Book Review
Rudolph Henny
The Azalea Handbook , 1952, 8 color plates, 4 plates of line drawings, 35 black and white illustrations. 148 pages, The American Horticultural Society, Monumental Printing Co., Baltimore, Md.
The names of the editors, Frederic P. Lee, Fred O. Coe, B. Y. Morrison, Milo Perkins, and Freeman Weiss have long been associated with horticulture in the United States, and this coalition has produced an outstanding edition containing all the essentials of successful azalea culture. The editors were assisted by interested growers and fanciers listing twenty-three in number from all the sections of the United States.
The volume is written in a very easy style, and can readily be enjoyed by even the novice, though the material is appealing to the most exacting expert. The twelve chapters contain information on azalea relationships, plant habit, azalea flower forms and leaves, varieties for the garden in different regions, growth factors, cultural directions, pests and their control, hybridizing, and propagation.
The Chapter, Azaleas for the Garden contains information of many plants and short descriptions and is in itself a great work, and will be referred to many times by the reader. This tabulation contains historical and even cultural directions of hundreds of the groups of hybrids and species and is in itself the very best chapter that I have ever read on azaleas. Since such a great amount of names has been compiled with so much information available it is to be regretted that the editors did not index the edition.
The American Horticultural Society is to be congratulated on this excellent work, and in these times of rising costs, the meager price of only $2.60 for one of the very finest works on azaleas ever attempted in this country, should see the edition widely read, and distributed.