114 OTHER AMEEICAN PLANTS. 



it. Early volumes of some illustrated horticultural 

 works figure all Azaleas as Rhododendrons. 



The genus Azalea has also been extended by other 

 botanists so as to include many plants which the 

 best authorities now give to other genera. As now 

 defined, the genus is confined to about twenty 

 species, natives of Asia and North America, all 

 shrubs, mostly with large showy flowers, which, 

 both from their beauty and fragrance, are popular 

 ornaments of our gardens and shrubberies. 



The tender species are well-known greenhouse 

 plants, and both these and the hardy kinds have in 

 cultivation developed many very beautiful varieties. 



Those that are hardy thrive best in Rhododendron 

 soil, and need the same general culture as prescribed 

 for Rhododendrons. They grow freely, flower pro- 

 fusely, and need only to be kept from drought to do 

 well. They are all. deciduous, and thei'efore, where 

 a mass of foliage is wanted for the winter, should 

 not be mixed with Rhododendrons. We prefer to 

 plant them in masses by themselves ; although when 

 in Ijloom, and during the summer, they combine 

 well with other American plants. As specimens 

 and standards, they are very handsome ; always 

 blooming well, and forming a conspicuous feature in 

 the garden. All the species are propagated easily 

 by inarching, grafting, or by cuttings of the "half- 

 ripened shoots, which root readily under a bell- 

 glass in sandy peat. The hardy kinds are also 

 increased by layers, in the same manner as Rhodo- 

 dendrons. New varieties are obtained from seed, 

 \\'hich should be sown in sandy peat, as directed for 

 Rhododendrons. 



