A Monograph of Azaleas: Rhododendron Subgenus Anthodendron (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from A Monograph of Azaleas: Rhododendron Subgenus AnthodendronThe value of Azaleas as garden plants in the eastern United States, where few of the Rhododendrons with persistent leaves can be successfully cultivated, has led to the critical studies of these plants which appear on the following pages.Mr. Wilson's long journeys in eastern Asia has made it possible for him to study all the species of the Japanese Empire and China as wild plants, and to become familiar with the Azaleas growing in Japanese gardens. For many years the Arboretum has been engaged in a field study of the American species, and has been able to place at Mr. Rehder's disposal the large amount of material which is preserved in this herbarium, and which has been supplemented by that contained in other American collections.The Azaleas of northern Japan and Korea, and of the northern United States, are already growing in the Arboretum, but the gardens of the southern states and of California have still much to gain by the introduction of the species of the southern states and those of southern Japan, China, and Formosa, and this publication will not have accomplished its purpose if it fails to induce the more general cultivation of these plants in the United States and Europe.The art of the hybridizer has produced many interesting and beautiful Azaleas. Imperfect records have made the study of many of these hybrids difficult and uncertain, and this difficulty is increased by the fact that many of them are no longer cultivated unless, having escaped the change of fashion in plants, they are still growing in English gardens, planted about the middle of the last century, and I venture to suggest to my associates in the English Rhododendron Society that the study of Azaleas in European gardens might add much to the knowledge of the origin and value of many of these plants.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.