Chapter XLI: Some Hardy Flowering Trees and Shrubs (5)

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| COUNTRY OR | COLOUR |
NAME. | ORIGIN AND | AND | GENERAL REMARKS.
| NATURAL ORDER. | SEASON. |
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| | |
RHODODENDRON | | |
SPECIES. | | |
| | |
Rhododendron |Himalaya; |Bell- |This is a famous Himalayan
arboreum |Ericaceae |shaped, |Rhododendron, a tree
| |various |attaining a height of 40
| |colours-- |feet in its native country.
| |blood-red,|It has bold, thick foliage,
| |white, |green above but quite
| |rose, and,|silvery beneath, and the
| |as a rule,|bell-shaped flowers vary in
| |spotted |colour. There are several
| | |varieties, such as album,
| | |cinnamomeum, kingianum,
| | |Nilagiricum, puniceum, and
| | |others, but difference in
| | |flower colouring is the
| | |chief reason for
| | |distinctive names. Not
| | |hardy except in a few very
| | |favoured spots, chiefly
| | |Cornwall and south-west
| | |generally. Must be grown
| | |under glass, and requires
| | |a big house. Many beautiful
| | |trees in the Temperate
| | |House at Kew.
| | |
R. barbatum |Sikkim |Bell- |This is a tree 40 feet to
| |shaped, |60 feet high in its native
| |blood-red,|country. It is hardier than
| |1-1/2 |R. arboreum.
| |inches |
| |across |
| | |
R. californicum |California |Rose- |This is a strong-growing
| |purple, |Californian species, the
| |upper |leaves dark-green; fairly
| |petal |hardy.
| |spotted |
| |with |
| |greenish |
| |yellow; |
| |broadly |
| |campanu- |
| |late, |
| |almost |
| |without a |
| |tube. Good|
| |sized |
| |umbels; |
| |June |
| | |
R. campanulatum |Himalaya |Lilac, |This is a beautiful
| |with |species, about 4 feet high.
| |purplish |We have seen it in several
| |spots; |Surrey gardens, but it
| |June. |requires shelter. It is not
| |Leaves |one of the hardiest.
| |elliptic |
| |or |
| |elliptic |
| |oblong, |
| |blunt as |
| |a rule at |
| |both ends,|
| |April |
| | |
R. campylocarpum |Himalaya |Bell- |The best hardy yellow
| |shaped, |Rhododendron at present
| |clear, |known is this. It is hardy
| |pale |at Kew in sheltered spots,
| |yellow, 2 |but succeeds better farther
| |inches or |to the south. It is a shrub
| |so across,|of neat compact habit, with
| |in rather |leaves 2 inches to 3 inches
| |loose |long, dark-green and glossy
| |clusters; |above, blue-white beneath.
| |May or |When full of flower it is a
| |late April|singularly pretty and
| | |distinct Rhododendron. It
| | |varies somewhat in shade,
| | |and the flowers are
| | |sometimes of a pale lemon
| | |tint, becoming almost white
| | |with age. The late Mr.
| | |Mangles, we believe, raised
| | |some hybrids from this
| | |species, but we know of
| | |none in commerce.
| | |
R. catawbiense |Mountainous |Good-sized|This is a strong growing
|regions of |heads of |species and one of the
|Southern United |lilac or |hardiest of all
|States |purplish |Rhododendrons, and has
| |flowers; |played a large part in the
| |late May |production of the present
| |and June |race of garden
| | |Rhododendrons, and is with
| | |R. ponticum the best stock
| | |on which to graft the
| | |various varieties, and is
| | |useful for covert. It is
| | |hardier than R. ponticum,
| | |and varieties with much of
| | |the Catawbiense blood in
| | |them are hardier than those
| | |closely allied to other
| | |species. Fastuosum fl. pl.
| | |is a well known form.
