September 2G, 1865. ] 



JOUBNAL OF HORXICULTUEE A.ND COTTAGE GAUDENEE. 



251 



L. Martafcon sopalis albis, wliito ; 3 to 4 foet. The double 

 fonu o£ this is not now to bo bad. 



Liliiim saperhiiia piinunidah' is tbo must stately of the 

 North American Lilies, remarkable for the number anil 

 eloRanco of its Uowers of I'ich siiottcd orange. In ricli soil, 

 and esjiBcially iu that which is moist and peaty, it attains a 

 height of 7 or 8 feet. The flowers are disposed iu a graceful 

 manner in the form of a chandelier, and are salmon-coloured 

 and finely spotted. 



Liliiim siir.ciusuni (lancifolium) varieties, and L. tUjrinmn, 

 previously described, with the eight last named, are of the 

 '* Turk's-cap " section, of which the Martagon is tbo tyjie. To 

 these may be added, as desirabU; for out-door culture, most of 

 those named as suitable for cultivation in pots, 



Lilium CiUciibiei is a beautiful dwarf species, witli crimson 

 and yellow spotted vase-like flowers ; 1 foot to 1 foot ti inches. 



Lilium pijrenakum, yellow; ;! feet. 



Lilium siuicuiu, already noted, has smaller, narrow-lobed, 

 vase-like blossoms, of a brilliant scarlet. 



Lilium monacU'lphum, yellow, spotted ; nothing extraordinary. 



Lilium (•xcelxum (testaoeum), not equal to many, buff ; i feet. 



lAlium Wallichiaunm, large, line, white ; ii feet. 



Ground intended to be planted with the above Lilies should 

 be dug deeply and be in good heart, or bo made so by the 

 adtlitiou of tuify loam, leaf mould, or rotten nuiuure. Wiere 

 the soil is very strong or adhesive, after provicUng efficient 

 drainage, remo\c it to the depth of IS inches or 2 feet, and 

 replace it with tiu-fy loam, if possible, or good sound loam, 

 with an equal quantity of leaf mould intermixed. If the soil 

 is good, but heavy, a little Ught sandy loam and sand will 

 help to open it, and old mortar will answer the same purpose. 

 All Liliums do not thrive iu the same suil, but those of the 

 Martagon, or Turk's-cap section, do best in heavy or strong 

 rich soil, with a clayey subsoU. The cup-shaped, or those after 

 the ty])c of the Orange Lily, are more suitable for sandy soils ; 

 but peaty soils wiU grow all the species perfectly, in fact, no 

 place is so suitable for Lilies as a Bhododendi'on-bed, for there 

 they exhibit a luxuriance of growth and profusion of bloom 

 not foimd in those grown in loamy sods. They will also thrive 

 well in certain strong loams, on clay, if free of stagnant water. 



Liliums are very suitable for smokj' town gardens, especially 

 the varieties of L. speeiosum, which are much grown by ama- 

 teurs near Bradford. , 



The soil being in good heart, neither too Ught nor too heavy, 

 and drained so as not to become very wet during the winter, 

 plant the bulbs in clumps of six as early in autumn as the 

 decay of the stems will allow, choosing an open situation, 

 placing them at a distance apart equal to their own ihameter, 

 and spreading out the roots, if any, equally on all sides, at about 

 3 inches below the surface ; place each bulb with the crowTi 

 upwards, and if the soU is wet, put a little river sand around 

 and upon each bulb, finally covering with 3 inches of lightish 

 soil. When planting all kinds of bulbs in the garden borders, 

 it is desirable to drive a stake down iu the centre of each 

 clmnp, leaving it 3 or i inches out of the ground in order to 

 indicate the position, so that in cleaning the borders or fork- 

 ing them over the work may be done without injuring the 

 roots. Without such stakes the roots are apt to be dug up in 

 winter, or otherwise injured. The stakes most suitable are 

 those made of what is generally termed " heart of oak," spht 

 into pieces 1 or 14 inch square, and 15 inches long. They 

 should be pointed at the lower end, and that end laid on a 

 wood fii-e, so as to become charred f jr two-thirds of its length, 

 and then, whilst hot, dipped in coal tar, taken out immediately, 

 and laid aside to dry. Thus prepared they will last nearly an 

 ordinary lifetime, and their black colour prevents any un- 

 sightliness. They should be driven two-thirds of their length 

 into the ground by the side of each clump, or in the centre 

 of clumps composed of large bulbs, such as Liliums. If the 

 kinds are such as are not known at sight, it is weU to cut a 

 notch with a saw at the upper end of each stick, and have a 

 book with the name numbered to correspond with the taUy. 



After planting it is desirable to cover the surface with an 

 inch or two of jjartially decomposed leaves before severe 

 weather sets in. This will materially protect the roots, as they 

 are Uable to suii'er iu consequence of the openness of the soil 

 over them. Once planted they will ueed no further attention 

 beyond staking such stems as appear likely to be broken by the 

 winds ; but the fewer the supports the more beautiful will be 

 the gi-oup. After the stalks have decayed cut them off at the 

 surface, and cover with a dressing of leaf moidd in the autumn of 

 each year, to be forked into the groimd in the succeeding spring. 



