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May 4, 1006. 



The Weekly Flonsts^ Review* 



J443 



dense mass of blooms and show them all. 

 This form the Belgians and Germans pro- 

 duce by pinching while the young plants 

 are making a vigorous summer's growth 

 in the beds which have been saturated 

 with manure for years. The small but 

 tough, wiry growth of the azalea lends it- 

 self rsadily to any desired form and the 

 British gardener, perhaps also the con- 

 tinental, prides himself on his grand 

 specimen azaleas trained in pyramidal 

 form. These wonderful specimens cannot 

 be produced in a few years. It is a 

 work of many years and infinite skill 

 and labor. 



A moderate or small sized plant is 

 taken in hand and one or two strong 

 growths encouraged to be leaders. The 

 lateral growths are tied down, for a 

 specimen must be perfect from the rim of 

 the pot to the pinnacle, shoots tied into 

 vacant spaces, etc., and so year by year 

 a perfect outline is formed. We have 

 often seen specimens six feet high and 

 perhaps three feet in diameter at the 

 base. Such plants are very common in 

 private gardens. 



We have a rather hazy recollection that 

 at the great Vienna exhibition some thir- 

 ty years ago, Benjamin S. Williams, the 

 famous London nurseryman, exhibited 

 twelve wonderful pyramid specimen 

 azaleas and old Kaiser Wilhelm, of Ger- 

 many, purchased them for £1,200. Please 

 let no one take me up on date or city 

 or what kind of an emperor it was, for I 

 will not be positive, but I will swear that 

 there were twelve azaleas and they 

 brought $6,000. About $500 for each of 

 these azaleas seems a "juicy" price, but 

 if 3'ou consider the years (perhaps thir- 

 ty) they had been growing and all the 

 skill and labor expended on them there 

 \>"a9 nothing in the least extravagant 

 about thef price, whatever you may think 

 of the sum. 



The Europeans used to think that a 

 mixture of fibrous, turfy loam and peat, 

 the latter most essential, was the only 

 compost to grow these fine azaleas. The 

 peat found in so many localities there 

 is undoubtedly most congenial to the fine, 

 hairlike roots of the azalea, but yet I 

 feel sure fine healthy azaleas can be 

 grown without it. Good, turfy loam, sod 

 stacked up just long enough to kill the 

 grass roots, and one-third of leaf-mold, 

 genuine decay^ leaves, and perfect 

 drainage will grdvr azaleas. 



All Ericacious \»]ants, and the azalea 

 is one, have an antipathy to lime, and 

 soil from a limeston^^ district should not 

 be used. Shifting should always be done 

 soon after flowering, for then growth be- 

 gins, and always should shifting be done 

 carefully and firmly, removing all old 

 crocks and soil that was unoccupied with 

 roots. Neither do they want shifting un- 

 less you are sure the pots are well filled 

 with roots. Time was when azaleas were 

 stood under trees or lattice houses dur- 

 ing summer. We all know better now. 

 They love the fullest light and brightest 

 sun, with one big "if." If you don't 

 neglect them for water. From the time 

 they start into active growth in the 

 spring until the growth is matured and 

 the buds set in early fall, they want copi- 

 ous watering. In the winter months and 

 a low temperature they need less water, 

 but at any season they are injured or 

 killed by a severe drying out. Let 's grow 

 some specimen pyramidal azaleas to show 

 what we can do and exhibit at the next 

 World's Fair on Long Island, N. Y., in 

 3919. William Soott. 



Azalea Dr. Metzger, Grown in Pyramidal Form. 



PYRAMIDAL AZALEAS. 



The pyramidal form of azalea is very 

 popular with the patrons of the retail 

 florists. At Easter larger numbers than 

 ever before weref shown and sold readily 

 at better prices than the familiar "um- 

 brella-shaped" plants. Of course the 

 average retailer cannot sell the great spec- 

 imens which are sometimes seen in pri- 

 vate conservatories, the average city store 

 preferring plants from a foot and a 

 half to three feet high. Just as novelty 

 in any particular is appreciated, so many 

 buyers seize upon these pyramidal azaleas 

 as a welcome departure from the stereo- 

 typed form. The accompanying illustra- 

 tion is from a plant of Azalea Dr. Metz- 

 ger, double, deep pink, photographed at 

 the establishment of C. A. Samuelson, 

 Chicago, at Easter. He had a number 

 specially grown for him. 



SAXIFRAGA SARMENTOSA. 



This old-fashioned plant is known 

 commonly as "mother of thousands," 

 and was once immensely popular for 

 the greenhouse, and as a window plant. 

 Excellent specimens may be grown in 

 pots, but it does best in baskets, as then 

 its real beauty is luUy displayed, says a 

 writer in the Gardeners' Magazine. 



It is an accommodating plant, of easy 

 culture, and one that sustains no injiuy 

 through a long sojourn in dwelling- 

 rooms; indeed, many excellent specimens 

 are grown year after year in cottage 

 windows. Well-grown plants have dark 

 green leaves prettily mottled with white, 

 and these are surmounted by tali branch- 

 ing panicles of delicate white blossonas, 

 while numerous thread-Iiko ruuucra. stud- 

 ded here and there with plantlets, de- 

 pend gracefully, thus lending grace to 



