not very often 

 met with; and I would recommend as far as practicable that 

 plantations be made on the northern slope of hills, or where 

 they will be shaded during some portion of the day by belts of 

 trees or buildings. 



After what has been said in regard to the great importance 

 of moisture in the cultivation of Rhododendrons, it follows as 

 a matter of course that a careful and thorough preparation of 

 the soil in making borders for plantations is a necessity. Two 

 or three feet of loam may answer for ordinary shrubs, but 

 twice that depth is better for Rhododendrons, especially when 

 they attain considerable size. It is now generally understood 

 that peat is not indispensable, still it is highly beneficial, 

 and I would confidently advise its liberal use when easily 

 obtained, as well as a good supply of leaf mould, which I 

 believe to be equally desirable. 



The hybrids of R. Catawbiense, which are the most hardy 

 in constitution, and from which by crossing the finest crimson 

 and scarlet varieties are produced, have been sent out from 

 England during the last dozen or fifteen years in large quanti- 

 ties, and varying as they all do in respect to hardiness, it has 

 been no easy matter to ascertain with certainty which could 

 be depended upon in our severe and changeable climate. An 

 inspection of the foliage is generally a very sure guide, but it 

 is not conclusive, and many cases of so doubtful a character 

 occur that it is necessary, before a positive decision is reached, 

 that they should be left out for several winters in order to settle 

 this question satisfactorily. There are, however, many of 

 these new and charming varieties which have been so thor- 

 oughly tested that they can be confidently recommended 

 for general cultivation in this part of the country. One of 

 these which is a favorite with many is Lady Armstrong, a pale 

 rose, spotted and showy, with good habit and foliage. Others 

 areScipio.Giganteum and Sherwoodianum — all rose colored — 

 and Charles Bagley, cherry red, with extra fine foliage. Among 

 the crimsons we have quite a number which are great acqui- 

 sitions to the hardy list and must soon find their way into all 

 collections. Mrs. Milner, a rich crimson, I have had out 

 many years. Kettledrum has proved very satisfactory, and so 

 has E. S. Rand, which has been somewhat lost sight of. H.W. 

 Sargent is a grand crimson, with an immense truss, but it has 

 proved a little disappointing in habit. Guido, crimson; James 

 Bateman; Lady Clermont, rosy scarlet and very desirable; 



Caractacus, a rich purple-crimson, and Old Port, plum color, 

 are all good. Alexander Dancer can be strongly recommended 

 as of good habit and foliage, with a grand truss of bright rose 

 flowers. Minnie, blush white, spotted with chocolate; Charles 

 Dickens, very hardy, dark scarlet; John Waterer, a free bloom- 

 ing dark crimson; Mrs. Thomas Wain, pale rose, and Maximum 

 Wellesianum, blush, changing to white, with fine foliage, can 

 also be safely recommended. 



I now come to some of the still more recent and choice 

 English varieties, which for several years I treated as half- 

 hardy, moving them into pits in the autumn, where they re- 

 mained during the winter. This mode of treatment not proving 

 an entire success, I have been testing many of them by leaving 

 them out in the borders all winter, some for several years and 

 others only during the past two years, with very encouraging 

 results, though it will be remembered that both summers and 

 winters of the past two years have been exceptionally favorable 

 for Rhododendrons. Still the thermometer at Wellesley has 

 been down to five degrees below zero once, and twice to zero 

 this last winter. They are magnificent plants with flowers of 

 great beauty, and my experience with them, though limited to 

 a few years, has been so very promising that I think they can 

 be recommended to any one disposed to give a little extra at- 

 tention to favorite plants. 



J. Marshall Brooks is a rich scarlet, with a bronze spot, dis- 

 tinct and beautiful ; J. Mcintosh, a rosy scarlet ; F. D. God- 

 man, crimson, fine foliage; Ralph Saunders, purplish crimson, 

 large truss ; Rosabel, pale rose ; Lady Grey Egerton, silvery 

 blush, splendid truss and foliage. C. S. Sargent is one of the 

 finest crimsons, and with its Catawbiense foliage will doubt- 

 less stand any old-fashioned New England winter. The Queen 

 has a fine shaped flower, blush changing to white. Mrs. Arthur 

 Hunnewell is pink with primrose centre, very showy and prom- 

 ising. Mrs. John Clutten comes with the recommendation of 

 being the best hardy white Rhododendron in cultivation ; I 

 have at times felt discouraged in regard to its success in this 

 part of the country, but with some coaxing have finally suc- 

 ceeded in raising some fine, good sized plants. Other note- 

 worthy varieties are Joseph Whitworth, dark purple lake, 

 large blooms, beautiful foliage ; Duchess of Edinburgh, crim- 

 son, with light centre ; Duchess of Sutherland, white, with 

 margin of rosy lilac ; Duchess of Bedford, crimson, light 

 centre ; Marchioness of Lansdowne, pale rose, with intense 

 black spot, very showy ; Charles Napier, clear rose ; Mrs. 

 Shuttleworth, scarlet, much spotted, and a very free bloomer ; 

 Sigismund Rucker, magenta; William Austin, bright crimson, 

 abundant bloomer ; Meteor, fiery crimson ; Sir Arthur Guin- 

 ness, fine clear rose ; Bacchus, crimson, large truss ; Ne Plus 

 Ultra, finely shaded lilac-purple, good foliage. 



Here is a list of over twenty very beautiful varieties sup- 

 posed by me for many years to be tender in this vicinity, but I 

 now believe a large portion of them certainly will be found 

 hardy and great acquisitions to any collection. They, however, 

 must be well cared for, and if water is not abundant and easily 

 applied, they must be thoroughly mulched with some suitable 

 material, or they will surely suffer from our hot and dry sum- 

 mers. I use for this purpose large quantities of forest-leaves, 

 which are effectual, and when decayed make excellent nutri- 

 ment for the plants. The objection that they are not very 

 neat is easily met by a good covering of Pine needles. 



I will here add to what has already been said on the impor- 

 tance of selecting a location where the plants will be shaded 

 from the mid-day sun, that it is a precaution particularly de- 

 sirable with these very choice and distinct varieties for the 

 reason that if the weather happens to be very hot at the mo- 

 ment they come into bloom, the length of time the brilliant 

 flowers remain in perfection is shortened very materially. 



Wellesley, Mass. H. H. Hlllinewell. 



Notes from the Harvard Botanic Garden. 



Francisea eximia and F. latifolia. — Both these fine old 

 Brazilian plants are now flowering freely in a stove tempera- 

 ture. The former is an evergreen shrub of bushy habit, 

 with lanceolate leaves, dark green on the upper surface and 

 paler underneath. The salver-shaped flowers are borne upon 

 the tips of the young shoots, and measure almost two and a 

 half inches across. They are of a rich purple color, with a 

 white eye when first expanded, but afterward shade off to a 

 beautiful lilac tint. It is certainly a handsome and most de- 

 sirable plant when in full bloom. Specimens that are satisfac- 

 tory as to form may be potted immediately after flowering, 

 but those of ungainly appearance had better be pruned into 

 shape and allowed time to break slightly first. Sharp sand, 

 leaf-mould, peat and loam, in equal parts, the two latter being 



