RHODOCHITON— RHODODENDRON. 



223 



culture are not popular, as they are not showy enough to gratify the tastes of the present 

 generation of gardeners. The best are P. myrtifolia grandiflora, a much-branched, 

 purple- flowered species from South Africa (syn. Dalmaisiana), and P. oppositi- 

 folia, a Cape shrub with purplish flowers, which, in common with the preceding, are 

 freely produced in the spring. Cuttings of young shoots taken off the old plants in the 

 spring, inserted in small pots of sandy peat, and placed under a frame or bell-glass in a 

 temperature of 55° to 60°, root freely. Top the young plants to make them bushy, 

 afterwards allowing them to branch naturally, pruning irregular shoots in February. 

 Re-pot in February or March, using a mixture of fibrous peat and sand. Pot firmly. 

 The plants may be arranged in the open with other hard-wooded plants during the 

 summer, an airy greenhouse suiting them at all other times. 



rhodochiton. — E. volubile, a climbing greenhouse herb, with reddish-purple flowers, 

 produced freely in the summer; is a good companion for Maurandya Barclayana, 

 requiring very similar treatment. Sow the seeds in March, in light sandy soil and 

 gentle heat. Place the seedlings singly in small pots, and grow them in a warm 

 frame till well established. Before they become ckecked in growth, shift into larger 

 pots or plant out against walls or pillars of greenhouses and conservatories. They 

 succeed well in loam, leaf soil, decayed manure and sand. Thin out and shorten the 

 shoots of old plants in February, when more pot room may be given. 



RHODODENDRON. 



What are known as greenhouse rhododendrons are a most desirable class of plants, 

 and when well grown would never fail to be appreciated. Many of them are amenable 

 to formal training, similar to the illustration (Fig. 103), kindly supplied by Messrs. 

 J. Veitch & Sons, Limited. They belong principally to the Malayanum, Multicolor, 

 Javanicum and Jasminiflorum groups (Fig. 104), with numerous hybrids raised by 

 crossing these different sections. The majority are very beautiful, some of them 

 sweetly scented, and altogether distinct in habit of growth and flowering from the 

 ordinary hardy rhododendrons. Grand specimens are sometimes met with at the early 

 summer shows, and as warm conservatory plants they are most valuable. Only a few, 

 if any of them, succeed really well in a cool greenhouse, a temperature intermediate 

 between that of a greenhouse and a mixed plant stove, or hot-house, suiting them best. 



These rhododendrons can be raised from seed and increased by cuttings, layering, or 



