AZALEAS AND CAMELLIAS 47 



CHAPTER IV 



AZALEAS AND CAMELLIAS— FOR ALL WHO LOVE 



THEM 



WHETHER planted for the beauty of the individual spec- 

 imen, for groups in the shrubbery border, for hedges, or 

 for plantations, there is nothing which gives more satisfaction, 

 more beauty, more fragrance than the Azaleas of all kinds. The 

 earliest to bloom shows its color in January and from then until 

 May one after another of the species may be seen. The native. 

 Azalea indica, and the Chinese Azalea amoena^ are both desirable, 

 hardy, evergreen shrubs; the latter being hardy in all the South- 

 ern and Pacific States and the former as far north as New York. 



The Azaleas are very particular as to soil. They prefer a 

 rich, moist, well-drained earth containing leafmold or wood's 

 earth, as near like the swampy woodlands that form their native 

 habitat as it is possible to get. For this reason, also, they ask 

 for protection from the afternoon sun in Summer and the cold, 

 piercing winds of Winter, and do best when planted against a 

 background of trees or shrubbery, a garden or boundary wall, 

 or where they are sheltered by the house. Many city homes 

 face the north, and it is very hard to find plantings that will give 

 satisfactory results under such conditions of shade and dampness 

 as usually prevail there. In this situation, given the soil they 

 need, Azalea indicas are ideal. 



The beautiful colorings in these plants give one wide choice, 

 and it is possible to have not only a succession of bloom in group 

 plantings, but also to have a gorgeous color harmony that ranges 

 from the warm side of the color scale and the deep tones of the 

 glowing crimson, Le Flambeau, the rich rose of Comtesse de 



