June  28,  1900 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
f)49 
Notes  on  Rtiododendrons. 
Amongst  hardy  evergreen  shrubs  Rhododendrons  must  be  accorded 
■the  most  honourable  position  in  gardens.  When  in  full  beauty  they  are 
unsurpassed  by  any  flowering  evergreen,  and  when  out  of  flower  their 
shapeliness  and  bright  green  foliage  render  them  fitting  specimens  for 
the  lawn  or  for  massing  in  beds.  They  are  at  home  in  any  position, 
whether  in  the  neighbourhood  of  a  town  or  the  pure  air  of  the  country  ; 
under  trees,  or  in  the  open  ;  in  sheltered  nooks,  or  in  exposed  situations^; 
they  are  alike  suitable,  and  thrive  if  their  simple  requirements  are 
attended  to.  They,  however,  do  not  like  soils  in  which  lime  and  chalk 
prevail,  and  in  such  instances  special 
preparations  must  be  made  for  them. 
They  are  worthy  of  all  this,  and  of  much 
more  care  than  is  bestowed  upon  them  in 
many  gardens. 
Rhododendrons  will  grow  under  forest 
trees,  but  should  be  planted  at  the  same 
time,  for  after  trees  become  large  and  the 
aoil  crammed  with  roots  there  is  great 
difficulty  in  establishing  them.  Before 
they  have  a  chance  to  take  possession  of 
the  soil  by  their  roots  they  suffer  from 
drought,  and  often  die  the  first  season  after 
planting.  If  the  large  growing  trees  have 
been  well  thinned,  and  proper  stations  are 
prepared  by  digging  as  deeply  as  the  soil 
■will  allow,  incorporating  with  it  leaf  mould, 
manure,  loam,  or  even  the  refuse  of  the 
potting  shed,  or  a  quantity  of  the  whole 
mixture  together  before  planting,  success 
can  be  insured,  especially  if  the  shrubs  are 
well  watered  for  the  first  season  until  they 
have  taken  possession  of  the  soil.  In  the 
front  of  plantations  of  forest  trees  there  is 
less  difficulty  in  establishing  them.  When 
once  established  in  woods  or  plantations 
in  which  the  leaves  of  the  deciduous  trees 
are  allowed  to  remain  they  will  need  little 
care.  When  both  are  planted  together  and 
the  trees  duly  thinned  they  grow  rapidly  if 
the  soil  is  of  a  fertile  nature  or  rendered 
so  by  preparation.  For  undergrowth,  as 
well  as  for  the  margins  of  woodland  walks 
«.nd  drives,  no  other  plant  equals  R. 
ponticum. 
In  whatever  position  they  may  be 
planted,  it  is  a  great  mistake  to  prepare 
only  a  small  hole  and  render  the  soil  just  surrounding  the  roots 
fertile  to  give  them  a  start.  Under  this  treatment  the  shrubs  grow  well 
for  a  few  years  nntil  the  prepared  soil  fails  to  supply  them  with  the 
requisite  amount  of  food.  They  then  decrease  iA  health  and  vigour  in 
proportion  as  the  soil  beyond  the  station  made  for  them  is  rich  or  poor. 
In  natnrally  fertile  soils  they  flourish  without  farther  trouble,  but  in  the 
majority  they  become  thin  and  bare,  while  in  others  they  linger  between 
life  and  death,  only  to  succumb  the  first  time  their  energies  are  severely 
tested  by  a  long  spell  of  drought,  cutting  winds,  or  severe  frost.  They 
frequently  succeed  better  in  woods  when  left  to  Nature  for  their  supply 
of  food  than  they  do  in  borders  and  dressed  portions  of  the  pleasure 
grounds.  It  is  in  these  positions  that  Rhododendrons,  instead  of  growing 
luxuriantly,  become  bare  from  exhaustion.  Every  particle  of  material 
that  would  supply  them  with  food  is  brushed  away  for  the  sake  of 
appearance.  This  I  should  not  object  to  if  the  shrubs  were  supplied 
with  food  to  sustain  them  in  health  and  fit  them  to  withstand  the 
adverse  circumstances  to  which  they  are  often  subjected. 
I  have  seen  these  shrubs  grow  with  wonderful  vigour  in  6  inches 
-depth  of  heavy  soil  resting  on  a  bed  of  clay,  and  equally  well  in  light 
sandy  loams,  also  on  peaty  soils  when  left  to  nature.  In  each  instance, 
as  is  natural  to  the  Rhododendron,  they  root  nearly  on  the  surface,  and 
their  own  leaves  and  those  that  are  drifted  under  them  soon  produce  a 
mass  of  fibres,  and  the  fallen  leaves  also  protect  their  fine  silk-like 
roots  from  destruction  by  drought.  In  gardens  their  food  is  removed, 
and  annually  numbers  of  the  surface  roots  are  out  off  by  the  too  general 
•praotioe  of  digging  amongst  them.  In  summer  they  suffer  by  drought, 
;and  with  such  treatment  well  may  they  be  poor,  thin,  and  unsightly. 
