June 29. 1892.] 



Garden and Forest. 



305 



what is called Rhododendron mad, the extent and interest 

 of the collection are to some degree accounted for. Mr. 

 Waterer is a conscientious breeder ; he will have nothing 

 to do with plants of inferior quality. " I like a Rhododen- 

 dron or Azalea flower to look me in the face, to spread 

 out its petals, and to pack in the truss so that it never flops 

 about in rain or wind. It must have good leaves too, be fit 

 to look at when out of flower, and be absolutely hardy. We 



Fig. 54. — Hypericum opacum. — See page 304. 



send no plants out of this nursery that do not fulfill these 

 requirements." When asked what kinds did best in colder 

 regions, for instance, in the northern states of America, Mr. 

 Waterer replied that he bred only from R. Catavi'biense for 

 America, and that he would never recommend the tenderer 

 sorts for that country. But, he exclaimed, "they know 

 all about my Rhododendrons and Azaleas too, for we send 

 thousands to the Americans every year." 



Mr. Waterer has annually large exhibitions of Rhodo- 

 dendrons in the gardens of the Royal Botanical Society 

 at Regent's Park, and in Hyde Park near Rotten Row. 

 These latter I saw a few days ago, and exceedingly attrac- 

 tive they were. Some of the specimens were enormous, 

 one of the rich blood-red flowered Michael Waterer being 

 a truly wonderful picture. It was nine feet by nine feet, 

 and literally crowded from top to bottom with huge trusses 

 of flowers which almost dazzled the eye. 

 But there are better things than this even 

 to be described in the nursery. 



The Azaleas are grown in hundreds of 

 thousands, from young plants flowering 

 for the first time to huge specimens almost 

 as large as a haystack. Colors of every 

 shade, from white to orange and crimson, 

 some variegated, some self-colored, some 

 of dazzling brilliancy, others delicate, but 

 all lovely. Flowers as large as those of 

 Azalea Indica were plentiful among the 

 more recent seedlings. Later-flowering 

 varieties than the old Calendulacea family 

 have been raised chiefly from A. occi- 

 dentalis, and are being rapidly propa- 

 gated by Mr. Waterer. They flower fully 

 three weeks later than the older kinds. 

 The parent of all Mr. Waterer's red-flow- 

 ered seedlings is what he calls A. coccinea ; 

 really, I suppose, a form of A. calendulacea 

 with deep red flowers. There are several 

 magnificent bushes, the originals of this 

 variety, at Knap Hill. None of these 

 Azaleas are grafted ; they are mostly 

 raised from layers or seeds. Many of the 

 colors appear to come fairly true from 

 seeds. In England, at any rate, we do 

 not use these grand Azaleas nearly as ex- 

 tensively in gardens as they should be 

 used. If Mr. Waterer had done nothing 

 else, his work in improving and diversi- 

 f)'ing the American Azaleas would cer- 

 tainly prove a lasting monument to him. 



A. Sinensis (mollis) is also receiving 

 special attention at Knap Hill. As a 

 flowering plant it is as fine as the very 

 best of the American kinds, and in Eng- 

 land, at any rate, it is perfectly hardy. 

 Already Mr. Waterer has obtained varie- 

 ties with blood-red flowers. I consider 

 this Azalea one of the ver}'' best garden- 

 plants in the genus. Very queer, yet 

 promising, crosses have been made at 

 Knap Hill, of which, however, I may not 

 say more than that they are likely to add to 

 the fame of the Knap Hill establishment. 



The Rhododendrons take one's breath 

 away. Is there any genus in the whole 

 vegetable kingdom to which gardens are 

 so much indebted as to Rhododendrons ? 

 Outside, in the greenhouse, the intermedi- 

 ate house, and even in the stove, we have 

 them, and they are almost ever)- one beau- 

 tiful. But if this is true with regard to 

 species, what might one say of the hun- 

 dreds of splendid crosses which we 

 now possess .■" I was ignorant of the 

 endless variety of color, beauty of form 

 and grand character generally of the hardy Rhodo- 

 dendrons until I saw them the other day at Knap Hill. 

 Almost every color, even to blue and almost to black, 

 is represented. But to see what these plants are capable 

 of, one must behold them when grown into huge bushes 

 and covered with trusses of flowers. Of course, the soil at 

 Knap Hill exactly suits Rhododendrons; the plants there 

 attain a perfection which it is hopeless to expect in less 



