370 
THE INDIAN AZALEA. 
proper way is to do all the distortion while 
the plant is growing, for of a bad business it 
is making the best. "We are no friends to 
distortions of any kind, we only recognise 
proper, legitimate, natural modes of growing 
plants. Nature will sometimes make a stand- 
ard, and at other times a bush of the same kind 
of plant, and we care not how we see a plant 
grown, so that it imitate nature, even if it be- 
in some of her freaks. But to have a plant 
that is naturally a bush forming a flat shield, 
out of all character, and with a mass of flowers 
but no leaves in sight, on a dead flat surface, 
resembling nothing in nature, is to us a bore. 
We have no objection to growing the azalea 
as a standard, as a tall shrub, or a dwarf bush ; 
all these may be formed by nature herself, 
and, consequently, there is no harm in fol- 
lowing her in her most rare and beautiful 
works. 
TO FORM A STANDARD . 
Select a plant with one good upright stem, 
however many lateral branches maybe growing 
out of it. Cut off the lower lateral branches 
close to the centre stem ; as the plant is shifted 
and grows taller, so others of the lateral shoots 
may be taken off; and every two or three 
lateral branches that come out at the top will 
enable you to remove lower ones, until the 
head of the plant is all new growth, and con- 
tinues to grow upwards. Of course the lateral 
branches removed, must be cut very clean and 
neat from the main stem, which must be free 
from spurs or snags. There must always be 
left a few branches towards the top, but the 
object being to gain height, the vigour of the 
plant must be thrown into the top branches, 
and as soon as the lower ones can be spared, 
have them off. So far as this goes, the plant 
need only be shifted as often as it fills jthe pot 
with roots, and continued in its growth. If 
the main stem exhibits any weakness, fasten it 
to a good upright stake thrust in the pot. 
When it has arrived at about the height you 
require, take off the top, and shorten all the 
side shoots. This will occasion lateral shoots 
to grow from all the shortened branches, and 
upon the choice of these, or such of them as 
are best adapted to form the permanent 
branches, depends much of the beauty of the 
future tree. In the next growth, therefore, 
of these shoots, such of them as cross each 
other, or grow inwards or upwards, may be 
either shortened or taken away altogether. 
The object is to leave branches growing out- 
wards on all sides, and to shorten them where 
you want side shoots to thicken the head ; but 
as side shoots will grow naturally, even when 
the main stems are not shortened, we should 
always allow for a little thickening. Upon 
the natural habit of the plant depends how 
large the head may be grown. Some are of 
a weeping habit naturally, and make but a 
small head ; others more robust, are enabled 
to form a good bold tree-like head, and ac- 
cording to their size ought their height to be 
regulated. Standards have been made for 
weeping roses and cytisus, not inapplicable to 
these, something like the skeleton of an um- 
brella, in iron ; by this means, the first or main 
branches would be supported, and the pendent 
shoots, falling over it, and beyond it, would 
look very graceful. But many of the varieties 
of Azalea inclica are robust enough*to require 
no help beyond an upright to support the stem. 
The great object is to so form the main 
branches of the head, as to enable us to prune 
and regulate every year directly after the 
bloom, so that the new growth shall form 
always a pretty nearly close head of foliage, 
every point of which, if properly managed, 
will set for flowers while the standard is grow- 
ing ; after losing the lateral shoots below, small 
shoots will come out all up the stem. These 
must be rubbed off as they first form, but there 
will be no difficulty about managing the head 
according to the taste of the cultivator. No 
head ought to be smaller when full grown, 
than the diameter the same as the length of 
the upright stem; in other words, just as much 
across from one side of the head to the other, 
as the stem is from the pot to the under side 
of the head. 
AS PYRAMIDAL, OR NATURAL BUSHES. 
In this case the plant to be selected should 
have a leader, and be allowed to grow its own 
way, except that when any shoot is more 
vigorous than the rest, and seems inclined to 
take more than its share of nourishment away 
from other parts, that shoot ought to be 
shortened very materially, or cut clean away, 
according as the space it occupied required it 
or not ; at all events it must be shortened far 
enough back to allow of its more vigorous^ 
lateral shoots growing without disturbing the 
form. If any branches cross each other or 
come too thick, there is no harm in cutting 
some clean out. Some kinds are naturally 
tall growing, — the three original kinds are, — 
and it will require but a short time to grow 
phoenicea, alba, and coccinea, six feet high, 
if it were desirable; but while we recom- 
mend the pyramidal, we object to rapid growth. 
We dislike the one-shift system, we object to 
heat ; to be growing freely and healthily is all 
we care about ; shifting them from time to 
time as they fill their pots with roots, and 
watering, covering or uncovering them at 
proper times, so as to give them all the 
benefit of air, proper moisture, and protection 
from cold winds and frost, are all that we care 
about. 
