couragement in England, that of having them as standards, and 
yet, where there is a large conservatory, they make a fine dis¬ 
play thus treated. When placed amongst fine-foliaged plants, 
the stem is hidden by the plants in front of it, and its bright 
colouring shows well at the back of the stage. Some excel¬ 
lently-trained plants of this description were exhibited by M. 
Margottin, of Bourg-la-Reine, at the Paris Exhibition of PXor- 
ti culture, and were deservedly admired, although, from being 
* placed on the ground, they could not be seen to that advantage 
that they would have been in the position we allude to. It 
may, of course, be said that we can grow large Azaleas, which 
will have all that effect; but for them we shall have to wait 
many years, while these plants are soon obtained, and moreover, 
they take up so very little room, in comparison with large spe¬ 
cimens, that it gives them an additional advantage. 
Azalea , Madame A. Verschaffelt , or Surprise , is thus noticed in 
the Proceedings of the Royal Horticultural Society:—“ A very 
handsome decorative sort, of Belgian origin. The flowers were 
of a veiny pink, paler and frilled at the edge, and conspicuously 
marked with a large deep-red blotch of spots on the upper seg¬ 
ment.” It received a second-class certificate under its synonym 
of Madame Verschaffelt. 
