July 12, 1019 



HORTICULTURE 



29 



THE REGAL LILY 



By E. H. Wilson, Its Discoverer 



The season of the Regal Lily is now 

 at hand. In New England guldens 

 this is the week when this lily holds 

 its court and queens it over other gar- 

 den beauties. And right worthily does 

 it deserve the sceptre for by the uni- 

 versal consent of all in whose gardens 

 it grows it has no peer in the realm 

 of lilies. Three years had passed 

 since last I saw it in bloom when on 

 full half a million blossoms expanded 

 to the shrine at Roslindale and saw 

 full half a million blossoms expended 

 and more in bud — a witchery of 

 beauty, a dream of delight. The heat 

 of the day was intense yet the lily 

 seemed to be dancing with exuberant 

 joy, like healthful youth on holiday, 

 glorying in the very joy of living. Its 

 cheeriness was infectious and invig- 

 orating, and when I finally tore my- 

 self away from this gorgeous field I 

 felt almost contented with my lot. 



Since its introduction in 1911, it 

 has withstood unscathed the climate 



of Boston, has flowered and ripened 

 fruit annually, and has given rise to 

 millions of offspring. No other lily 

 can claim such a record. It is a mar- 

 vel of hardiness and adaptability. 



The narrow, gracefully recurved 

 leaves are singularly attractive and the 

 color combination in the flower ex- 

 quisite, the pale to wine-rose exterior, 

 the clear canary-yellow throat, the 

 waxy white, lustrous mouth translu- 

 cent and the rose color reflected as a 

 delicate blush on the interior, the 

 golden yellow authors with their 

 cohesive pollen, and the viscid, 

 glistening stigma — altogether a pic- 

 ture of rare beauty. Often six to a 

 dozen flowers top a yard high stem 

 which though slender is rigid and tense 

 as steel, and quite frequently each 

 bulb gives rise to two or more stems. 

 The fragrance is agreeable even in- 

 doors, and the cheery aspect of the 

 flowers give it additional value for 

 the sick room in home or hospital. 

 Not only is the Regal Lily perfectly 

 hardy but it forces well and there 

 seems no valid reason against its be- 



coming the Easter Lily of the future. 

 Where apples will grow this lily will 

 thrive. It loves sunshine, good drain- 

 age, leafsoil and loam, but rich 

 manure and chemical fertilizers are 

 fatal. 



A PLANT NO LIVING THING WILL 

 TOUCH. 



One of the most interesting plants 

 we have in the Atlantic States is the 

 Virginia Wild Ginger. It is found in 

 both the Virginias, and as far south as 

 Georgia. There are several other 

 species in the Atlantic States as far 

 south as Florida and northward to 

 Connecticut. The plant grows in very 

 hilly and wooded places, says the 

 American Forestry Magazine and is 

 easily recognized by its kidney shaped 

 leaves and curious purplish brown 

 flowers. These flowers grow one to a 

 stem. No living thing will eat its bit- 

 ter leaves and you rarely see the 

 flower unless you hunt for it, for they 

 hide themselves out of sight if possi- 

 ble. 



ACRES OF REGAL LILIES 



