756 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
August 1st, 1885. 
GREENHOUSE AZALEAS. 
Those -who were in the habit of seeing the Azaleas 
that used to be exhibited at the principal horticultural 
shows some years ago, often make the remark that 
these plants are not now nearly so well brought out 
as they used to be. And few, I think, who are in a 
position to give an opinion in the matter, will question 
the correctness of the assertion. Why it should be so 
seems difficult to determine ; for although the present 
race of hybrid Azaleas that have sprung from the Indian 
species have been sometimes represented as the plants 
best calculated to test the skill of the hard-wooded 
plant-grower, still I do not think they have any claim 
to be such. Not only are they much less liable to get 
into an unhealthy condition than many other things 
that might be named; but, in addition, they are 
naturally much longer lived than the majority of 
hard-wooded subjects that are cultivated in pots ; that 
is, providing they receive treatment such as is requisite 
to their well-being. It is to the absence of this treat¬ 
ment that I think is traceable the indifferent condition 
which Azaleas are often seen in, alike when grown for 
ordinary decorative purposes as on the exhibition 
stage. 
In determining the course of cultivation that any 
plant is to be subjected to, it is necessary to give some 
consideration to the conditions that it exists under in 
a state of nature, for though the hybrid Azaleas in 
question are, like most other plants that have origi¬ 
nated from crossing natural species, stronger in con¬ 
stitution than their progenitors, still their nature 
is little changed. Coming, as the original kinds do 
from the hill districts of India, where they are subject’ 
to a long summer and a good deal of heat and mois¬ 
ture, it follows that to have them in a satisfactory 
state something similar in the line of treatment must 
be pursued; in place of which it oftener than not 
happens that they have to submit to something widely 
different. Take, for instance, such as have to be kept 
quite cool so as not to allow them to flower until May 
or June, in the way exhibition plants to come in for 
the principal shows must be. Plants kept back as late 
as this, to do them justice, require afterwards to be 
kept the summer, and well into the autumn, in a house 
that is warm enough by economising all the sun-heat 
possible, and the use of a little fire in cool, dull weather, 
to enable them to make growth and plump up the 
buds as they require to be, and without which the next 
season’s flowers will be both much fewer and much 
smaller individually than they should be. One of the 
principal causes of Azaleas that are used for late 
blooming, either for decorative use or exhibiting, 
flowering indifferently, is through the wood and buds 
not getting hardened up before the cool autumn 
weather comes on, when there is not enough warmth 
to admit of this. Where the plants are in this state, 
when the season for further maturing them is past, 
quantities of the then half-ripened buds go blind 
before spring, whereas, when they are plump and 
hard, nothing less than bad treatment will cause them 
to fail in this way. 
Regarding Azaleas that have bloomed as late as the 
middle of April and later, and that are turned out in 
the open air in the summer with their young shoots 
soft and the buds not set, in the way that great 
numbers are treated it is no wonder that the flowers 
the following spring, if even they are numerous 
enough, do not come more than half the size they 
should do. With plants that have been forced to come 
into bloom early in the winter, and that consequently 
are afterwards kept in a temperature more or less 
calculated to promote growth, the buds have time to 
set and get matured early, in which case, turning 
them out-of-doors will not be much detriment, 
although, for my own part, unless where the growth 
had been so accelerated that there was reason to 
suppose the plants would come into flower before 
they were wanted, I would rather have them under 
cover. 
Another matter of equal importance in the cultiva¬ 
tion of Azaleas to that of getting the buds full sized 
before winter, is that the leaves are never allowed to 
suffer through the attacks of insects—thrips and red- 
spider. If these pests are allowed to remain even for 
a short time on the plants they weaken them, through 
the injury they do to the leaves, in a way that always 
shows itself in the bloom the season following, espe¬ 
cially in the colour of the flowers, which, when the 
plants have suffered in this manner, are always 
deficient in colour. 
The immense plants of old kinds of Azaleas which 
several of the market-growers of cut-flowers have— 
some of which are fifty years old—and so large that 
they cannot be got out of the houses in which they 
are grown, and although forced every year to bloom 
early do not get to coming in too soon, are sufficient 
evidence that, with right management, early forced 
Azaleas do not require to be turned out-of-doors 
to prevent their coming into bloom sooner than 
wanted the season following.— T. Baines. 
