Sraleas 
Azaleas! The most beautiful flowering plant 
in the South! All Azaleas are profuse bloom- 
ers and in the spring each plant is a solid mass 
of color. _ 
—Azaleas of all types can be easily grown if a 
few simple cultural hints are followed. Like 
the Camellia they require a good, well drained 
soil that has a slight acid reaction. They will 
stand more shade than Camellias, however 
dense shade should be avoided. The addition 
of leaf mold, peat and in very stiff soil, a small 
quantity of sand, is always beneficial. The 
Azalea is not a gross feeder. If plenty of leaf 
mold or like organic matter is applied they do 
not require any commercial fertilizer. Azalea 
roots lie close to the surface and are easily 
burned, so if a commercial fertilizer is used, 
it should be merely sprinkled on the ground 
around the plant and allowed to wash in. As 
Azalea roots are very fine and require a large 
amount of moisture, the plants do not thrive 
in close proximity to trees that have surface 
roots, such as pecan trees, water oaks, and 
hickory trees. However, they will do well near 
such trees if they are constantly watered dur- 
ing dry weather. 
A spray consisting of water, oil emulsion, 
Derris powder and Black Leaf 40 will usually 
control all scale and insect pests that attack 
Azaleas. This spray should be applied with 
considerable force and directly on the forks 
of the branches and both sides of the leaves. 
Timing of the spray is important. The first 
spraying should be applied in the spring im- 
mediately after blooming and repeated three 
or four weeks later. Another spraying in the 
Fall will act as a general clean-up. 
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