PLANTING AND TRANSPLANTING : Page 105

Rhododendrons should never be planted in a location where the soilaround the roots will dry out. They should be sheltered from themorning sun and also from extreme exposures of wind. During mostof the growing season the falling of the dew as a result of the con-densation of the moisture in the atmosphere causes little globules ofwater to remain on the surface of the leaves during the night. Theseparticles of moisture are slowly evaporated during the early part of themorning. The rays of the early morning sun coming in direct contactwith the leaves of rhododendrons on which these particles of moistureare still present are concentrated and focused by these many little"lenses" and cause a burning of the surface of the leaves which in thecase of rhododendrons is extremely injurious to the plant. This is oneof the most important reasons why rhododendrons with their sensi-tive leaf surface should not be exposed to the direct rays of the earlymorning sun, at least until after the heat of the day has caused anevaporation of the particles of moisture remaining on the leavesfrom the previous night. The baking out of the soil around the rootsis extremely injurious to them. If this soil can be maintained at aneven, cool temperature, their normal growth is better assured duringthe summer. They are not so much injured because of the cold, butbecause of the intense sun which causes evaporation of moisture fromthe leaves at a time when the ground is frozen and at a time when theplants are unable to replace this loss of moisture by additional water