Wight Nursery & Orchard Co 
Cairo , Georgia 
Pride of Dorking Azaleas under dogwoods; a beautiful border planting. 
AZALEAS 
'.A LEAS have been used for a number of years 
is hothouse plants in the East, and have been 
dan ted out-of-doors in the South for some 
ime, but their real value as outdoor plants 
s just beginning to be appreciated. Azaleas 
•an be used in practically any location where 
other shrubs are used, giving the desired effect as ever¬ 
greens, and at blooming time furnish a riot of color 
unsurpassed by any other group of plants. They should 
become more and more a part of every home planting. 
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 possible 
in the fall and winter, so that they may become well 
established by spring. There is no danger of their not 
blooming because of transplanting. 
No Flowering Shrub is so outstanding, so surpass¬ 
ingly beautiful when in bloom as is azalea. Often prac¬ 
tically all the leaves are hidden by the flowers in their 
riot of color—azaleas may be had in purple-pink, sal¬ 
mon pink, orange red, red flame, deep pink, red, white 
and light pink colors. There are a number of varieties 
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 advantage of being 
evergreen, so that even when they are not in flower 
their attractive foliage is an addition to any landscape. 
Azaleas can be grown successfully 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 obtainable, 
or where azaleas have already been planted in an alkali 
soil, a small amount of aluminum sulphate, 1 pound to 
30 square feet, will be found beneficial. Fertilize light¬ 
ly 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 at¬ 
tractive 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 Gardens in Savan- 
Azaleas bordering the main drive at the estate of 3Ir. A. B. 
MacClay, near Tallahassee, Fla. 
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