250 TREES AND SHRUBS 



of moisture, and after potting never allow the roots 

 to suffer through dryness. Whether intended for 

 very early flowering or later on, the plants should 

 at first only be taken into a comparatively cool 

 structure, and, if necessary, brought to a greater 

 heat by degrees, and the lower the temperature, say 

 about 55 degrees, the more beautiful the flower 

 colouring ; while, when they are only required in 

 bloom a little before the natural season, mere 

 protection from sharp frosts and keen winds is 

 alone essential. The advantage of early potting 

 is shown conspicuously in the case of Azaleas. The 

 flowers produced by plants that have been potted 

 soon after the leaves have fallen will remain twice 

 as long in beauty as on those not potted until after 

 Christmas. 



In a general way, plants that have been forced 

 hard to get them into flower early cannot be de- 

 pended upon to bloom satisfactorily the following 

 season, no matter how carefully they may have been 

 treated, but those merely brought into bloom a little 

 in advance of those out of doors will undergo the 

 same ordeal next year. Too often, when the flowers 

 are over, the shrubs are put away in some corner 

 and forgotten, and the result is injured leaves and 

 general upset. Shrubs so treated cannot perform 

 their duties in the year following. Shrubs that have 

 finished flowering under glass before the time of 

 frost and cold winds is past should be at first 

 carefully protected and gradually hardened off. 

 Where a cool house is not available, a frame in a 



