Growing Azaleas In Your Beautiful Garden

Azaleas and rhododendrons are shrubs for all seasons. In winter some stand out with large evergreen leaves. In spring the flowers are showy; throughout the summer and fall the leaves add a pleasing, deep green color to the garden. Some deciduous azaleas add bright fall color before the leaves drop. The spectacular spring flowers of azaleas and rhododendrons make them among the most popular garden shrubs.

Although all azaleas and rhododendrons are classed as Rhododendron by plant taxonomists, the name "azalea" is commonly used for native deciduous species and some evergreen Asian types. In general, "Rhododendron" is used for those species that have large, evergreen, leathery leaves. No sharp division can be made, and it is always correct to call any of them rhododendrons.

The terms azalea and rhododendron are used as they commonly apply. Whatever name is used, the culture required for all these plants is very similar (See Figure 1). The same cultural practices may also be applied to blueberries, pieris, heather, holly and other plants that prefer acid, organic soils.

It should be understood that the distinction between azaleas and rhododendrons is purely a garden affair. Botanically they belong to the same genus. Azaleas require exactly the same type of soil as rhododendrons. They dislike lime and thrive in almost any soil that is free of it, but especially in one which contains an abundance of humus, preferably in the form of peat. Those who live in districts in which the soil is naturally impregnated with lime or chalk should not attempt to grow azaleas outdoors until special beds have been made up for the purpose. In this case it is wise to build up the soil above the surrounding ground level and not merely to excavate the existing soil and replace with fresh. Such built-up beds must be at least 2 ft. in depth and should be prepared with good turfy peat and lime-free loam in about equal parts. When constructing rock gardens it is not at all difficult to preserve one section entirely for azaleas and other lime-hating plants.

If the soil is not impregnated with chalk or lime, it is only necessary to dig it deeply. Should it be of a harsh or heavy nature, it will be improved by liberal dressings of horticultural peat and sharp sand. Nothing in the way of manure is either necessary or desirable.

All types of azaleas are grand town shrubs, for they are as resistant to the effects of soot and grime as most hardy rhododendrons, and do not in the least object to a certain amount of shade.

Planting of the deciduous species can be carried out at any time during the dormant season, that is, from leaf-fall, usually about the end of October, till the buds begin to burst in early spring. Preference should be given to periods when the weather is mild and moist. The evergreen Japanese and Kurume azaleas can usually be purchased in small pots, and in their case transplanting is best done earlier in the autumn or later in the spring. No pruning is necessary save for the removal of faded flower trusses.

The usual, and certainly the best method of obtaining a stock of Indian azaleas is to purchase strong plants during the autumn knocked out of pots. These are well set with flower buds. Pots should be selected for those which will just take the roots without having to cramp and crush them in. Peat and loam form the compost. Very firm potting is absolutely essential, and another important point which applies to all plants growing in peat is that ample room for water must be allowed on the surface of the soil.

The most favourable position during the following weeks will be in a greenhouse or a covered frame facing north. Heat will be quite unnecessary until the advent of frosty nights. The syringe must be used at frequent intervals, and abundance of air must be admitted night and day.

Azaleas in full flower should be housed in a cool structure, as this will prolong the life of the flowers. As the plants pass out of bloom the decayed blossoms must be carefully removed, and they may then be staged in a heated house. The great point about successful azalea culture is the building up of the ensuing season's flower buds, and to this end warm conditions immediately after the flowering period will prove most valuable. The house must be kept moist and the plants syringed frequently and regularly. When the plants are well set with bud, judicious feeding with weak liquid manure will be most advantageous. Towards the end of July the plants may be placed in the open air, choosing a position with a northern aspect, away from trees, but sheltered from rough winds.

Although azaleas do not require annual repotting, the plants should be inspected every year after flowering, and for those that are not potted a surface dressing of sandy peat will be helpful.

Azaleas are not easy plants for the amateur to increase. The most satisfactory method is to strike short cuttings of half - ripened young growth in very sandy peat or even in pure silver sand in a frame with gentle bottom heat. Seed is very small and should only be covered with the finest scattering of silver sand. It can be germinated during March in a cool greenhouse.

Wild Flowers Grows With Tenacious Life

Wild flowers are plants that grow without any care from man. Some wild flowers are just as beautiful as garden flowers or hothouse flowers. The lovely plants that bloom in early spring in the woods often give more pleasure than any cultivated plant. The cacti that grow in the southwestern United States, and the marsh marigolds (cowslips) that grow in wet places from the Carolinas to the Arctic, add bright spots of color to the desert and marshes.

Many wild flowers are very hard to grow and are sometimes impossible to copy in gardens. The flowers that grow in the woods need an acid soil. Most of them need shade. Some can only grow in soil made of rotted oak leaves, or pine needles, or very special material.