| | |
R. caucasicum |Introduced |Rose or |This is a quite hardy
|nearly a century|whitish |Rhododendron. The true
|ago from high |green |species is rare in gardens,
|rocks close to |spotted |but there are several
|the snow-line in|flowers, |forms, and it has been used
|Caucasus |in compact|to a great extent by the
| |and |hybridist. It is dwarf,
| |upright |spreading, little more than
| |clusters |a foot high, with ovate
| | |leaves with brownish
| | |tomentum on the under
| | |surface. It flowers late in
| | |July or in August, but its
| | |progeny is in beauty during
| | |May and June. A hybrid,
| | |which flowers at a
| | |considerable earlier date
| | |than the others, is
| | |nobleanum; it claims R.
| | |arboreum as its other
| | |parent, and flowers from
| | |December onwards until the
| | |end of March. At Kew there
| | |are several large groups in
| | |the Rhododendron dell.
| | |
R. ciliatum |Sikkim |Flowers |This is a Rhododendron
| |are white,|more adapted, except in the
| |suffused |quite southern counties
| |with rose;|such as Cornwall, South
| |April |Wales, &c., for a cold
| |outdoors |house. It is of compact and
| | |bushy growth, 2 feet or 3
| | |feet or less high, but
| | |varies according, of
| | |course, to locality, and is
| | |part responsible for a
| | |number of hybrids, such as
| | |praecox, Rosy Bell, and
| | |Queen of Dwarfs. The
| | |hybrids mentioned are all
| | |hardy, but owing to their
| | |early flowering often get
| | |injured by frost.
| | |
R. cinnabarinum |Himalaya |Flowers |This is a very
| |are |distinct-looking shrub,
| |tubular, |about 3 feet; but only an
| |with |approximate height can be
| |short, |given, as it is sometimes
| |spreading |more than this. The growth
| |limb, |is somewhat loose, and the
| |pendulous,|branches upright and
| |and |slender, the leaves ovate,
| |orange- |2 to 2-1/2 inches long, and
| |scarlet, |glaucous. Only moderately
| |orange, or|hardy.
| |red; they |
| |vary |
| |somewhat |
| |in size, |
| |but are |
| |usually |
| |about 2 |
| |inches |
| |long and |
| |3/4 of an |
| |inch |
| |across the|
| |mouth, and|
| |thick and |
| |fleshy |
| | |
R. dauricum |Alpine regions |Rosy |This is quite hardy, but
|of Eastern Asia |purple; |flowers so rarely that it
| |January |is only seen in beauty very
| | |often in a cold house. It
| | |is almost deciduous, as
| | |most of the leaves fall off
| | |in winter. It is a bush,
| | |and has been crossed with
| | |R. ciliatum, the
| | |well-known praecox and Rosy
| | |Gem being two of the
| | |hybrids.
| | |
R. ferrugineum |European Alps. |Flowers |This is frequently seen in
(Alpine Rose) |Introduced about|small, |rock gardens, and grows
|150 years ago |funnel- |about 1 foot high, forming
| |shaped, |a rounded mass thickly
| |and in |clothed with small green
| |small |leaves, covered with minute
| |upright |reddish-brown spots. When
| |terminal |young the leaves are
| |clusters |slightly hairy, but the
| |in June; |mature foliage is almost
| |bright |free from hairs. There are
| |rose or |varieties, one with white
| |scarlet |(albiflorum), another with
| | |rosy or scarlet flowers
| | |(myrtifolium), but there
| | |are others. Its popular
| | |name is Alpine Rose.
| | |
R. Fortunei |China |Fragrant, |This is one of the hardiest
| |pale |of the Himalayan species,
| |rose- |and, as it does not flower
| |coloured |until well into May, it is
| |flowers, |generally untouched by late
| |with seven|frosts, which so disturb
| |petals; |early-flowering species. It
| |Mid-May |grows from 10 feet to 12
| | |feet high, and has large,
| | |handsome oblong leaves. It
| | |is the origin of a distinct
| | |race.
