THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



LILIUM. 65] 



L. sinense. — Not quite hardy on cold soils, 

 but one of the best species, preferring a dry 

 soil and flowering freely and rather handsomely 

 on warm soils. It bears many purple berries, 

 and it is a tall species, often attaining a height 

 of 15 ft. China. 



L. vulgare.—'Y:\\\'i is the kind generally used 

 for hedges and arbours, standing all ill-treat- 

 ment in town and suburban gardens and grow- 

 ing pretty well where nothing else will grow, 

 but not worth having anywhere. It bears 

 dark purple fruit like most of the kinds, and 

 there are several varieties of it, especially 

 variegated ones of little value. 



LiLIUM (Zz7)').— The Lilies are among 

 the most beautiful bulbous plants, combin- 

 ing as they do stateliness and grace with 

 brilliant and delicately-coloured flowers. 

 The many kinds in cultivation afford a rich 

 choice. All are beautiful, but some are 

 better suited for particular localities than 

 others. The habit and general character 

 of the plants being so varied, their uses 

 are likewise varied. Some are suited 

 for the rock-garden, others for the mixed 

 border, many for the shrubbery — 

 especially for the Rhododendron beds 

 — while not a few are so robust that they 

 are at home in the wild garden, holding 

 their own against native plants. Their 

 true place, however, is the garden proper, 

 and, when their uses are understood and 

 expressed, there will be a total change in 

 the aspect of the flower garden. 



Lilies may be grown in various ways : — 



1. Under glass you may have Lilies in 

 flower all the year round. 



2. In the open border you may enjoy 

 their beauty each in its own season. 



3. You may take them up when coming 

 into flower in the border, and plunging 

 them roots and all into a sufficiently large 

 pot with suitable soil, shade them for 

 two or three days, and then transfer them 

 to bloom in a conservatory or balcony, 

 without damage, providing they are kept 

 well-watered. 



Culture is important, but arrangement 

 and grouping are even more so. There 

 are Lilies which will grow in any ordinary 

 soil ; a good, rich loamy soil suits the greater 

 number ; others want plenty of sand, so 

 as to keep the soil free ; while others 

 can be easily grown in ordinary soil if it 

 is mixed with leaf-mould or peat. It will 

 thus be seen that there are no great 

 difficulties in the way of growing a large 

 number of kinds. In nearly all cases 

 Lilies are more vigorous and brilliant 

 where partially protected from severe 

 frosts ; and the flowers last longer when 

 sheltered from the scorching rays of the 

 raid-day sun. The shrubbery border, 

 among Rhododendrons (for those re- 



quiring peat), and the mixed border 

 between shrubs and herbaceous plants, 

 where the young shoots get a slight pro- 

 tection from the early frosts, are among 

 the best situations. A very safe place is 

 near the edge of a Rhododendron bed ; 

 soil that will grow Rhododendrons will 

 grow most sorts of Lilies, and afford pro- 

 tection from " blight and spot," which in 

 some seasons, notably when cold and wet 

 follow drought, greatly injure the growth 

 and flowering of some species, even though 

 the bulbs be unhurt. It should be re- 

 membered that bulbs of nearly all Lilies 

 occasionally lie dormant a whole season, 

 and push out luxuriantly the following 

 summer, especially the Martagon tribe. 



1 Manure should never be dug in with 

 the bulbs, though they accept it gratefully 

 if liberally applied as a top dressing 

 after they have been established a year. 

 The only manure to be dug in at planting 

 is rich peat and sand, in the proportion 

 of two parts of peat to one of sand.- This 

 is advisedly called manure. In light 

 soils L. auratum and some others are all 

 the better for a top-dressing of dry clay 

 broken small. Though to each brief 

 description below we have appended a 

 word or two upon cultivation, it is per- 

 haps advisable to add a few general 

 remarks. It should be borne in mind 

 that, however beautiful nearly all the 

 known Lilies are, some are extremely 

 fastidious ; but there is a rare choice 

 of beauty among those that are easily 

 cultivated. Lilies may be divided into 

 three classes — first, those that are best 

 grown in pots, such as neilgherrense, 

 Wallichianum, philippinense, and nepal- 

 ense ; also Wallichianum superbum (sul- 

 phureum), Lowi primulinum, Bakeri, new 

 Burmese Lilies ; and, in many soils and 

 chmates, speciosum, auratum, and longi- 

 florum ; secondly, those that are best grown 

 out-of-doors in loamy soil ; thirdly, those 

 that are best grown out-of-doors in peaty 

 soil. On light soils the following kinds 

 do remarkably well : L. candidum, longi- 

 florum and its varieties, chalcedonicum, 

 excelsum, and the speciosum section ; 



1 Experience has shown me that manure may be 

 applied, more liberally than I thought, to the Speciosum 

 group ; while Giganteum literally revels in " muck." I 

 have given with much advantage to pot Lilies (Longi- 

 florum, Speciosum, and Henryi) Clay's Fertilizer, 

 Albert's Concentrated and Fish Manure, so that I 

 begin to believe that, given sound healthy bulbs, manure, 

 especially in the liquid forms, may be given to a much 

 greater extent than was originally supposed. I. have 

 seen an acre of Speciosum and Longiflorum Lilies in 

 full luxuriant bloom, whose bulbs were planted at the 

 top of farmyard manure dug in to receive them.— 

 Alexander Wallace. 



2 Sea-sand, where it can be procured, is by far the 

 best kind to use ; all bulbs take to it kindly, as it always 

 attracts moisture. 



