XX 



RHODODENDRONS 



It has been often said that England and Hol- 

 land have the advantage over America in growing 

 rhododendrons, while America triumphs in her 

 deciduous trees and shrubs of which she has so 

 great a varietj. When it comes to evergreens, 

 including both conifer and broad-leaved types, 

 such as rhododendrons, the difference is less 

 marked when one understands the subject. In 

 America a large portion of the culture of rhodo- 

 dendrons has been carried on by gardeners who 

 have gained their experience chiefly in England 

 or on the Continent. In this country, with a 

 peculiar and perhaps natural prejudice, these 

 gardeners have often adhered blindly to the 

 kinds they were accustomed to use in England 

 and simply blamed our beastly climate for their 

 repeated failures. 



During the last ten or fifteen years, however, 

 increasing wealth and a love for horticulture 

 have greatly advanced the growing of rhododen- 

 drons in this country. This has led to a more intelli- 

 gent study of the shrub in its new environment. 

 As an actual fact, however, America is the home 

 of several of the best species. 



In North Carolina the exhibition of maximum 

 and catawbiense rhododendrons excites the won- 



[86] 



