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GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



species having- recurved orange flowers, very fragrant. 

 Although it is called the Southern Swamp Lily it stands 

 comparatively dr}- conditions better than any. Found in 

 \'irginia and southward. Catcsbcci is one of the earliest 

 to bloom, ^larch and April, and should have a sheltered 

 position, among dwarf evergreens for instance. It rarely 

 grows more than two feet high and has red flowers with 

 purple spots. In the North it should be thickly mulched 

 during Winter. Columbiannm is a rather uncommon 

 species from Oregon and W'ashington. Height two to three 

 feet : flowers bright orange with purple dots. This has 

 been found a good species for the hardy border. Gravi is 

 one of the best and has succeeded well under cultivation. 

 Flowers are bell-shaped and exceedingly beautifid, dark 

 reddish-brown spotted with purple, borne in Julv and 

 Augxist : height two to three feet. All perennial borders 

 should have groups of this. Found on mountain summits 

 of North Carolina. Humboltii (pubcrlum), is a Califor- 

 nian species very deserving of more extended cultivation. 

 It reaches noble proportions, sometimes as tall as eight 

 feet, and bears large orange-red flowers spotted with 

 l>urple, si.x to ten on a stem. Kellogi^i while smaller than 

 the preceding is very graceful, its slender stems three to 

 four feet tall bearing as many as fifteen pink flowers 

 which are very fragrant. Maritinum is a dwarf species 

 from boggy situations on the Californian mountains and 

 is an excellent subject for the Bog Garden or along the 

 edges of water just above its level. PhUadclphicum. 

 This species is found, generally in woods, over a large 

 part of North America extending from Canada to North 

 Carolina and westward to the Rockies. While in its 

 natural state it selects somewhat shady situations, it will 

 stand sunny, dry ground better than perhaps any other 

 and it will grow almost anywhere excepting in a wet 

 soil. It is a good species for planting a'ong woodland 

 walks and amongst shrubs. Siipcrbum. It would be 

 rather difficult to exaggerate the superb qualities of this 

 magnificent American Lily. One has to see the seven 

 foot tall, leafy stalk, surrounded by a cluster of from 

 thirty to fifty brilliantly beautiful orange and gold flowers, 

 before they can realize the impressiveness of this species 

 at its best. While it is native of somewhat swampy places 

 in the Eastern half of the country, it will do well in 

 borders provided it has a deep, rich soil containing plenty 

 of peat and leaf mold, and never wants for water. It is 

 one of the best Lilies for the Rhododendron bed. It is 

 found from New Brunswick to Georgia. JVashingto- 

 mamnn is a Californian species and when it does well is a 

 beautiful and stately lily, but it is rather capricious in the 

 East, although many have found it to be an excellent 

 garden kind. Its flowers are white with purple sjnits and 

 the entire blossom becomes tinged with pur])le after fully 

 ex]janded. This lily will not endure stagnant water. 

 A variety of this, althougli by some considered a distinct 

 species, is rnbcsccns, having more .striking characters and 

 it is said to have been found growing to a lieight of twelve 

 feet. 



.\s, with the exce|)tion mentioned, the bulbs of these 

 native Lilies are small, annual, and are borne u]X)n rhi- 

 zomes ; they are both very tender and nnist be handled with 

 great care, the numerous, fleshy scales of tlie bull)s being 

 very easily detached. Doubtless it is this tenderness which 

 has been the cause of many failures in bringing these 

 lilies into cultivation, and unless extreme gentleness is 

 used from the moment of lifting them from their growing 

 position until they are ]>!antcd. more or less damage is 

 sure to result, and if the bulbs live they may take several 

 vears to recover. .Another jioint is tiiat these bull)s should 

 not remain out of the ground a moment longer than 

 necessary, and when sent to a distance more care in 

 packing should be exercised than is usually Ihe case. 



