Fobroary 13, 18t8. 1 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAaB GARDENER. 



123 



NOTES ON LILIUMS. 

 ]■'.!, DO^r seeing in the Journal any remailiS 

 relating to Lilies, I fancy they tlo not receive 

 the attention to which they arc entitled by their 

 great beauty and variety. I am aware that 

 since the introduction of Liliuni auratum there 

 has been a " run " on it. and it has been con- 

 sidered ■• the thing " to grow it ; but still I do 

 not think that it has induced many persons 

 to cultivate the other species. I am loolish 

 enough to still prefer the varieties of the old 

 Lilium speciosum to Lilium auratum. I am aware that 

 when the flower of auratum first opens it is wondrously 

 beautiful and grand, but on the second day it loses its 

 freshness, and by the third its colours arc dull, and all its 

 beauty gone. Speciosum varieties, on the contrary, increase 

 in beauty and brilliaucj' for several days. Do not imagine 

 that I underrate auratum, I admire it much, and am grow- 

 ing some two hundred bulbs of it, and I feel great pleasure 

 in comparing and noting its numerous varieties, although I 

 have not as yet been so fortunate as to find any red-banded 

 or spotless ones among.5t my numerous family. I have 

 been crossing my Auratums and Speciosums, and also 

 some of the rare and little l;uown but very beautiful varie- 

 ties of the Lily tribe, and I have now a large lot of juve- 

 niles, but it will be many years before I can know to what 

 extent I have been successful iu producing beautiful 

 hybrids. 



I grow all my Lilies in pots, and during the last season 

 I took notes of the best varieties. In the winter I have a 

 " second summer " among my flowers by looking over these 

 notes as I sit by my fireside. I place a few extracts at 

 your disposal, but fear that your readers will see nothing 

 but "dry bones" where I find continual enjoyment in 

 mentally filling up the bare records of dead beauties. I 

 have procured my varieties of Speciosum from various 

 sources, and find that they vary very much. Some under 

 the same name would be very fine from one grower, and 

 from another utterly worthless. I have, therefore, given 

 the name of the vendors in each case. 



LUiiuii sprrioxum Schnjinnkcrxl (C. Verdier). — Petals 

 very broad. Flowers very large, and of perfect form ; 

 dark ground, and very dark spots. Fine habit. Very 

 splendid, the finest of this species. 



L. speidosiim Harrisoni (Harrison). — Very broad petals. 

 Flower of fine form, flesh-coloured ground, with bright 

 spots. Good habit, but the foliage inclined to curl. The 

 largest flower of this species. Very fine. 



L. speciosum ntro-purpiin'itm iLaurentius). — Broad pe- 

 tals. Moderate-sized flower, of line shape ; dark rose 

 ground, with dull crimson spots. Splendid habit. Very 

 fine. 



L. upecioxiim nlhum pracox (Laurentius). — Petals broad. 

 Flower large, and of perfect shape. Splendid habit. Very 

 much earlier than the old album, free flowering, and very 

 fine. 



L. speciosuin Fhirn (Laurentius). — Broad petals. Flower 

 medium-sized, and of fine form ; bright ground, with crim- 

 son spots. Fine dwarf habit, free flowering. Very tine. 



NO. 359.— Vol. XTV., New Series. 



/.. sprciosiwi allium (E. Verdier).— Vei-y broad petals. 

 Flower very large, and of very fine shape ; pure colour. 

 Fair habit. Fine. 



L. spcviosum curi/iiihijlonim nihnim (Veitch & Sons). — 

 Petals broad. Flowers large, and of fine form : bright rose 

 ground, with dark rose spots. Habit good. Fine. 



L. speciosum cruentum (E. G. Henderson).— Long narrow 

 petals, very much rellexed. Flower medium-sized, and of 

 good shape ; cream ground flushed with rose, plum-coloured 

 spots. Very distinct and good. Bad habit. 



L. speciosum ruhnan punctKtum (Laurentius). — Broad 

 petals. Flower small, and very much reflexed ; pure white 

 ground, dull flesh-coloured spots. Splendid dwarf habit. 

 Very distinct and good. 



L. speciosum atro-ruhnim (Wheeler). — Petals broad. 

 Flower of medium size and fine form ; dark ground and 

 spots. Very good. 



L. speciosum. (arn-saivjuiiicuin (Wheeler). — Medium petals. 

 Small flower of good shape ; beautiful dark ground and 

 spots. Very fine. 



L. speciosum, roseiim deliccitum (E. G. Henderson). — 

 Petals very broad. Flower large, and of fine shape ; 

 French-white ground flushed with light rose, dark rose 

 spots. Fair habit. Distinct and fine. 



/"/. speciosum piurpureum (Laurentius).- — Medium petals, 

 and medium-sized flower of very fine form : rose ground, 

 much deeper in the middle of each petal, forming quite a 

 dark band ; also much darker and brighter just beyond the 

 point of the nectary ; extremely dark spots. Fine dwarf 

 habit. Very distinct and splendid. 



L. speciosum ruhrum (E. Verdier). — Petals veiy broad. 

 Flowers large, and fine form ; fle.sh-coloured ground, with 

 large purple-crimson spots. Good habit. Fine. 



//. speciosum roscum (Hooper & Co.).— Very broad petals. 

 Flower large, and of fine shape ; ground almost wliite, with 

 piu-ple-roso spots. Good habit. Fine. 



L. speciosum Vestalis (Wheeler).— Jledium petals. Me- 

 dium flower of very line form ; colour dead white. Foliage 

 very dark green. Habit fine. This very distinct and beau- 

 tiful variety was raised by Mr. ^S^leoler, of Wanninster. 



L. speciosum ruhrum (Laurentius). — Very broad petals. 

 Flower large, and of fine shape ; mottled rose ground, with 

 bright crimson spots. Fine habit. 



L. speciosum Hcntlersoid ('.') (E. G. Henderson) . —Broad 

 petals. Largo flower of perfect form ; purple rose ground, 

 with dark, rich, crimson spots Distinct foliage, and good 

 habit. Splendid. This was obtained as Harrisoni. but is 

 verj' (lifterent from that variety. 



L. speciosum reijale (E. G. Henderson). — Beautifully 

 formed flower of medium size ; ground and .spots very dark. 

 Veiy bright and beautiful. Good habit. 



L. speciosum monstrosum ('.') roseum (Barnaartl. — Broad 

 petals. Medium-sized flower of good shape ; pale flesh- 

 coloured ground, bright rose spots. Good habit. 



All the twenty I have mentioned I consider fine, and 

 they are mostly distinct, and some of tliem are very lovely. 

 The following are good, but not up to the standard of the 

 first lot : — 



L. speciosum punctatum (E. G. Henderson) .—Large and 



No. 1011.— Vol. XXXIX., OU) Sekies. 



