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CHAPTER VIII.

AZALEAS. (Azalea Indica.)

As a rule, the azaleas used by the florist are im ported from Europe. They are obtained in the fall, and should be potted at once and placed in a cool room, where they can be shaded for the first few days. While they should be watered sparingly at first, the frequent syringing of the plants should not be neglected. During the winter the plants should be kept in a cool house, and will need careful attention in watering, ventilating and fumigating. The amount of heat they will require will depend upon their condition, and the time the flowers are needed; as a rule, 40 to 45 degrees at night, and ten degrees higher during the day, will be satisfactory. As the principal call for these plants is at Easter, most of them should be brought into flower at that time, but by taking a little pains to accelerate some plants and retard others, their development will be so distributed that they can be had in bloom for several months. While in flower, if in a cool house they will last longer. After flowering, they should not be neglected, as, if they are not given proper attention at this time, they will not make a satisfactory growth, and flower buds will not be formed. They should be kept in a partially shaded house until the middle or last of May, when, if settled weather has come, they should be plunged in some partially protected, but unshaded, place in light, welldrained soil. Marsh hay, or some similar material, will be desirable as a mulch to keep the roots cool and, unless they have been repotted, a thin covering of rotted

manure will be of advantage. Frequent watering and syringing will be necessary, but while they should not be allowed to get dry at the roots, care should be taken not to give them an excess of water, since, plunged as they are, it might be fatal to them. Good results can also be obtained in a well-ventilated and partially shaded greenhouse.

For the use of the florist, at least one-half of the plants should be white and the others mostly pink or

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FIG. 48. AZALEA IN COMPACT FORM.

salmon, although a few scarlet and variegated ones will be valuable in the collection. Deutsche Perle is one of the best early whites, and Bernhard Andrea alba will also be satisfactory. Vervæneana, Imperatrice des Indes and Simon Mardner are among the best pink and rose sorts, while Cocarde Orange, scarlet, and Mme. Camille Van Langhenhove, variegated, have shown up well. Aza

leas succeed well in a soil composed of one part each of fibrous peat, rotten peat and garden loam, with the addition of sand in proportion to the character of the soil. In Fig. 48 is shown a well-grown azalea, with a compact head, while Fig. 49 shows a more open form, which would be preferred by many. The principal enemies of the azalea are the red spider and thrip, for which remedies are given elsewhere, together with descriptions of the insects themselves.

HYDRANGEAS.

As a house plant, or for the florist, to be used for purposes of decoration, the hydrangea is always desirable. Coming as it does at Easter, it can be used to good advantage for decoration, or in baskets or designs of cut flowers, and the sale of plants in five-, six-, or seven-inch pots is generally large, and at remunerative prices. As a rule, there will be a demand for the plants as late as May or June, which will enable the florist to clean out the plants that were late in coming into bloom. It is well to have the plants out of the way as early as possible, in order to make room for other plants.

Hydrangeas are readily propagated from half-hard cuttings, struck at any time from February to June; for Easter sales they should be in the cutting bed as early as March. After being potted off they can be handled in various ways, that requiring least care being to plant them out as soon as the weather permits, in the open ground, where they should be mulched and watered if the season is dry. To secure bushy plants, they should be headed back, and the branches pinched once; late pinching will destroy the flower buds which should form the first season. As autumn approaches, they should be taken up and potted, using pots of generous size. To ripen the wood, they should be placed in cold frames, where they should have abundant ventilation,

the glass being removed on bright days. Thorough ripening is necessary, if the best results are desired.

When the weather gets cold, they should be placed in a cool greenhouse, or should be packed away in a cool pit, where they should be kept in a dormant condition until January. About twelve weeks will be required to bring them into flower, and the time of starting them will depend upon the date at which Easter, or any other

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FIG. 49. AZALEA WITH AN OPEN HEAD.

occasion for which they are desired, comes. At first, they should be given 50 to 55 degrees at night; this may soon be raised to 60 or 65 degrees, and even 70 degrees may be given, if necessary, in order to bring them into bloom in time. After they are thoroughly started, the plants will use a large amount of water and should not be stinted. When they have filled the pots with roots, they should receive liquid manure two or three times a week and a top-dressing of half an inch of well-rotted

manure will be of advantage to the plants. At no time during their growth should they be crowded as, for the best development, they need an abundance of room. In order to form a symmetrical plant, the branches should be staked, and if the shoots are too thick the weaker ones should be removed. In order to harden the plants, as soon as the flowers have expanded, they

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should be given a lower temperature and an abundance of air.

Another method is to grow the plants in pots, plunged in the ground out of doors. Here they will require the same care as when planted in the ground, except that more attention to watering them should be given. By July they should be large enough to be shifted

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