In addition to the native lilies, of which the above list 

 contains the names of the better half, there are quite a few 

 exotic species which should be planted for the purpose of 

 making our gardens more Ijeautiful. Some of these have 

 the discredit of dying out in a year or two, but in the 

 main, this failing is generally caused by bad soil and want 

 of care. 



Undoubtedly the first lily to be brought into cultivation 

 was Tigrinum, and it should still be grown as much as 

 ever. The old, original kind is handsome but the newer 

 variety, splendcns, has grander, orange-red flowers, grows 

 six to ei.g"ht feet tall and blooms a month or two later. 

 There is also a double flowered variety which is the only 

 douljle lily known. This sjjecies can I>e propagated by 

 planting the bulljlets which form at the axils of the leaves, 

 in fact it spreads naturally by means of them and is now 

 found wild in several Northeastern States. Caiididinn 

 has already l>een mentioned. Croceum is in common cul- 

 tivation in Europe of which it is a native, and it is one 

 of the sturdiest and hardiest of the genus. It will grow 

 in almost any soil or position and bears in Summer huge 

 heads of large, rich orange flowers. It is attractive in the 

 mixed border but shows best on the margin of a shrubbery 

 where its stems just over-top the surrounding foliage. It 

 is native of the colder mountains of Europe and natural- 

 izes well. Some of us can perhaps remember the stir made 

 by the arrival of the Golden-rayed Lily of Japan, 

 L. aiiratiiin. A small consignment was sent, said to be 

 bulbs of a very large Lily growing wild upon the Japan- 

 ese Islands for which fabulous prices were charged, but 

 of those who paid big money for these bulbs only a few- 

 obtained any results, and practically the first consignment 

 was a failure. The gorgeousness of the comparatively 

 few flowers obtained, however, caused the ne.xt consign- 

 ment to sell verv freely, and with more knowledge and 

 experience in handling, and growing them, this lily soon 

 rose to a foremost position among garden plants, especially 

 in Britain. .\ striking point about aiiyatiiiii is its variabil- 

 ity. If you plant a hundred bulbs not more than half a 

 dozen will be alike either in flower or height of stem, 

 even if tlie planting is confined to a named variety, of 

 which there are several. The best is platyphyllum dis- 

 tinguishable by its palmate leaves, the leaves of other 

 kinds being more or less linear. It has been also proved 

 to have the hardiest constitution. L'n fortunately under 

 the conditions ]irevailing it is practically imjiossible to 

 obtain any varieties reliably true to name through ordi- 

 nary trade channels. 



This l.ily rec|uires a deep well-drained soil comjX)sed of 

 jieat. leaf mold and .sandy loam, e(|ual parts of each. It 

 is susce])til)Ie to cutting winds and should have a nook 

 sheltered by shrubs or something from nortli and east 

 winds. It has proved itself very permanent aniong Rho- 

 ilodendrons when the latter have l>cen proi>erly ]>lanted, 

 and the yearly mulching with leaves is also of great bene- 

 fit, as it is to all Lilies. When grown in the ojien border 

 a nnilch of rotten manure after the shoots have started 

 should always be given. Under ordinary conditions in 

 a garden where ])lants look after themselves this lily de- 

 teriorates ;ind dies out sooner than any, but in a suitable 

 soil comliined with proper altention it will increase and 

 give a good account of itself year after year. Anotlier 

 Japanese species is spcciosiiiii which has sevevjd varieties. 

 \\'hile not so gorgeous as aurutimi it is certainly as beau- 

 tiful ruid in North .America has ]>roved itself to be perma- 

 nent luider ^oil ;iiid other conditions advised for aiirntiim. 

 'i'he 1)esl. iiarditst. and most ])ermanent of all exotic lilies 

 is undoubtedly regale from West China. It has rich, 

 green foliage with whicli the exquisite color tints of the 

 flowers form a charming contrast. It has ihe advantage 

 of being easily ]ir(r]i,-igated from seed, seedlings generally 