- a—- 'TZ < ^ST - ■ _p — 
CROXBY HOUSE GARDENS, 
HOUNSLOW. 
Until that very highly esteemed member of the 
nursery trade, the late Mr. Charles Lee, of the famous 
Hammersmith firm of that name, took up his resi¬ 
dence in the High Street, Hounslow, and possession 
of the large expanse of enclosed garden behind, few 
perhaps had heard of the gardens above named. But 
Mr. Lee, who was not merely an able and successful 
tradesman, but also an enthusiastic horticulturalist, 
resolved to utilize these gardens for many experimen¬ 
tal purposes, and being favoured with what is un¬ 
questionably a good natural soil, proceeded to plant 
numerous kinds of fruit and other trees, especially in 
standard form, his object being, living then in a 
market garden district, to discover how far certain 
kinds of hardy fruits, not common in market orchards, 
might be found suitable for that purpose, and thus 
aid the introduction into that section of fruit culture 
of kinds superior to and more profitable than are 
many now in common cultivation. 
How far Mr. Lee was successful it would be difficult 
to say in his lamented absence ; but the present sea¬ 
son seems so far to have favoured fruit production on 
the numerous fine trees he has left behind, that some 
tangible information may well be looked for later in 
the season. In any ease we shall have in this quest 
the assistance of Mr. Thompson, for many years Mr. 
Lee’s able gardener, and who happily still conducts 
the gardens now that Messrs. W. & E. Wells, market 
gardeners, have them in occupation. One thing cer¬ 
tain is that very many assumed good kinds, especially 
of Pears, were found wanting in the needful require¬ 
ments, and soon had their heads removed, to be 
replaced by others of more value, for happily there is 
this divergence between vegetable and animal life, 
that if in the latter case a bad head, which it is well 
for the benefit of society should be taken off, is 
usually allied to a vicious body, and both are best out 
of the way, the body of some fruit tree which has a 
bad head may have a better one put on to it by the 
simple process of grafting, and thus combination is 
obtained, which is almost always productive of excel¬ 
lent results. If the same process could be carried out 
in the human family it would not be difficult to find 
many a walking tree that would greatly benefit by 
grafting. 
But leaving the hardy fruits for the present, and 
until the produce is in a more advanced condition, we 
are content to allude just now to the very successful 
efforts made by the Messrs. Wells through Mr. Thomp¬ 
son to introduce the culture of market fruits and 
vegetables under glass, as seen in Strawberries, 
Peaches, Grapes, Tomatos, and Cucumbers; also 
Chrysanthemums in the autumn. The chief Grape 
grown for market is Madresfield Court, and admirably 
it is done. The bunches are large, and in almost all 
cases of the correct tapering order, the berries very 
fine indeed and richly coloured ; the crop is good, and 
there is no cracking. Worked on the Black Hamburgh, 
which seems to make a capital stock for the Madres¬ 
field, the finest berries and of course bunches are found, 
whilst on its own roots, though the berries are rather 
smaller the colour is deeper. The Vines are somewhat 
heavily cropped, as is the wont of market growers, 
and it may interest some to learn that good samples 
of this grand Grape always secure a much higher price 
in the market than do the abundantly grown 
Hamburgh. 
The roots are in outside borders, and it is well such 
is the case, for Mr. Thompson holds that the primary 
cause of cracking with this Grape is found in not 
merely excessive but in even slight moisture. For 
that reason not only is air given both above and below 
night and day during the ripening period, but that 
also every effort is made to keep down moisture, and 
nothing requiring water is left in the house, the floor 
being kept as dry as possible. Mr. Thompson 
mentioned that on the Sunday preceding our visit, 
heavy rain fell somewhat suddenly, and the top lights 
were hurriedly closed to prevent any moisture enter¬ 
ing the house. Yet in spite of this precaution, enough 
entered to cause several berries on a bunch to crack, 
just where the moisture was felt. It is obvious that 
with inside borders water must be liberally given during 
the ripening period as at other times, and that would 
act injuriously on the berries. The vinery is not over¬ 
done with heating power, but the Vines are started 
early, and at the time of our visit the crop had been 
largely thinned and sold. 
