LANDSCAPE GARDENING STUDIES 



dendron shows a continual tendency to make roots 

 upward to the very surface and the rotting mulch 

 protects these roots in winter and spring and retains 

 the moisture. 



The moisture-retaining power of this made soil, 

 moreover, is greatly increased by the large humus 

 content, as this material will retain several times 

 its own weight in water, while sand will not hold 

 more than one-fourth of its weight. 



The care of these rhododendrons in the park is 

 deemed most important, and it has been the prac- 

 tice to use the sprinkling-hose freely in the evening 

 during the growing-season when the sun is setting 

 or in the early morning. This is done only during 

 dry periods, as overwatering is harmfuland unduly 

 stimulates the growth. The watering is dis- 

 continued in August when the actual growth of 

 the plant is finished and the proper ripening of 

 the wood becomes important. Sometimes, how- 

 ever, an extreme drought in the autumn makes it 

 advisable to water freely every few days, as many 

 rhododendrons die during the following winter 

 and spring from a drought in the fall. In the 

 season of bloom all faded flowers are immediately 

 removed to give the plant full play for leaf develop- 

 ment. 



It is well worth while to any one visiting Central 

 Park in the latter part of May or early June to 

 see this mile of Mrs. Sage's rhododendrons, purple, 

 crimson, pink, and white masses of solid color 

 hardly equaled in the whole range of floral effect 

 in the temperate zone. 



[96] 