Indian pipes must have a certain kind of fungus in the soil. The soil also must be made of rotted plant material because these white flowers have no chlorophyll (green coloring matter) in their stalks and no leaves so they cannot make their own food. Some of the other wild plants take a long time to grow from seeds to blooming stage. An example is the dogtooth violet or trout lily, which takes seven years to grow big enough to bloom. Few gardeners want to wait that long.

Fringed gentian seeds must fall in exactly the right place to grow or they die very quickly. They could not be put in a packet and sold.

Many other plants, that are lovely in their showy enough for cultivation. They may only bloom for a day or the flowers may be very small. In the woods or waste places, however, they are a bright spot of color for people who enjoy the out-of-doors. Other wild flowers grow too well for gardens. The many varieties of bright wild peas and beans that bloom on southern wastelands grow so fast that they would quickly choke out garden flowers.

Goldenrod and wild asters grow over most of the United States and Canada in fields, woods, and along roads. They are so common that few people would bother to grow them.

Of course, some wild flowers are cultivated. All cultivated flowers were once wild. The poinsettia is a wild plant of tropical Mexico and Central America. Geraniums grow wild in South Africa. It is interesting to find the wild ancestors of cultivated plants. Some plants that are wild in one part of the United States are cultivated in homes and gardens of other parts. Lupines grow wild in the west, but are sometimes raised in eastern gardens. Fields of wild California poppies brighten the western countryside. In the east, California poppies may be carefully planted in gardens.

Perhaps the best way to enjoy wild flowers is to learn to know them where they grow. Finding a patch of bloodroot, or arbutus, or hepatica in the woods can be a lot of fun. Finding some of the wild orchids like pink lady’s-slipper or the showy orchids of the spring is like finding a hidden treasure.

Sometimes when people find these flowers they feel that they must pick them and take them home with them. Usually this is selfish and often against the law. The petals of the bloodroot drop as soon as the flower is picked. Most woodland flowers wilt when they are carried in warm hands. Hepatica, spring beauty, and many others are too small to make good arrangements even if they do not wilt.

Picking the flower also keeps the plant from making seeds and new plants for people to enjoy. In some plants when the leaves are also picked the parent plant is killed too, for no food factory is left to store food in roots or bulbs for next year’s flowers.

Amaryllis Belladonna Requires Very Little Attention

Amaryllis is Greek feminine and is named after a beautiful shepherdess. The specific epithet belladonna means beautiful lady. The appearance of the tall, flower stalk without any leaves accounts for the common name "naked lady". Amaryllis belladonna in its natural habitat is found in small dense groups among rocks.

Therefore the best place to plant them would be in a rock garden. In a created landscape, Amaryllis can be used mixed in between blue Agapanthus as a good combination, as the evergreen leaves of the Agapanthus provide skirts for the naked ladies. They can also be grown between a ground cover or mixed annual or herbaceous border.

Growing Amaryllis belladonna

The cultivation of Amaryllis belladonna requires very little attention. Amaryllis belladonna can be grown from seed. The soft fleshy white to pink seed should be planted when fresh. Dispersal of seed in winter is normally by wind. Seed dispersal is timed to coincide with the first winter rains in late March and April. Germination can occur in two weeks, but seedlings require three to six years or longer to flower.

Large clumps of bulbs can be divided from the mother bulb during the dormant period. The bulbs and offsets can be planted immediately. The bulbs must be planted with their necks at soil level. The belladonna lily can also be grown in large pots using a very porous soil mix. The bulb can also tolerate quite arid conditions. In cultivation flowers are produced almost every year but in the fynbos they emerge prolifically after fires.

There is still some mystery as to what pollinates the March lily. Rudolf Marloth, a famous amateur botanist, believed that the belladonna lily was being pollinated by a hawk moth. It was also noticed that large carpenter bees visited the flowers during the day. On the Cape Peninsula, at least, it seems that bees are the main pollinators of the March lily.

Amaryllis belladonna is often attacked by a highly destructive black and yellow striped caterpillar called lily borer. The caterpillar bores into the leaves and stem of the lily causing the flowering stem to collapse. The caterpillar eventually enters the bulb. The caterpillars can be removed by hand or the affected foliage can be cut off.

The family Amaryllidaceae forms a large group of over sixty genera, which are mainly centred in the southern Africa with smaller distributions in Andean South America. Other genera that belong to this family that have horticultural importance and are found in southern Africa include Clivia, Crinum, Cyrthanthus, Nerine and Scadoxus.

Hippeastrum, which some gardeners mistakenly call amaryllis, is a large South American genus. Other northern hemisphere genera include Narcissus (daffodils) and Leucojum.