IN MY LADY'S GARDEN 



time of rest the bulb can be re-potted, placing it rather low 

 in the pot, with thorough drainage and a compost of good 

 loam, leaf mould, and peat (but no fresh manure), and 

 covering it only to the depth of i inch, the upper space in 

 the pot being reserved for the rich top-dressings which will 

 be added as the new stem grows. After growth has begun, 

 more tepid water will be needed, with liquid manure as soon 

 as the buds are apparent ; and no insects must be allowed 

 to infest these, or the purity of the flowers will suffer. The 

 temperature for forcing L. Harrisi should not be excessive, 

 especially at first. 



These directions apply also to the Nilgiri lily (L. Nil- 

 girense), which has been considered one of the most difficult 

 to manage, as it requires to be kept under glass, being 

 delicate. But we have been quite successful in obtaining 

 young bulbs from the original imported roots; these were 

 grown on with care, according to the directions given 

 above, and the result is a number of good flowering bulbs 

 in full vigour and health, which increase in size and beauty 

 yearly. This lily requires many months in which to ripen 

 its bulb, the last greenery disappearing in February ; during 

 the whole of this time it is supplied with water sufficient 

 to prevent the foliage from drooping, and the pots stand 

 close to the glass in a warm vinery. The creamy-white and 

 highly fragrant flowers of the Nilgiri lily are much larger 

 than those of L. Harrisi, and are produced later in the year. 

 Lilium sulphureum and L. Krameri, in pale pink, may be 

 managed in the same way ; L. rubellum is more robust, and 

 has been known to survive in the open air in favoured 

 districts; but neither of these is very hardy. 



In the third sub-genus (archilirion) are embraced some 

 of the most beautiful of the hardier Japanese lilies, i.e., the 

 golden-rayed lily of Japan (L. auratum), with its fine 

 varieties rubro-vittatum and platyphyllum, &c., which 

 produce enormous blooms, 10 inches across, in the garden 

 yearly. 



The exquisite blossoms of the speciosum group of lilies 

 also belong to this sub-genus, and few plants can vie with 



238 