| | |
R. fulgens |Eastern Himalaya|Blood-red;|There are several forms of
| |April and |this Himalayan Rhododendron
| |May |in gardens, the best
| | |producing compact clusters
| | |of medium-sized flowers of
| | |the colour mentioned. The
| | |leaves bear a striking
| | |resemblance to those of R.
| | |campanulatum in both size
| | |and colour. Although hardy,
| | |it is seldom seen in true
| | |beauty outdoors, because of
| | |its naturally
| | |early-flowering season.
| | |
R. glaucum |Himalaya |Rose, |This is a dwarf species,
| |waxy, 3/4 |with small oblong leaves,
| |of an inch|seldom more than 2 feet
| |across, |high, and rarely seen in
| |and in |cultivation, although very
| |small |pretty.
| |upright |
| |heads; May|
| | |
R. hirsutum |Alps |Pale red; |In many ways this is the
| |May and |counterpart of R.
| |July |ferrugineum, the chief
| | |difference being in the
| | |intensely hairy leaves of
| | |this species. The two
| | |species grow side by side
| | |in the Alps, and the one
| | |under notice is one of the
| | |few species that will grow
| | |in a limy soil. It has also
| | |been used by the hybridist.
| | |
R. Keysii |Bhotan |Flowers |A distinct,
| |tubular, |upright-growing, scantily
| |red and |branched species,
| |yellow, |suggesting affinity to R.
| |and 1-1/2 |cinnabarina, but it is
| |inches |quite distinct. It grows
| |long; May |from 4 feet to 6 feet high,
| | |has narrow quite distinct
| | |ovate or lanceolate leaves
| | |2 inches long.
| | |
R. lepidotum |Temperate and |Colour |The individual flower does
|Alpine Himalayas|varies, |not suggest a Rhododendron,
| |usually |so unlike other species
| |purple and|is it in this respect. It
| |yellowish;|is a low-growing plant with
| |curious |small oblong leaves; it
| |flattened |succeeds outdoors at Kew.
| |form, and |
| |about 1 |
| |inch |
| |across; |
| |May and |
| |June |
| | |
R. maximum (Great |North America |Rose, or |This will grow to a height
American Laurel) | |whitish |of 35 feet, and has large,
| |spotted |thick, elliptical, oblong
| |with |leaves. It is not much
| |yellow or |grown here. In the
| |red |"Cyclopaedia of American
| | |Horticulture," it is
| | |mentioned: "This is one of
| | |the hardiest species, being
| | |hardy as far north as
| | |Quebec and Ontario....
| | |This species and the former
| | |(catawbiense) are now often
| | |extensively used in
| | |park-planting, and taken by
| | |the car-load from the
| | |woods. If properly handled
| | |and taken from a turfy soil
| | |with a sufficient ball of
| | |earth around the roots,
| | |they are usually
| | |successfully planted."
| | |There are three varieties,
| | |album, purpureum, and
| | |roseum.
| | |
R. Metternichii |Japan; known |Rose; |This is not in general
|here about 30 |about |cultivation, but is hardy.
|years |2 inches |As yet no opportunity has
| |across, |arisen of ascertaining to
| |and in |what dimensions it will
| |small |grow in this country; it
| |clusters; |has thick and leathery
| |March |oblong leaves, 3 to 4
| | |inches long, green above,
| | |and covered underneath with
| | |a thick grey or brownish
| | |tomentum.
| | |
R. niveum |Himalaya; |Purplish; |At Kew this species lives
|8 to 9 feet |April |outdoors, but is not a
| | |success, and even in
| | |Cornish gardens gets
| | |injured in severe weather.
| | |It makes a dense bush, with
| | |medium-sized leaves, green
| | |above, and covered with a
| | |dense greyish tomentum
| | |beneath. It has been in
| | |cultivation about 40 years.
| | |
R. ponticum |This has a |Purple; |Of all the hardy
|curious |about |Rhododendrons this is the
|distribution, |2 inches |most largely grown and most
|being found in |across; |popular; it is much used as
|Portugal and not|May |an undergrowth in woods and
|again until Asia| |other places. In many parts
|Minor is reached| |it has become naturalised,
| | |reproducing itself from
| | |self-sown seeds. It has
| | |been much used by the
| | |hybridist, and with R.
