viii INTRODUCTION. 



dendron). Yet seldom is a plant of either to be 

 found in the garden ! There is a popular belief that 

 these plants " cannot be cultivated." 



In spring we eagerly buy the spicy blossoms of 

 the May Mower (Epigaea), yet never think we 

 may have it blooming in perfection in our shrub- 

 beries. 



Popular opinion says it "cannot be grown in 

 gardens ; " and there we rest, without trying the 

 experiment. 



To show that these plants can be grown as easily 

 as any others is the purpose in the following pages. 



The species we may find wild in our woods are 

 beautiful enough to merit every attention, but we 

 are by no means limited to these. 



The skill of the hybridist, exercised during a score 

 of years, has created a wealth of floral beauty in 

 Rhododendrons and Azaleas. 



We may have masses of bloom of almost any 

 color and shade, and combinations and contrasts 

 innumerable. 



To those who have seen the magnificent displays 

 of these plants at Wodenethe, the charming resi- 

 dence of H. W. Sargent, or at Wellesley, the magni- 

 ficent estate of H. Hollis Hunnewell, no word of 

 ours in praise of their beauty will be needed. 



In our own culture, at Glen Ridge, we have not 

 been unsuccessful ; and although our experience is 



