90 THE EHODODENDEON. 



Rhododendron Catawbiense. 



Magnificent as are tlie flowers of the Himalayan 

 and Bliotan Rliododendrons, it is not too much to 

 say that our gardens owe more to tliis species than 

 to any other. A large proportion of the species and 

 varieties we have described are tender or preca- 

 riously hardy. But for the garden and shrubbery 

 we need plants which will endure any winter, and 

 for these we must look to the so-called " Cataw- 

 biense hybrids." 



The species is a native of the Southern States, 

 usually upon the mountains. It is a tall shrub, 

 with lilac-purple flowers, evergreen foliage, and 

 quite a pretty species ; but the parent is seldom 

 grown, being lost in the multitude of seedling 

 varieties. To trace the parentage of these varieties 

 is generally impossible. They range in color from 

 rose or white to deep purple, and vary greatly in 

 foliage. 



Every year hundreds of thousands, of seedlings 

 are raised, the best of which receive names, and are 

 thrown upon the -market : most of these, in turn, 

 give place to newer, yet often no better kinds, 

 although from the first there has been a steady 

 improvement in color, constitution, and foliage. 



In the following list we have selected those which 

 the popular verdict in England has pronounced the 

 best. A large number of them are in our own col- 

 lection ; and we describe them as hardy or tender, 

 according to our experience. 