| | |caucasicum and R.
| | |catawbiense has produced
| | |many beautiful hybrids. It
| | |will grow beneath trees,
| | |and its evergreen foliage
| | |is not the least of its
| | |attractions. There are
| | |several varieties.
| | |
R. punctatum |North America, |Flowers |A dwarf and evergreen
|Alleghany |rose; 1 |species. R. minus is a
|Mountains, from |inch |synonym.
|North Carolina |across; in|
|to Georgia |clusters |
| |in June |
| | |
R. racemosum |First exhibited |Pink- |The introduction of this
|by the |white; |added another type to this
|introducers, |April |genus, for both in flower
|Messrs. Veitch, | |and general habit it is
|in 1892, and is | |distinct from other
|a native of | |species. It is dwarf, with
|Western China, | |small oval leaves, and
|where it is | |flowers borne in axillary
|found 6000 to | |and terminal clusters, and
|10,000 feet | |so profusely that every
|elevation | |branch is a mass of
| | |blossom. It is quite hardy
| | |and very welcome. There is
| | |a form with deep rose
| | |flowers.
| | |
R. Rhodora |North America |Magenta- |Not much grown, but colour
(Rhodora | |purple; |probably not popular. It
canadensis) | |April |makes an upright deciduous
| | |shrub, 3 feet to 4 feet,
| | |slender, twiggy wood, and
| | |small ovate lanceolate
| | |leaves. Should have moist
| | |peaty soil. A failure on
| | |dry and sandy ground. Does
| | |not object to partial
| | |shade. Easily increased by
| | |seeds and layering.
| | |
R. Smirnowi |Caucasus |Crimson- |This has large flowers and
| |purple; |leaves, and, as recorded
| |3 inches |elsewhere, has founded a
| |across; |distinct race. It blooms
| |April and |freely when about a foot or
| |May |so high. The leaves are
| | |about 5 inches long, 2
| | |inches wide, and covered on
| | |underside with a soft white
| | |felt.
| | |
R. Thomsoni (see | | |
page 437) | | |
| | |
R. yunnanense |Yunnan; first |White, |This is an erect shrub,
|flowered at Kew |with |with glossy green leaves 2
|in 1899 |blood-red |to 2-1/2 inches wide. A
| |spots on |very useful shrub, and
| |upper |should not be forgotten by
| |petal; in |the hybridist.
| |loose |
| |clusters |
| |in May |
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| COUNTRY OR | COLOUR |
NAME. | ORIGIN AND | AND | GENERAL REMARKS.
| NATURAL ORDER. | SEASON. |
-------------------+----------------+----------+---------------------------
| | |
R. HARDY HYBRID |Ericaceae |...... |Very few of the species of
| | |Rhododendron have not some
| | |value either for out of
| | |doors or under glass.
| | |Rhododendrons are widely
| | |distributed, species being
| | |found in North America,
| | |Europe, and through
| | |temperate Asia as far south
| | |as the Malay Peninsula, the
| | |headquarters of the genus
| | |being Western Asia and the
| | |temperate Himalaya.
| | |Rhododendrons also differ
| | |greatly in size, some very
| | |tall as R. arborea, which
| | |is sometimes said to grow
| | |to a height of 40 feet in
| | |the Sikkim forests, to the
| | |little alpine R.
| | |Chamaecistus, which rarely
| | |exceeds 6 inches high.
| | |There is quite as marked
| | |variation in the size of
| | |the leaf, several species,
| | |of which R. Falconeri may
| | |be taken as a type, having
| | |large and handsome leaves,
| | |sometimes a foot high and 6
| | |inches wide, whilst the
| | |quaint little Japanese
| | |species R. serpyllifolium
| | |has tiny leaves not a third
| | |of an inch long and of
| | |corresponding width. The
| | |Rhododendron family may be
| | |divided into two great
| | |sections, deciduous and
| | |evergreen. The evergreen
| | |section consists of a large
| | |number of species, either
| | |quite hardy or tender, the
| | |tender ones being
| | |represented by such
| | |beautiful flowers as R.
