Gardening: Finding success with indoor azaleas

Azaleas have been available as winter house plants for decades, but their popularity always seems to have lagged behind that of poinsettias or amaryllis. They’re at their peak for almost the same period, but their requirements are more exact and they have never been as iconic of the holiday season. Yet they offer their own unique freshness.
Most of the azaleas found in florist shops and offered for sale at this time of year have been developed from Rhododendron simsii, native to China. The