AZALEAS 355 
Tn this country auriculas are usually propagated by seed, as for 
cineraria; but special varieties are perpetuated by offsets. Seeds 
sown in February or March should give blooming plants for the next 
February or March. Keep the plants cool and moist, and away from 
the direct sun during the summer. Gardeners usually grow them in 
frames. In the fall, they are potted into 3-in. or 4-in. 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. As with most annual-blooming peren- 
nials, best results are to be expected with year-old or two-year-old 
plants. Auriculas grow 6-8 in. high. Colors white and many shades 
of red and blue. 
Azaleas are excellent outdoor and greenhouse shrubs, and are some- 
times seen in windows. They 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 of azaleas: the hardy or 
Ghent azaleas, and the Indian azaleas. The latter are the familiar 
large-flowered azaleas of conservatories and window-gardens. 
Ghent azaleas thrive in the open along the seacoast as far north 
as southern New England. They require a sandy peaty soil, but 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 perma- 
nently in the open, although they may be grown if carefully tended 
and well protected. 
Both Ghent and Indian azaleas are excellent pot-plants for bloom 
in late winter and spring. The plants are imported in great numbers 
from Europe in fall, 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 temperature in which carnations and roses thrive. 
They should be potted in a soil 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 syringing. 
After blooming, the plants may be thinned by pruning out the 