| | |griffithianum, Edgeworthi,
| | |R. Dalhousiae, R. Nuttalli,
| | |the Malayan species, &c.
| | |With the exception of R.
| | |ponticum true species are
| | |seldom met with outdoors,
| | |except in gardens where
| | |collections are formed, or
| | |in the south-west
| | |countries. The scarcity of
| | |species is doubtless due to
| | |many of the hybrids being
| | |much hardier, and begin to
| | |flower and grow at a later
| | |time of the year. Although
| | |some of them will stand
| | |severe frost in mid-winter
| | |without injury, growth
| | |beginning early in the
| | |year, the young leaves and
| | |shoots get considerably
| | |injured by the late spring
| | |frosts, and flowers when
| | |open in March are also
| | |destroyed or much spoilt.
| | |In Cornwall, South Wales,
| | |and parts of Ireland, huge
| | |specimens of R. arboreum,
| | |barbatum, grande,
| | |Falconeri, griffithianum,
| | |and others may be seen in
| | |full vigour, but all have
| | |to receive protection from
| | |the north. Although these
| | |species cannot be grown
| | |successfully outdoors in
| | |most parts of the country,
| | |the hybridist knows their
| | |value. Through crossing
| | |them with hardier and later
| | |growing and flowering
| | |species many beautiful
| | |hybrids have been raised.
| | |Hardy evergreen hybrid
| | |Rhododendrons may be
| | |divided into several groups
| | |according to parentage. Of
| | |these groups by far the
| | |most familiar is the one
| | |that has originated through
| | |the crossing and
| | |intercrossing of the
| | |Himalayan R. arboreum
| | |with the American R.
| | |catawbiense, the Caucasian
| | |species R. caucasicum, or
| | |the European and Asiatic
| | |ponticum. This hybridising
| | |has been progressing for
| | |half a century or more,
| | |and the parentage is
| | |plainly seen in the
| | |offspring. Thus where R.
| | |arboreum asserts itself
| | |most strongly we find rich
| | |red flowers and leaves
| | |with a silvery
| | |under-surface. Where R.
| | |catawbiense is most in
| | |evidence the leaves are
| | |large and handsome, deep
| | |green, and softer to the
| | |touch than R. arboreum,
| | |while the clusters are
| | |often of great size, the
| | |flowers prettily spotted,
| | |and the plants of
| | |exceptionally good habit.
| | |For very cold districts the
| | |catawbiense hybrids are the
| | |best, being hardier than
| | |the others. The flowers of
| | |many of the earliest of the
| | |R. catawbiense hybrids are
| | |of lilac or purple
| | |colouring. The influence of
| | |R. caucasicum is most
| | |plainly shown in the rose,
| | |white, and heavily spotted
| | |varieties, whilst it also
| | |imparts some of its sturdy
| | |habit to its progeny. R.
| | |ponticum shares with R.
| | |catawbiense the honour of
| | |producing many of the best
| | |lilacs and purples, but
| | |through so much
| | |intercrossing it is
| | |difficult to trace the
| | |influence of any particular
| | |species in many of the
| | |newer hybrids. In this
| | |group raisers are
| | |fastidious, regarding the
| | |shape of the inflorescence
| | |as of first importance,
| | |that is, a conical truss
| | |of symmetrical outline, the
| | |flowers on short stalks and
| | |held firmly in the truss.
| | |In the Rhododendron dell at
| | |Kew many of these hybrids
| | |are to be seen, and in a
| | |number of the older ones it
| | |is not difficult to trace
| | |the influence of the
| | |various species mentioned.
| | |Some of those which show
| | |much of the catawbiense
| | |character are album
| | |elegans, white with yellow
| | |spots, delicatissimum,
| | |blush, everestianum, lilac
| | |with darker spots,
| | |fastuosum fl. pl., double
| | |lilac, and purpureum
| | |elegans and purpureum
| | |splendens, with
| | |dark-spotted flowers. R.