Although autumn is the best time to plant Ijiliums, yet this 

 operation may bo safely performed from that time until spring, 

 only it must be done before the shoots have commenced grow- 

 ing. The Turk's-cap section, however, cannot be ripianted at 

 any jieriod without weakening the bloom for the succeeding 

 season ; the Cup section are not so particular in this respect, 

 for the}' lose most, if not all of their roots annually, and these 

 are not thick and fleshy, as in the Turk's-cap Lilies. Liliums 

 of all kinds sliould uot be reidantod ofteuer than once in three 

 years, nor then if the roots aro ucjt too many to form a nice 

 compact group. Lilium longiflorum and L. japonicum, or 

 Browmii, do not lose the whole of their roots while in a 

 state of rest. This should be borne iu mind by the cultivator, 

 as it will suggest the dcsirabihty of uot removing the bulbs 

 ofteuer than is absolutely necessary. 



Though Liliums will for the most part grow almost anywhere, 

 they are worthy of a prominent position in the flower garden, 

 or in groups iu arborctums or pleasure gi-ounds. For forming 

 a groiip of the most uuiijue description in Khododendron- 

 grounds the magnificent Lilium superbum or L. superbum 

 pyramidale will hold its own against any of the gorgeous deni- 

 zens of the flower garden, it is so stately as a plant, commonly 

 attaining a height of 8 feet, and sometimes of 10 to 12 feet, and, 

 so remarkable for the number and elegance of its blossoms, 

 and their graceful disposition. It does best in a good peat bed. 

 L. japoniciun is also very desirable for a bed. L. longiflorum 

 is equally so, but of much less growth, and so are the varieties 

 of L. speeiosum. 



In forming beds of Lilium speeiosum in the open air choose 

 a light, airy, yet sheltered situation. If the soil is of a peaty 

 nature, and free from stagnant water, it will only be necessary to 

 dig the ground to a depth of 2 feet, but if light and sandy mix 

 with it a dressing of 3 inches of leaf mould and well-rotted ma- 

 nure in equal proportions. If it is wet and heavy dig out the 

 soil to a depth of 2 feet ; at the bottom place (i inches of bi-ick 

 rubbish, and then fill to within 3 inches of the surface, raising 

 the bed a little in the centre, with two-thirds turfy peat, such 

 as the common Fern (Pteris aquilina), likes to grow in, and 

 one-third turfy loam and leaf mould in equal parts. Thoroughly 

 mix this compost by chopi^ing it with a spade, and place the 

 rougher portion at the bottom and the finer at the top. Arrange 

 t'ae roots in rows, circular or otherwise, according to the shape 

 of the bed, 9 inches asimder, and the roots 6 inches apart for 

 a permanent bed ; place the large single-eyed roots in the 

 centre, which may consist of the variety cruentum, planting 

 two rows at least for a centre, but the width of the bed must 

 determine the number of rows of one land. The large roots 

 with single eyes, which invariably grow the strongest, being in 

 the centre, the double-eyed roots should be placed in the next 

 row outwards, and so on through all the species or varieties, 

 the small single-eyed roots being reserved for the outsides, 

 unless too small to bloom, when they must not be placed in 

 the bed at all. Next to cruentum plant one or more rows of 

 pimctatum, rubrum next, then roseum, and album next ; then 

 plant a single row of each of the same varieties in regular 

 order, commencing with cruentum and ending with album, 

 using in this case the small single-eyed yet flowering roots, 

 which need not be planted more than 3 inches apart, with 

 6 inches between the rows. Presuming an oval or circle to be 

 planted in this manner, the diameter would le 10 feet; ml 

 what could be a finer sight than such a bed during the months 

 of August and September ! 



Having arranged the bulbs according to the taste of the 

 operator, cover them with thi-ee inches of soil, and do not . 

 press it down, but if the district is a rainy one, cover with a 

 little sand, and then place the soil thereon. The sand pre- 

 vents too much moisture from coming in immetliate contact 

 with the bulbs, and the latter do not rot so soon as if in im- 

 me.Uate contact with the decaying fibry compost. If severe 

 weather set in the surface should be covered with 3 inches of 

 litter, which ought to be removed by the end of March. About 

 the end of Apiil or beginning of May the shoots will be up 

 and growing, and just below or level with the surface will be 

 found numerous roots. Now is the time t:i apply 2 or 3 inches of 

 toji-dressing consisting of old mushroom-bed manure, if at baud, 

 or, what is nearly as good, cocoa refuse, which is much neater 

 in appearance ; in default of these, a top-dressing of the same 

 compost as that forming the bed must be given. Unless 

 the weather prove very ilry no water will be necessary, but it 

 required, it must be given copiously, so as to penetrate down 

 to the roots. Tie up neatly to small stakes any shoots that 

 may need adjusting. In autumn, after the stalks decay, remove 