Planting  in  exposed  positions  should  be  done  during  the  month  of 
September.  In  sheltered  positions  Rhododendrons  can  be  planted  at 
almost  any  season  of  the  year  provided  the  soil  is  moist ;  if  not, 
considerable  labour  is  occasioned  in  watering.  Digging  should  never 
be  practised  about  the  roots ;  it  is  only  done  to  give  a  neat  appearance, 
and  prevent  leaves  that  have  drifted  from  being  blown  out  and  carried 
on  to  the  lawn.  This  is  to  save  labour,  which  can  be  accomplished  by 
another  method,  if  not  perhaps  quite  so  quickly,  with  benefit  to  the 
shrubs.  The  loose  leaves  can  be  brushed  out  or  drawn  out  with  a  rake 
unless  the  necessary  material  is  at  hand  for  top-dressing  them  as  the 
work  of  cleaning  proceeds.  Refuse  from  the  garden,  such  as  leaves, 
the  mowings  of  lawns,  and  the  edgings  of  walks,  make  capital  material 
for  top-dressing.  The  refuse  from  the 
potting  shed,  the  surface  soil  removed 
from  vineries  and  Peach  houses — in  fact 
all  soils  after  they  are  useless  for  indoor 
work — are  excellent  for  this  purpose. 
Often  old  hotbeds  are  available,  and  a  few 
loads  of  soil  after  the  most  fibry  portion 
has  been  removed  for  potting  and  other 
purposes,  can  be  purchased  in  the  neigh¬ 
bourhood  of  towns  for  covering  leaves  or 
material  that  might  blow  about.  In  some 
gardens  the  quantity  of  refuse  from  the 
various  departments  amounts  to  a  large 
heap  in  twelve  months,  which  if  thrown 
together  and  turned  will  be  found  to  be 
ample  for  top-dressing  many  clumps  and 
single  specimens  of  Rhododendrons.  They 
root  freely  into  leaves  or  garden  refuse, 
which  generally  consist  of  a  quantity  of 
rich  fertilising  material.  On  light  soils  I 
prefer  a  dressing  of  cow  manure  with  a 
thin  sprinkling  of  soil  on  the  surface, 
because  it  retains  moisture  much  longer 
than  a  dressing  of  refuse. — A.  N. 
Rhododendron  Pink  Pearl. 
When  we  take  into  consideration  the 
fact  that  only  one  plant  received  a  first- 
class  certificate  at  the  meeting  of  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society  on  June  5th,  we  may 
safely  conclude  that  it  was  of  exceptional 
merit.  This  is  certainly  true  of  Rhodo¬ 
dendron  Pink  Pearl  (fig.  150,  page  553), 
which  is  one  of  the  finest  hardy  Rhodo¬ 
dendrons  we  have.  It  has  been  previously 
exhibited,  and  has  received  an  award  of 
merit,  but  on  this  occasion,  when  it  was 
shown  by  Mr.  W.  Bain,  gardener  to  Sir  Trevor  Lawrence,  Bart.,  Burford 
Lodge,  Dorking,  the  higher  honour  was  recommended.  Wherever  it  is 
seen  it  receives  unstinted  admiration.  The  trusses  are  of  the  largest 
size,  as  are  the  individual  flowers ;  while  the  colour  is  particularly 
pleasing.  It  is  distinct  from  all  its  relatives,  and  ought  to  be  found  in 
every  garden  where  these  superb  evergreen  shrubs  are  appreciated. 
Nympli$a  stellata. 
CoNSiDEiiiNG  the  great  beauty  of  several  of  the  choicer  Water  Lilies 
it  is  a  matter  for  constant  surprise  to  many  persons  that  they  are  not 
more  generally  grown.  The  extraordinary  exhibit  of  Nymphaeas 
arranged  by  Mr.  Jas.  Hudson,  V.M.H.,  gardener  to  Leopold  de 
Rothschild,  Esq.,  Gunnersbury  House.,  Acton,  was  an  object  lesson  and 
an  eye  opener  to  hundreds  of  visitors  who  had  not  hitherto  appreciated 
the  striking  characteristics  of  the  plants.  It  will  be  remembered  that 
one  of  the  most  charming  was  Nymphaea  stellata,  two  flowers  of  which 
are  shown  in  the  illustration  (fig.  148),  that  has  been  prepared  from 
a  photograph  by  Mr.  J.  Gregory  of  Croydon.  The  flowers  are  of  the 
purest  coerulean  blue,  and  have  golden  stamens,  which  impart  the 
moat  exquisite  beauty.  These  flowers  rise  on  stout  footstalks  to  a 
height  of  18  inches  above  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  enforce 
universal  admiration.  In  an  early  issue  we  propose  to  give  more 
extended  notes  of  the  collection  of  Water  Lilies  that  forms  one  of  the 
finest  features  of  the  gardens  of  Gunnersbury  House. 
Fig.  148.— NYMPH.EA  stellata* 
