September 19, 1865. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



227 



LILIUM CULTWATION. 



F piu-ity and beauty LOies liave 

 been esteemed emblematic 

 IVom time immemorial ; and 

 despite the caprices of fashion 

 the old varieties, and espe- 

 cially the lovely white gar- 

 den Lily (Jjilium candidiim) are as much, if not more, ad- 

 mired an<l valued than ever. Most of them are almost, if 

 not quite hardy, but some are esteemed for conservatory 

 decoration. I shall, therefore, treat of them tmder two 

 heads — viz., 1st, in pots ; and ;2nd, for flower-garden de- 

 coration. 



Culture of Liliums is Pots. — Perhaps there are no 

 flowers so beautiful, and so deseiwedly esteemed as the 

 lovely varieties of the Japanese Lily (LiJitim apeciosiim, or 

 L. hineifolium, of gardens). The best are — 



LUium speciosum pimctatum, wliite flushed with pink ; 

 frequently confounded with L. speciosum rosoum, a much 

 inferior, though fine variety of Japan Lily. 



L. speciosum rosemii, white, spotted rose. 



L. speciosum rubrum, wliite with crunson spots ; one of 

 the best. 



L. speciosum album, pure wliito, and not so strong-grow- 

 ing as others. 



L. speciosum cruentum, a fine variety of rubnun, a 

 strong grower, and more proftise-blooniing ; wliite with 

 crimson spots. 



L. speciosum monstrosum, a fine, bold flower in the way 

 of rubrum : wliite A\ith crimson spots. 



In addition to these there are others wliich I have not 

 grown, but hear well of. Such are L. gi'andiflorum, wliich 

 is a line flower, and very large ; L. regale, highly coloiued, 

 said to be very tine : L. Harrisoni, of fine form ; L. speci- 

 osum corymbiflorum albiuu, little diifercnt from albtun, if I 

 have seen the true variety under that name ; and L. spe- 

 ciosum corymbiflorimi roseiim, certainly little dift'erent 

 from L. speciosum rosemn. if not the same. 



LUiaiii (iitnitiiM. Certainly one of the best flowers ever 

 introduced by Messrs. Veitch : white, spotted \vith crimson, 

 ^vith golden bars parallel mth each lobe, and delightfully 

 scented. The best of the Lilies. There are many im- 

 ported btilbs that are not true. To have it true it is ne- 

 cessary to give a good price. 



LUium Brownii, Why change L. japonicum to this '.' Is 

 it that L. longiflornm is often substituted for the titie 

 L. japonicum'.' It is a somewhat rare species, with large 

 creamy white flowers shaded externally with brownish 

 purple, gi'ows 3 or 4 feet high, and has several blossoms on 

 one stem, in character after those of L. longiilorum. 



L'diam cximiiim, a tine form of L. longittortun, taller; 

 flowers larger, and generally more numerous. 



No. 234.— Vol. IX., New Series. 



Liniim hnf/ifonim, dwarf, 1 foot to 1^ or 20 inclies high ; 

 flowers white,'trumpet-shaped, fragi-an'. 



LUiidn neih/herreiixf, dwarf, a little iioro than a foot ia 

 height ; flowers creamy white wlien o^.-ning, but changing 

 to a clear \\'hite. 



Li/iidii iiiiidiilcmii. leaves large, glossy dark green, heart- 

 shaped ; lio'wcrs white, borne on tiu-minal racemes, trum])et- 

 shaped, marked witli violet crimson streaks, and highly 

 perfumed. It is a stately- growing kind. Its variety, cor- 

 difolium, blooms two months later, and is not much to my 

 likmg. 



L. Thomitnniiininit is not so imposing as many, but still 

 a neat, rosy-llowered kind, though hardly worthy of pot 

 ctiltiu'e. 



L. sbiicam. — This is a fine scarlet Lily, and not coarse 

 likeL. giganteum. About 1 foot t(j 1 foot (1 inches liigh. 



L. tiyriiiiiiH, orange salmon with black spots; 2 to -i foot 

 high. 



L. TJnoihcn/iniium ircniintuni), orange streaked scarlet, 

 and its variety gi-audiflorum, crimson, grow from 1 foot 

 (1 inches to 2 feet high. 



L. phihulcljihicum, orange red with black spots, is fine 

 and dwarf, attaining a height of 1 foot (i inches to 2 feet. 



AU the above, except L. giganteum, do well in a compost 

 of one-half turfy yellow or iighthazelly loam from turves a 

 year old, turfy sandy peat one-fourth, and leaf-mould one- 

 foui'th, with a free admixture of sharp sand, the whole well 

 incorporated and chopped with a spade, but not sifted, as 

 a free open soil is dcsti-able. Good drainage is very essen- 

 tial ; it should occupy at least one-fom-th the depth of the 

 pot, and be covered with a layer of sphagnum oi- cocoa 

 fibre half an inch thick. On tliis 3 inches of the rougher 

 parts of the compost are to be placed, and then more com- 

 post to fill the pot little more than half fidl. The size- of 

 pots will, of cotu-se, vary A\ith the size of the bulbs, no 

 better criterion for determining the distance apart can be 

 given than placing them fully their diameter fi-om bulb to 

 Indb. and half their diameter fi-om the sides of the pot, re- 

 membering always that the more bulbs that are placed in 

 a pot consistent with their being at a suitable distance 

 apart, the finer will be the specimens : not that smaller 

 specimens are imdesirable, ior I know they are useful for 

 vases, and other purposes wiiere large pots coidd not be 

 accommodated, but because few bulbs in large pots are of 

 little use. In selecting roots of the varieties of Lilium 

 speciosum, choose those'with the greatest number of crown=. 

 Those with tkree are excellent, and so are those with two, 

 and large smgle-crowned bulbs are also good, but they will 

 only give one spike of flowers, whereas the do'able give 

 two, and the treble three. Thus, if you place six roots of 

 each in a 12-inch pot, you have but six spikes w ith single- 

 crowned bulbs, twelve with double ones, and eighteen with 

 the trebles. Exliibitors frequently gain by employing 

 double and treble crowns, wiiilst then- opponents use single 

 crowns, and as a consequence have only half, or two-thirds 

 the bloom of the winners from a similar number of bulbs 

 and size of pot. 



As soon as the leaves turn yellow is a good tune to pot 

 tlie bulbs, whether pm-chased. or removed from the open 

 No. 8?;.— Voi. xxxrv., old S'jrjEs. 



