For the average lawn, place them near the north wall of a 
building or where they will get shade about half the day, but if 
the shade would be from maples or elms, better place the Rhodo¬ 
dendrons elsewhere, in full sun if necessary and if they will get 
abundant watering. Oak furnishes ideal shade, because oak roots 
do not rob the soil, and oak leaves rot acid. 
A perpetual mulch of oak leaves gives best results, although, 
since leaves blow around the lawn, some prefer the neater peat 
moss. A new treatment recommended with reservations till it 
has proved itself longer, is to mulch with two or three inches of 
oak leaves, covering these completely with stones five or six in¬ 
ches or more across and placed edge to edge like a cobble pave¬ 
ment. In any case the mulch must never be removed or dug in. 
Rhododendrons should never be allowed to dry out. During 
even short droughts they should be sprinkled daily if possible, 
but not much during October and November, heaviest in May. 
NAMED HYBRID RHODODENDRONS 
The Rhododendrons yon see covered with gor¬ 
geous bloom are not wild shrubs from the hills, 
but garden varieties selected after a century of hy¬ 
bridizing and breeding. 
As these do not come true from seed, they must 
be propagated by cuttings, layers or grafts. Graft¬ 
ing, the usual method, results in a quick growth 
which often fails and dies after a few years. Belter 
