FLOWERING TREES AND SHRUBS 



427 



Name. 



Rhododendrons 

 (Azaleas) 



Country or 



Origin and 



Natural Order. 



Colour 



AND 



Season. 



General Remarks. 



shades and combinations of 

 colour. From R. calendu- 

 laceum most of the orange 

 and orange-scarlet and red 

 forms have originated ; fla- 

 vum has been responsible 

 for many of the yellows and 

 terra-cottas ; arborescens, 

 occidentale, and viscosum 

 for the whites and pale rose 

 varieties, also for the late 

 flowering ones ; while R. 

 nudiflorum has been respon- 

 sible for a great number of 

 hybrids of all shades. As a 

 rule it is much easier to trace 

 R. sinense blood among 

 hybrids than that of other 

 species, the flowers in that 

 case being larger and the 

 leaves more closely resem- 

 bling those of the species, 

 but even in some of these 

 repeated intercrossing has 

 almost obUterated the special 

 sinense characters. Many 

 of these hybrids have been 

 raised in the old-world city 

 of Ghent, a fact which has 

 given rise to the name 

 "Ghent Azaleas." In Eng- 

 land Mr. Anthony Waterer 

 has raised beautiful forms at 

 Knaphill, such as the pure 

 white Mrs. Anthony Waterer. 

 Few are named, however, 

 nowadays, this brilliant 

 group being called the 

 " Knaphill," and it is rich 

 in beautiful colours, from 

 white through yellow, orange, 

 buff, crimson, scarlet, and 

 other flaming tones, which 

 create glorious pictures in 

 the garden in late Spring 

 and early Summer. The 

 shrubs should be planted in 

 groups in woodland and else- 

 where when the rich colour- 

 ing of the flowers is most 

 effective, and in Autumn the 

 foliage turns to warm tints, 

 crimson, brown, purple, and 

 other shades intermingling, 

 making the bushes almost as 

 beautiful in their Autumn 

 dress as when covered with 

 flowers in Spring and early 

 Summer. Of late years 

 these Rhododendrons, especi- 

 ally the sinense group, have 