| | |arboreum blood is very
| | |noticeable in the early
| | |flowering, bright-red
| | |nobleanum, the rich red
| | |russellianum, and
| | |russellianum superbum, the
| | |white dark-spotted Baron
| | |Osy, the blush or almost
| | |white Blanche superb, and
| | |many others, whilst R.
| | |ponticum is in evidence in
| | |a large number of hybrids.
| | |In addition to this group
| | |there are others which,
| | |though not so universally
| | |grown, are quite as
| | |beautiful. For a number of
| | |years other species besides
| | |those worked on to produce
| | |the last-named group
| | |have been taken in hand in
| | |several places, notably at
| | |Tremough by Mr. Gill, and
| | |all who are interested in
| | |shrubs know the great work
| | |accomplished by Messrs.
| | |Anthony Waterer of
| | |Knaphill, John Waterer &
| | |Sons of Bagshot, Wm. Paul &
| | |Son of Waltham Cross,
| | |George Paul of Cheshunt,
| | |Fisher, Son & Sibray of
| | |Sheffield, Messrs. J.
| | |Veitch, and in the Royal
| | |Gardens, Kew.
| | |
R. Thomsoni |Sikkim |Blood red;|R. Thomsoni may be taken as
| |June |a type of a group in which
| | |it has played a great part.
| | |This species is hardy even
| | |near London, and farther
| | |north, but flowers very
| | |early, so much so that
| | |frost frequently destroys
| | |its beauty. It grows from
| | |6 feet to 15 feet, has
| | |broadly ovate leaves and
| | |loose trusses of six or
| | |eight waxy flowers.
| | |
R. Luscombei |Hybrid between |Rich rosy |This was raised by Mr.
|R. Thomsoni and |red; |Luscombe about thirty years
|R. Fortunei |April |ago. It is finely
| | |represented in the
| | |Arboretum at Kew, the
| | |largest specimen being 8
| | |feet high and as much
| | |through. The flowers are in
| | |loose trusses, tubular, 3
| | |inches across, and very
| | |waxy; a handsome hybrid.
| | |
R. F. |Hybrid, same |Deep rose,|This is a Kew-raised
Thiselton-Dyer |cross as |with |hybrid, and very similar to
|Luscombei |darker |Luscombei in growth.
| |mark at |
| |the base |
| |of the |
| |tube |
| | |
*R. Ascot |Raised by |Rich |This is a flower of
Brilliant |Mr. Standish |scarlet; |wonderful colour and the
| |mid and |whole shrub in growth, size
| |late May; |of calyx, texture, and
| |a |clusters reminds one
| |peculiarly|strongly of R. Thomsoni. It
| |brilliant |is of dwarf and bushy
| |colour |growth, and flowers with
| | |great freedom.
| | |
*R. Shilsoni |Raised by Mr. |Crimson |This beautiful hybrid
|Gill, gardener | |combines the good qualities
|to Mr. H. | |of both parents. It
|Shilston, | |resembles R. barbatum in
|Tremough, | |height and R. Thomsoni in
|Penrhyn, | |foliage, and the flower
|Cornwall, | |truss is compact as in the
|between R. | |former parent, with the
|Thomsoni | |larger, more fleshy leaves
|and R. barbatum | |of the latter. It is an
| | |exceptionally fine
| | |Rhododendron for Cornwall,
| | |but at Kew is grown in a
| | |cold house, although a
| | |small plant withstood the
| | |winter of 1901-2 outside
| | |without injury.
| | |
R. Harrisii |A hybrid raised |Red; |This is a hybrid of much
|by Mr. Harris, |early |interest, and flowers
|at one time |Spring |freely when quite small. It
|gardener to Lord| |is apparently quite hardy,
|Swansea; the | |but would be happier in the
|parents are R. | |south than elsewhere.
|Thomsoni and R. | |
|arboreum | |
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