276 THE GARDEN, YOU, AND I 



it in the core. But with the lily the blight comes from 

 above, and the only remedy is to plant in half shade. 



On the other hand the whims of the flower require 

 that this be done carefully, for if the scorching sun is 

 an evil, a soaking, sopping rain, coming at the height 

 of the blooming season and dripping from over- 

 hanging boughs, is equally so. The gold-and-copper 

 pollen turns to rusty tears that mar the petals of satin 

 ivory or inlaid enamel, and a sickly transparency 

 that bodes death comes to the crisp, translucent flower ! 



"What a pother for a bed of flowers!" I hear you 

 say, "draining, subsoiling, sulphuring, sanding, cov- 

 ering, humouring, and then sunstroke or consump- 

 tion at the end!" So be it, but when success does 

 come, it is something worth while, for to be success- 

 ful with these lilies is "aiming the star" in garden 

 experience. 



The plantain lilies and hemerocallis seem free from 

 all of these whims and diseases, but it is when we 

 come to the lily-of-the-valley that we have the compen- 

 sation for our tribulations with the royal lilies of pure 

 blood. 



The lily-of-the-valley asks deep, very rich soil in 

 the open sun; if a wall or hedge protects it from the 

 north, so much the better. I do not know why people 



