The Garden Under Glass

CHAPTER VI THE BEST FLOWERING PLANTS Azaleas Though often regarded as a forcing subject, the azalea is an excellent greenhouse plant, when treated in a natural manner. I allude here to the Indian azalea. Although botanists have now classed all under the name rhododendron, it will be many years before the mass of gårdeners adopt the name for their old favourite. The best varieties are, of course, expensive, and this rule applies practically throughout gardening, but some beautiful forms can be obtained very reasonably. I do not ad vise readers to attempt to raise or graft these themselves. Even the best gårdeners find it preferable to buy short plants with good heads from a nurseryman who makes a speciality of the subject. Though forming a mass of flower when well grown, it cannot be said that they are of easy culture, for many are the failures with them, the chief cause of this being bad watering. Azaleas are peat-loving plants and like moisture, but to subject them to the extremes of being too wet or too dry will ruin the small roots and cause the plant to collapse or lose its foliage. The soil found most suitable for azaleas is made up of two parts fibrous peat, from which most of the dust has been shaken, one part fibrous loam treated in a similar manner, one part good oak leaves dried and rubbed through a sieve, and some charcoal to preserve sweetness, 39