84 ROCK AND WATER GARDENS 



checked, but the roots may be furnished with just such 

 soil as is conducive to healthy development and free 

 flowering. In many cases the mud in ponds and lakes 

 is exceedingly poor in character; improvement in this 

 direction being difficult, if not impossible. As a 

 consequence, the crop of bloom decreases annually, 

 whilst leaf growth is correspondingly coarse and rampant. 



As a rule the more vigorous growers should be reserved 

 for ponds and open water, as the Lily petioles should be 

 allowed to attain their full length, and the plants are 

 impatient of over-much restraint. The smaller kinds 

 will thrive in tanks and artificial basins, where a depth 

 of from two to three feet of water can be secured. In 

 case of frost, it is advisable that the crowns shall be 

 at least twelve inches below the surface during the 

 winter. 



The best time for planting is April or May, at which 

 time the tubers can be obtained from nurserymen and 

 specialists. For planting in the open, it is sufficient to 

 tie the roots to a fair-sized stone or piece of iron piping, 

 lowering them into suitable quarters near the pond side. 

 If the mud bottom is of only slight depth, or clay 

 puddling has been resorted to, the roots should be 

 supplied with some strong loam in which to strike. An 

 easy way is to pack them in soil in old baskets, lowering 

 them into position : by the time the baskets have rotted, 

 the roots will have fastened themselves securely into the 

 mud. 



In artificial tanks and basins, the bottom can be 

 covered with a foot of good loamy soil mixed with manure 

 before the water is admitted. Planting under such 

 conditions is easy and certain. A thorough cleaning of 

 the sides and brickwork should always precede Lily 

 planting, as old neglected tanks are generally foul and dirty. 



In former chapters suggestions have been given as to 

 the grouping of Lilies in various water gardens ; it now 



