For November, 1922 



309 



Hardy Lilies for the Garden 



ARTHUR SMITH 



THERE are many garden enthusiasts, both amateur 

 and professional, who make a hobby or specialty of 

 some particular plant genus, it may be roses, dahlias, 

 gladioli, or what not : but so far, I have never heard of a 

 Lily specialist. 



The various hardy lilies are certainly not surpassed, or 

 even equalled by any other hardy plant in their unique 

 combination of beauty and graceful magnificence. It is 

 surprising that the majority of people owning gardens 

 know so little about them, e.xcepting those grown in 

 pots under conditions of artificial heat, and they have no 

 conception of the numerous hardy kinds, including twenty 

 or more that are native, by which their gardens may have 

 their floral efl:'ects increased during several months of the 

 year, and in the exceptional instances to the contrary, the 

 species have been confined to the old Tiger Lily, with the 

 addition perhaps of the Madonna, Liliiiiii candidum. 



In a country where there are so many native species of 

 lilies, all of which are beautiful and worth while growing, 

 it is strange that this genus has been so neglected by 

 gardeners, and that the merits of this plant are apparently 

 so little known. 



It is true that this genus of flowers has the name of 

 being unsatisfactory from the point of permanency and 

 more or less difficult to grow, yet, if their few require- 

 ments are attended to, one need not fear disa{>pointment. 



None of the hardy lilies present any insurmountable 

 difficulties in culture, although some are less trouble, es- 

 tablish themselves more readily and produce more im- 

 mediate effects than others. 



Coming as they do from many parts of the Northern 

 Temperate Zone, they are found naturally growing under 

 various soil conditions, and in the case of those which have 

 the character of being difficult to establish in gardens, 

 the nearer we can imitate such conditions the more likely 

 we are to be successful. But when we consider the dif- 

 ferent habits and habitats of this wonderful genus of 

 plants, it is astonishing how large a number of species 

 there are which are not only hardy in our gardens, but 

 which will thrive under the same conditions provided 

 certain special features are borne in mind. 



The question of soil for lilies is an imjxjrtant one, and 

 this is too frequently overlooked. At the same time, 

 while some species succeed best when we create specially 

 ideal soil conditions for them, I know of none which will 

 not give a .good account of themselves if they are planted 

 in a soil prepared as it should be for all perennial hardy 

 plants. L'nfortunately this thorough preparation is in the 

 average garden, the exception rather than the rule. 



While requiring plenty of moisture, thorough drain- 

 age is essential and the subsequent cultivation cannot be 

 too deep, nor the soil made too rich. A sandy loam is 

 mechanically the best, with which should be incorporated 

 plenty of old, well-rotted manure, leaf mold and peat, 

 with enough sharp sand to create a suitable mechanical 

 state if the soil is at all heavy. 



Probably the greatest mistake made in lily culture is in 

 not planting the bulbs deep enough — a fault which is 

 too often connected with the planting of all hardy bulbs. 

 In most cases there should not be less than eight inches of 

 soil above the top of the bulb, and those with large 

 bulbs like the Japanese kinds should not have less than 

 a foot of soil over them. 



All lilies like a cool soil and for this reason generally 

 do better when gmwing among other plants, and the taller 



species are therefore especially at home among such things 

 as Rhododendrons provided the latter have been properly 

 planted and suitably cared for. Other suitable positions 

 are among the dwarfer species of shrubs and in the peren- 

 nial Irorder among peonies. In these cases the lilies give 

 floral ettects at a time when there would be no flowers at 

 all. An exception to planting lilies in the above situations 

 is the well known exotic Lilium candidum. a species which 

 stands by itself. This has been under cultivation for 

 many hundreds or perhaps thousands of years, and is 

 native of South Europe and of Asia as far East as Persia. 

 Up to a generation or so ago when any one spoke of 

 lilies in a garden this was the only species meant. 



Its uniqueness consists in the fact that a month or so 

 after the flower stems have died down the bulb sends up 

 an Autumn crop of leaves. For this reason the bulbs 

 must be planted sufficiently early in the Autumn to enable 

 these leaves to be produced, otherwise the bulbs will not 

 send up a flower stalk the following season, and in fact 

 will probably rot in the ground. With proper care, how- 

 ever, these may be trans])lanted both in the Autumn and 

 in the Spring when the leaves are green, by lifting them 

 with a good ball of earth, wrapping the ball in burlap and 

 planting without removing the burlap. This character- 

 istic of throwing up a rosette of leaves both in Autumn 

 and Spring renders it necessary to grow this' lily under 

 conditions where it is not shaded by, or in competition 

 with, anything else. 



Even under the best conditions candidum will rarely 

 give a very good account of itself the first year after plant- 

 ing, and in fact needs several years to accustom itself to 

 new surroundings. When once established and flowering 

 well it should never be disturbed. It is well with this 

 species, and in fact with all. to remove the flower buds 

 before they open the first year after planting, taking care 

 nut to injure the stem. Lilium candidum is also excep- 

 tional in disliking i)eat, in fact prefers a sweet soil and is 

 not adverse to the soil containing a little lime : it will also 

 do better on a heavier soil than any other species. 



While, with the latter exception, all lilies do well when 

 the soil is shaded by other plants, most of them will thrive 

 when grown in groups by themselves : in which case the 

 soil should be mulched after thev have started to grow in 

 the Spring. 



A characteristic feature of nearly all our native lilies 

 is that their bulbs are annual after the same principle as 

 those of gladioli. These annual bulbs are produced at the 

 end of a perennial rhizome, which causes the flower spike 

 to come up in a more or less diflferent place each year. The 

 only native lily which bears an absolutely perennial glo- 

 bose blub after the manner of the well known bulbs im- 

 ported from the East is Lilium columhianuin. 



The following list of native lilies, while not complete, 

 comprises those of importance and which can all, we 

 believe, be obtained through growers of native plants. 



Lilium- bolandcri is a rare species from California, 

 growing from one to three feet tall, with reddish purple 

 flowers spotted with black. Requires a rich, well drained 

 sandy soil. Canadcnse is a beautiful species and perhaps 

 the best known native lily, being found over the entire 

 Eastern half of the countiT. Its stems are up to five feet 

 tall, carrying drooping flowers of orange, red and yellow, 

 spotted with brown. It likes a deep, rich, moist soil and 

 partial shade, but stands the sun well provided it never 

 suffers for want of moisture. Carolinianum is a beautiful 



