652 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



all of the umbellatum, croceuni, and 

 elegans type ; also tigrinum sinense. For 

 deep loamy soil the best kinds are L. 

 auratum, Szovitzianum, Humboldti, the 

 Tiger family, most of the Martagon group ; 

 while in an intermediate soil of leaf-mould, 

 loam, and sand, we advise the planting of 

 Buschianum, philadelphicum, pulchellum, 

 Browni, giganteum, tenuifolium, Krameri, 

 &c. The North American forms require 

 more peat and more moisture than the 

 other groups. Lilies require, so far as 

 their roots are concerned, a cool bottom, 

 abundant moisture, and, for most kinds, 

 a free drainage. The slope of a hill 

 facing south-east or south-west, for in- 

 stance, with water from above percolating 

 through the sub-soil, so as to always 

 afford a supply, without stagnation, would 

 be an admirable site. 



Propagation. — This is generally and 

 most readily effected by separating the 

 bulblets or offsets from the parent bulbs, 

 and these, detached and grown in the 

 same way as the parent, in the course of 

 a year or two make good flowering plants. 

 The scales of the bulbs afford a means of 

 propagation ; but this is a slower method. 

 Raising Lilies from seed is somewhat 

 tedious, though many kinds in this country 

 perfect seed in plenty, and in the case of 

 such kinds as L. tenuifolium the seedlings 

 flower in three or four years ; though others 

 will not flower for several years. The finest 

 kinds, such as the Japanese and Cali- 

 fornian Lilies, are now so cheap that it 

 is scarcely necessary to propagate from 

 home-grown plants. It will be well, how- 

 ever, if, by rapid increase, or otherwise, 

 they become plentiful enough to adorn 

 the smallest cottage gardens. Several 

 Lilies, chiefly Japanese and Californian, 

 are largely imported every year. As soon 

 as received, all bulbs should be examined, 

 and decaying matter should be removed. 

 They should then be laid in soil, or, 

 better still, cocoa-nut fibre in a moderate 

 condition of moisture, until the bulbs re- 

 cover their plumpness and the roots are 

 on the point of starting from the base. 

 Then they should be potted or planted 

 out as required ; but, before this, decaying 

 scales should again be removed, as a few 

 of the outside ones are often bruised in 

 transit, and after they have been in the 

 soil a little time decay sets in, which if 

 not then taken off may contaminate the 

 whole bulb. Of those so imported, L. 

 auratum and Krameri should, when 

 potted, be surrounded with sand, but 

 some do well without it. The most 

 difficult to import among Jhe N. Ameri- 

 can Lilies are L. Washingtonianum and 



L. rubescens, since, as a rule, they suffer 

 much more than the large, solid bulbs of 

 L. Humboldti, or than those ofpardalinum, 

 canadense, and superbum. These solid 

 bulbs should be treated as above directed, 

 but L. Washingtonianum, rubescens, and 

 Humboldti should not be potted, as they 

 never succeed in that way ; and indeed 

 all the N. American Lilies do much better 

 if planted out. Those grown in Holland, 

 such as the varieties of davuricum, 

 elegans, and speciosum, &c., arrive plump 

 and sound, but it is much better to lay even 

 these in soil a little while before potting. 



L. Alexandrse. — A beautiful new dwarf 

 Lily, apparently a hybrid between longi- 

 florum and auratum, bearing a large, well- 

 opened, reflexed flower, broad- petalled and 

 pure white, from a southern Japanese 

 Island ; and therefore grows best under 

 glass. Its native name is Uke uri. 



L. auratum. — Some forms have flowers 

 nearly i ft. across, with broad white petals 

 copiously spotted with reddish-brown and 

 having broad bands of golden-yellow down 

 the centre. The poorest forms have starry 

 flowers and scarcely any markings. 

 Several named varieties are particularly 

 distinct ; and the chief are cruentum and 

 rubro-vittatum, which have deep crimson 

 instead of yellow bands down the petals. 

 Rubro-vittatum is a variety with a very 

 distinct bulb, the foliage is darker, and it 

 is a hardier, better doer than the type. 

 Platyphyllum is also more easily grown 

 than the type. The white-petalled variety 

 of platyphyllum, generally called virginale, 

 is perhaps one of the most beautiful forms. 

 Wittei and virginale, the flowers of which 

 have no colour but the golden bands ; 

 rubro-pictum, with a red stripe and spots ; 

 platyphyllum, with very large flowers and 

 broad leaves ; and Emperor, a grand 

 flower, with reddish spots and centre. 

 There are also some beautiful hybrids 

 raised between L. auratum and some of 

 the other species ; for example, L. 

 Parkmanni (between L. auratum and L. 

 speciosum), which has large white flowers 

 banded and spotted with carmine-crimson. 

 It grows freely in peat or loam, a 

 mixture of both with a little road-scrap- 

 ings best fulfilling its requirements. 

 Where the soil is naturally poor, light, 

 and sandy, it should be taken out to a 

 depth of 1 8 in., and replaced with the 

 compost above mentioned, or some fine, 

 well-enriched mould. The bulbs should 

 be planted in this, and, as soon as growth 

 commences in spring, should be mulched 

 with decomposed manure or short Grass. 

 If the garden soil be fairly good, it need 

 only be well stirred and manured but the 



