Wight Nursery & Orchard Co 
I’ride of Dorking: Azaleas under dogwoods; a beautiful border planting. 
AZALEAS 
ZALEAS have been used for a number 
of years as hothouse plants in the East, 
and have been planted out-of-doors in 
the South for some time, but their real 
value as outdoor plants is just begin¬ 
ning to be appreciated. Azaleas can be 
used in practically any location where other shrubs 
are used, giving the desired effect as evergreens, 
and at blooming time furnish a riot of color unsur¬ 
passed by any other group of plants. They should 
become more and more a part of every home plant¬ 
ing. During blooming season, practically no other 
plants are in bloom. Azaleas begin blooming in 
March and continue through April into May. They 
may be moved when in full bloom—in fact, at any 
season of the year. 
It’s a good idea to order Azaleas as soon as pos¬ 
sible in the fall and winter, so that they may be¬ 
come well established by spring. There is no 
danger of their not blooming because of trans¬ 
planting. 
No Flowering Shrub is so outstanding, so sur¬ 
passingly beautiful when in bloom as is azalea. 
Often practically all the leaves are hidden by the 
flowers in their riot of color—azaleas may be had 
in purple-pink, salmon pink, orange red, 
red flame, deep pink, red, white and light 
pink colors. There are a number of va¬ 
rieties of azaleas of different shadings of 
the same color, so that they offer a wider 
range of shades and colors than any 
flowering plant suited to the South. The 
blooming season may also be lengthened 
considerably by the selection of several 
varieties. 
The Indian azaleas have the added ad¬ 
vantage of being evergreen, so that even 
when they are not in flower their at¬ 
tractive foliage is an addition to any 
landscape. Azaleas can be grown success¬ 
fully along the seacoast of the middle 
Atlantic states with a little protection to 
keep the bloom buds from being injured 
by cold—and very successfully along the 
coast from Charleston to South Central 
Florida and around the Gulf Coastal sec¬ 
tion to Texas, without any protection 
whatever. 
Azaleas are very easy to transplant and 
have few cultural requirements. Azalea 
roots like a cool soil, and should be planted 
in a partial shade, at least until the plants 
become large enough to shade their own 
roots. They may then be planted in full 
sun to advantage. Azaleas thrive in an 
acid soil. Where planted in a region in which the 
soil is alkali, it is advisable to dig out a good 
large hole and fill it in with leaf mold or woods 
earth. The peaty muck found in and around old 
ponds is very desirable. Where this is not obtain¬ 
able, or where azaleas have already been planted 
in an alkali soil, a small amount of aluminum sul¬ 
phate, 1 pound to 30 square feet, will be found 
beneficial. Fertilize lightly about twice a year 
with cottonseed meal and tankage. Azaleas like a 
moist soil but it must be well drained. 
Do not cultivate around azaleas. Their roots 
are right on the surface of the ground and any 
cultivation would be likely to cut a number of 
feed roots. If weeds appear, pull them up. 
Azaleas may be used in almost any location 
where any other dwarf evergreen could be used. 
It is attractive in the foundation planting in 
front of the taller plants; in formal or informal 
beds, using colors which blend well; in hedges— 
in fact, anywhere where its beauty may be seen 
and appreciated. 
Practically all of the famous gardens of the 
South—among them Middleton Place Gardens and 
Magnolia Gardens near Charleston, Wormsloe Gar- 
Azaleas bordering- the main drive at the estate of Mr. A. B. 
MacClay, near Tallahassee, Fla. 
Have your planting well planned 
18 
