AURICULA AZALEA 27 



sets. Seeds sown in February or March should give bloom- 

 ing plants for the next February or March. Keep the 

 plants cool and moist, and away from the direct sun dur- 

 ing the summer. Gardeners usually grow them in frames. 

 In the fall, they are potted into 3-inch or 4-inch pots, and 

 made to bloom either in frames as for violets or in a cool 

 conservatory or greenhouse. In April, after blooming has 

 ceased, repot the plants and treat as the previous year. 

 From the best plants, offsets may be taken and treated the 

 same as seedlings. As with most annual -blooming peren- 

 nials, best results are to be expected with year-old or 2- 

 year-old plants. Auriculas grow 6-8 in. high. Colors white 

 and many shades of red and blue. 



Azaleas are less grown in this country than 

 in Europe, largely because of our hot, dry summers and 

 severe winters. There are two common types or classes, 

 the hardy or Ghent Azaleas, and the Indian Azaleas. 



Ghent Azaleas thrive in the open along the seacoast as 

 far north as southern New England. They require a sandy, 

 peaty soil, and are treated as other shrubs are. The large 

 flower-buds are liable to injury from the warm suns of late 

 winter and early spring, and to avoid this injury the plants 

 are often protected by covers or shades of brush. In the 

 interior country, little attempt is made to flower Azaleas 

 permanently in the open, although they may be grown if 

 carefully tended and well protected. Both Ghent and In- 

 dian Azaleas are excellent pot-plants, for bloom in late 

 winter and spring. The plants are imported in great num- 

 bers from Europe, and it is better to buy these plants than 

 to attempt to propagate them. Pot them up in large -sized 

 pots, keep them cool and backward for a time until they are 

 established, then take them into a conservatory tempera- 

 ture, in \\hich carnations and roses thrive. They should be 

 potted in a soil made of half peat or well decayed mold and 

 half rich loam ; add a little sand. Pot firmly, and be sure 

 to provide sufficient drainage. Keep off red spider by 



