330 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN 



tains a number of buds. If you do not take care of the 

 plant these will wither and drop off, though with reasonable 

 treatment they should nearly all make flowers for some 

 weeks to come. 



Keep your azalea in a cool place — that is the first step 

 toward preserving it. There is very little danger of its 

 being too cool. Give it plenty of fresh air; there is no 

 danger of giving it too much so long as direct cold drafts 

 are avoided. A gas-laden atmosphere will very quickly 

 ruin such blossoms and buds as there may be. 



By all means guard against the plant's drying out; it 

 will require, while blooming, an abundance of water. The 

 soil in which azaleas are potted is of such color and texture 

 that it does not show lack of moisture so plainly as that 

 used for other potted plants; furthermore, the fibrous 

 roots are so thickly matted as to make the soil almost 

 impervious to water once it becomes dry. The surest and 

 easiest way to get the soil moist is to set the whole pot in 

 a basin or a tub of water until it has absorbed all that it 

 will. If the flowers begin to fade it is a pretty sure sign 

 that the soil is getting too dry. 



To Make Azaleas Bloom Again 



So much for saving the flowers and buds that are on the 

 azalea when you get it. An equally beautiful display 

 during a large part of next winter is quite possible, but 

 you should make preparations for next year's blooms as 

 soon as this year's wither and fall. Secure from a neighbor- 

 ing florist, or mix for yourself, a soil made up of sand, leaf 

 mold and garden loam in equal proportions, with rotted 

 peat added to about double the bulk. Shift the plant to a 

 pot only about one size larger than that in which it has 

 been growing. Have the new pot thoroughly crocked or 

 drained, preferably with charcoal. Break up the old ball 

 of roots with the fingers, and shake off or wash off a good 

 part of the soil. Place it in position in the new pot, sift 

 in a little of the prepared earli round it, and ram it dowi^ 