A large lean-to Peach-house, having originally a 
front elevation of only 4 ft. in height, had a year or 
two since its roof bodily lifted 3 ft. higher, that extent 
of erect frontage being let in. Thus we find a house 
60 ft. long and now with vertical training-room for the 
trees some 15 ft. in height, and the house is practically 
filled by three splendid trees, each about 19 ft. in 
length, which have been planted eight years. One is 
Gross Mignonne and two Violet Hative. There is not 
an atom of decaying or dubious wood about them, 
all is luxuriant — growth and leafage. The crop 
at the time of our visit had been marketed, but 
we could well accept the assurance that it had been a 
grand one. Market growers do not as a rule thin so 
hard as private gardeners, hence their fruits are not 
always so large, indeed good sound Peaches of fail- 
size find a more ready sale than do very big ones. 
A long lean-to house 100 ft. by 13 ft. full of 
Tomatos in full growth and bearing is a very interest¬ 
ing sight. This house was started early in the spring, 
being then planted for the first time. A slightly 
raised ridge of soil runs along the front, on which are 
planted at intervals of about 13 ins. plants of one of 
the old forms of Tomatos, the name of which is not 
known, but it is a marvellous cropper, plants during 
the season carrying 20 lbs. of fruit each, fruit large, 
rich in colour, and somewhat sutured. Many fruits 
resemble those of Trophy, but always show a full and 
slightly raised centre, whilst those of Trophy almost 
always show a hollow centre. These plants are all 
rigidly pruned hard to a single stem, and the robust 
growth and grand crops of fruit testify to the excel¬ 
lence of the method. Each plant is tied to a stake 
fastened to the wires above, and has reached an height 
of 5 ft. Standing on the floor of the house are three 
rows of Trophy in 11-in. pots, all trained to single 
stems also, and fruiting marvellously. The best price 
is always obtained for good, even-sized fruits, well 
coloured, and from 5 ozs. to 6 ozs. each. Mr. Thomp¬ 
son once gathered a fruit weighing 20 ozs. 
Two adjoining span-roof houses of the same length 
and width, and which were in the spring and early 
summer filled with pot Strawberries, now have grow- 
ing finely Tomatos in the one, and Cucumbers in the 
other. In both cases a ridge of soil has been laid up 
on the shelves on either side, and in this the plants 
root freely, and are growing luxuriantly. The Cucum¬ 
bers are Telegraph, and full of fruit, very long samples 
are not favoured, neither are they in the market: 
from 13 ins. to 14 ins. -with short handles suit the 
popular taste best. Curiously enough, Mr. Thompson 
finds in Viscomtesse Hericart de Thury the very best 
early forcing Strawberry, to his taste, and fruits it 
grandly. It is followed by Sir Charles Napier, of 
which kind superb fruits are obtained. We shall 
make a point, if possible, of seeing these Strawberry- 
houses next May. 
Aster diplostephioides. —The genus Aster includes 
within its limits many plants of great value, but none 
of them are likely to exceed in interest the present 
species, should it prove to be perfectly hardy, of which 
there is little doubt. This opinion will scarcely be 
called in question when we state on the authority of 
M. Max Leichtlin that the flower-heads are nearly 
4 ins. across. The plant is said to grow about 18 ins. 
high, the stems arising from a tuft of oblong lanceo¬ 
late entire strongly-nerved foliage. The flower-heads 
are borne singly at the summit of the stems, which 
in a strong plant are numerous, the ray florets being 
of a bright violet-blue, those of the disc or centre 
deep yellow. It appears to be somewhat Alpine in 
character, and succeeds best in somewhat cool soils 
in preference to those of a light or burning nature. 
The plant has however been in cultivation so short 
a time that further trials are needed to determine its 
requirements. It is easily raised from seed, which 
will probably give flowering plants the second season. 
A native of the Himalaya.—IF. Thompson. 
