The Broad-Leaved Evergreens— By Leonard Barron 



New 

 York 



A GROUP UPON WHICH FORTUNES ARE SQUANDERED IN IGNORANT VIOLATION OF NATURE'S LAWS — 

 THE GORGEOUS FLOWERED RHODODENDRONS, AZALEAS AND LAUREL— BOX THE MOST FAMOUS HEDGE 

 PLANT FOR FORMAL GARDENS — HOW TO GROW HOLLY WITH BERRIES ON IT IN THE NORTH 



HPHERE is one plant which even a hardened 



■*- oil magnate knows and appreciates — 



viz., a rhododendron. Small wonder that 



every millionaire wants to own a hillside and 



24. The arching sprays of this Southern ever- 

 green (Leucothoe Catesbaei) are now used for Christ" 

 mas decorations. The shrub is fairly hardy in New 

 England. Excellent ground cover for rhododendrons 



cover it with rhododendrons, for they are the 

 most gorgeous flowering hardy shrubs the 

 world has ever known. They have no frag- 

 rance or sentiment, as a rose has; the indi- 

 vidual flowers are only an inch and a half 

 across, and the clusters may contain less than 

 a dozen blossoms, but when you get a solid 

 bank, five feet high and fifteen across, of 

 rhododendron flowers set off by their thick, 

 waxy, lustrous, dark-green, immortal-looking 

 foliage, it needs only one look to understand 

 why people plant them in such quantities — by 

 the carload! 



But alas! they perish by the carload, too. 

 And one of the cruellest things a man can do 

 is to drag up rhododendrons, azaleas or 

 laurel from the woods, transplant them with 

 no more care than a deciduous shrub re- 

 ceives, put them in full sunlight and watch 

 them sicken and die. All these broad- 

 leaved evergreens are slow growers, shade 

 lovers, haters of stagnant moisture, extremely 

 sensitive to drought, and sure to suffer if they 

 are exposed to full sunshine during sudden 

 warm spells in winter. 



Every green leaf is always transpiring in 

 the presence of sunlight, and the broad- 

 leaved evergreens present an enormous evap- 

 orating surface in winter when deciduous 

 trees and shrubs have none at all. Conse- 

 quently, if the sun strikes these broad-leaved 

 evergreens during a thaw in winter, the leaves 

 have to transpire as usual, but the roots, being 

 frozen, cannot supply moisture to the leaves 

 as fast as they need it to replace what they 

 are giving. That is the chief reason why 

 rhododendrons perish miserably by the 

 thousand, and the remedy is found in the 

 following rules: 



i. Plant broad-leaved evergreens in a par- 

 tially shaded position, where they will be 

 protected from winter winds and sunshine. 



Photographs by Henry Troth 



2. Prepare the soil with greater thorough- 

 ness than you have ever given to soil before. 



3. Give perfect drainage and remove four 

 feet of soil, if it has lime in it. 



4. Mulch with a foot of litter summer and 

 winter, for the evergreens are usually surface 

 feeders and always sensitive to drought. 



CRUCIAL POINTS IN CULTIVATION 



The ideal cultural conditions for all ever- 

 greens are these: A light, rich loam — one 

 having for nearly a third of its bulk well- 

 ripened leaf mold, or very thoroughly rotted 

 manure. There should be two feet of this 

 mixture — not less; more will be better. One 

 of the most successful rhododendron beds I 

 have seen was dug out to a depth of four feet 

 and suitable soil replaced. If more people 

 gave attention to this preliminary detail there 

 would be better gardens and less heart- 

 burning over money "just thrown away." 

 Partial shade from loose growing deciduous 

 trees or shrubs, when not planted in a 

 position naturally sheltered, is essential. 



None of these evergreens thrive at points 

 far inland. In the Middle States they do not 

 grow at all, nor will they endure large quan- 

 tities of soft-coal smoke. The best-known 

 broad-leaved evergreen tree is the bay, or 

 laurel of the poets (Laurus nobilis), which is 

 annually imported by the thousand from 

 European nurseries for use in formal gardens, 

 on terraces and about vestibules. Trained 

 in artificial forms, these trees are rather of the 

 architectural features than of the garden 

 proper and need to be protected in a cellar 

 during winter, together with the large-leaved 

 aloes. 



HARD FACTS ABOUT RHODODENDRONS 



Gathering Rhododendron maximum from 

 the woods for planting in gardens is now a 

 recognized industry. The plant is dug up 

 and shipped by the carload. It is hardy all 

 through the Eastern and New England 

 States. It has narrow, oblong leaves, whitish 

 beneath, and the flowers are rose colored, 

 lightly spotted with green inside, and appear 



25. Rhododendrons have the showiest flowers of all broad-leaved evergreens. They also maKe the 

 stateliest plants. In winter the leaves curl and uncurl, according to the degree of cold. Note the fat winter 

 buds. Rhododendrons need partial shade. Avoid lime, clay and stagnant water (R. Cata-wbiense) 



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