CjG tile floral world and garden guide. 



for they will grow well in either loam or peat, pur et simple. So 

 adaptable are they that we should never think of doing anything to 

 an ordinary good soil beyond giving it a dressing of rotten manure, 

 and correcting it if rather stiff with cocoanut-fibre refuse for the 

 commoner kinds. A mixture of good turfy loam, peat, decayed 

 manure, and leaf-mould, in equal quantities, and a liberal addition of 

 silver sand, will suit all that are adapted for pot culture. The pots 

 must be neither too large nor too small, and should have plenty 

 of crocks in the bottom for drainage. September and October are 

 the two best months in the whole year for either repotting or 

 planting lily bulbs. At that time the bulbs begin to make fresh 

 roots, and if left out of the ground long after that season, or if dis- 

 turbed after the roots have begun their autumnal growth, the bulbs 

 suffer material injury. When planted or potted in the autumn, 

 the bulbs start into growth with the advantage of a potful of roots 

 to support them; whereas others, disturbed in the spring, have to 

 make much of their growth at the expense of the bulbs, simply 

 because they have no roots with which to draw up a supply of 

 nourishment. To grow lilies well, it is necessary to disturb them as 

 little as possible, and when it is considered necessary to take them up, 

 guard against breaking or bruising the bulbs, and let the work be 

 done early in the autumn. 



The potted bulbs should be kept in a cold frame with sufficient 

 protection to prevent the soil being frozen through, but at the same 

 time kept cool to prevent them starting into growth too soon. 

 With the exception of those wanted for flowering rather early, 

 directly the frosty weather is past, stand the pots out of doors alto- 

 gether to give the plants the benefit of pure air and the evening 

 dews, which are so essential to a healthy and robust growth during 

 the summer. Those in beds, if the soil is deep enough, will take care 

 of themselves ; but those in pots will require plenty of water when in 

 full growth, and after the pots become full of roots, an occasional 

 dose of weak manure water will be of great service. 



We shall not exhaust all the good varieties in our select list, but 

 if all the following are introduced to gardens where they have 

 hitherto been strangers, and receive the treatment indicated by us, 

 the proprietor will soon be hunting after others; in fact, collecting 

 lilies is as entertaining and remunerative as any similar pursuit we 

 can call to mind. 



We must put tbe glorious H. auratum first on our list, and well 

 it deserves the post of honour, for it is equally at-home indoors and 

 out, but is especiallly adapted for the conservatory, both for its 

 delicious fragrance and large richly-coloured flowers. It will be well 

 to class L. lancifolium with this, as it is so admirably adapted for the 

 same purposes. In some catalogues many varieties are enumerated 

 which so closely resemble each other, that to give them distinctive 

 nnmes is absurd. The three we shall recommend are L. album, 

 L. roseum, and L. rubrum, the latter being rather deeper in colour 

 than roscum. These, with the noble L. giijanteum, are generally con- 

 sidered the only varieties suitable for the conservatory. This is a 

 mistake, as can be proved by any one who will pot up next autumn 



