26 



THE FLORISTS' MANUAL. 



that their azalea has shriveled up or 

 the flowers are wilted is nothing but 

 the insufficiency of water. Especially 

 is this the case with the plants when 

 sold the winter following their im- 

 portation. When in a temperature of 

 over 50 degrees or when any forcing is 

 attempted, the plants should be well 

 syringed at least once, or better, twice 

 a day. 



Mealy bug often attacks azaleas. 

 Plenty of syringing will keep them 

 down. Thrip and red spider are also 

 very bothersome to them, but neither 

 of these would appear if syringing 

 were faithfully observed. They can 

 be removed by a syringing of the to- 

 bacco extract. The Rose Leaf Extract 



previous summer's growth. Place them 

 in a light, warm house, and syringe 

 frequently. When cutting back, see 

 that the soil is in good shape and the 

 drainage in order. By the first of June 

 they will have made a good growth; 

 that growth is what gives you the 

 bloom the following winter. From 

 the first to the middle of June plunge 

 them out-of-doors in the broad sun. 

 The pots should be plunged in some 

 material to the rim, but in a place 

 where water won't remain dur- 

 ing heavy rains to unduly 

 soak the roots. Over the sur- 

 face of the pots spread an inch 

 of rotted refuse hops or rotted stable 

 manure. In this position they will do 



Indian Azalea. 



diluted 50 to 1 will do. It is a general 

 belief that tobacco smoke injures the 

 foliage. It may be so, and it is well 

 to avoid it, but I have seen little evi- 

 dence that it injured the azalea. 



During January, February and 

 March the plants imported the pre- 

 vious autumn have a great inclina- 

 tion to make a growth before they 

 develop their flowers. If tlhlis growth 

 is not rubbed off the flower will be so 

 weakened by the strong young growth 

 that it will amount to nothing. 



Many growers would rather import 

 every year, and if they had plants left 

 over in the spring, throw them away. 

 To the man who grows but a few 

 dozen this is likely to be the most 

 profitable way of doing business; but 

 where there is enough to warrant sys- 

 tematic care, it should not be done, 

 for the second, third or even tenth 

 year they are a more satisfactory plant 

 to the purchaser than those just im- 

 ported. With good but not necessarily 

 costly care the azalea attains a good 

 size and flourishes for many years. 



Plants of the previous autumn's im- 

 portation that are unsold the next 

 spring, and are frequently in bad 

 shape from neglect in stores, should 

 be cut back quite severely, even to the 



till the end of September, or till there 

 is danger of frost. They want faith- 

 ful attendance in watering, never to 

 be killing dry and in hot weather a 

 daily syringing. 



If it is desired to grow on some 

 plants a number of years to make fine 

 specimens, the above treatment in 

 most respects will do, but there are a 

 few exceptions. Plants established in 

 pots will seldom need those early 

 growths rubbed off, for they have not 

 the inclination to make them; neither 

 will they want the hard cutting back 

 every spring, the growth they make 

 after flowering being sufficient for the 

 next year, and stopping strong 

 growths to keep the plant in good 

 shape is all that is needed. 



Azaleas by training and tying easily 

 conform to almost any shape. They 

 are beautiful if left to grow quite nat- 

 urally. They are easily kept by pinch- 

 ing and stopping in what may be call- 

 ed umbrella form, but are grand when 

 trained in pyramidal form. Few cul- 

 tivated plants can equal a well flow- 

 ered azalea four or five feet in diam- 

 eter at base, tapering to two feet at 

 top and six or seven feet high. 



The Ghent or American azaleas are 

 hardy deciduous shrubs. The flowers 



appear in great abundance before the 

 leaves are developed. They are now 

 imported in large quantities for Easter 

 sales and are very handsome plants. If 

 forced early enough for Easter the 

 flowers are fairly durable, but in the 

 warm days of May they drop quickly. 

 The shades of color are all beautiful 

 and range from pure white to red. 

 Many of the pink and orange varie- 

 ties are grand in color and when dec- 

 orated with suitable ribbon are most 

 attractive in our stores and sell well. 

 The plants arrive with the Indian 

 azaleas and should receive a soaking 

 at the roots and then be potted and 

 stored away in a cold-frame till they 

 are wanted to force. The time needed 

 to bring them into flower will depend 

 upon how early the season is, and 

 more still on the temperature of your 

 house. In a house with a night tem- 

 perature of 55 degrees allow about 

 seven weeks. Any soil will do for 

 them, as it will not pay to carry them 

 over the season unsold. It will be 

 much cheaper to import fresh stock. 

 Our nurserymen recommend them 

 strongly for planting out, and where 

 the rhododendron does well the hardy 

 azalea will also thrive, but in many 

 places they are an entire disappoint- 

 ment and you should be careful about 

 commending them to your patrons. 



BALSAM. 



In Europe, or the more northern 

 parts of it, the balsams are often seen 

 grown in pots. - With us they do so 

 well out of doors that they are not 

 thought of enough importance to culti- 

 vate except for the borders and large 

 beds. Twenty years ago when more 

 flowers were used with short stems 

 the white balsam was largely grown 

 by all of us for use in designs. They 

 were then carefully kept free of side 

 shoots and bore on their main stem 

 fine double flowers. They are seldom 

 grown now for that purpose, but are 

 still favorites wiWi many on account 

 of their freedom in flowering, strong 

 growth and gay appearance in the 

 mixed border. In large grounds where 

 to fill up is the chief object the bal- 

 sam is most suitable. 



For cultivation of young plants see 

 Aster, but remember that the balsam 

 'is a very tender plant and instead of 

 the cold-frame should have a light, 

 warm house or the hot-bed. They are 

 very strong growing and should have 

 a deep, rich soil, plenty of water, and 

 they deserve a space of at least 18 

 inches each way. The seed is most 

 easily saved and if you select your 

 flowers and save from the finest you 

 will in a few years have as good a 

 strain as can be procured anywhere. 



BAY TREES. 



The Sweet Bay (Laurus nobilis) has 

 been imported from Belgium to this 

 country in large numbers the past 15 

 or 20 years. Although the rather stiff, 

 formal shapes into which they are 

 trimmed/ and to which they so readily 

 conform are entirely inappropriate in 

 the decoration of a drawing room, yet 

 there are many situations where they 



