LILIES 127 



difficult lilies. Some of the finest plants of Lilium 

 Szovitzianum at the Royal Horticultural Gardens at 

 Wisley were raised from seed by the late Mr. G. F. 

 Wilson, and were either not moved at all from the 

 seed-bed or were moved with practically no distur- 

 bance. Lilium Szovitzianum is not a difficult lily, as 

 lilies go; but there are very few probably in Eng- 

 land to equal those at Wisley. This experiment of 

 raising lilies from seed would be too slow, and per- 

 haps too difficult a business for most amateurs, but 

 it might be tried on a large scale by lily specialists 

 and might result in the acclimatization of some of 

 the most difficult lilies. Unfortunately, many of the 

 most difficult lilies are abundant in their native homes, 

 and so are imported in large numbers and sold fairly 

 cheap in England, with the probability, and in some 

 cases almost the certainty, that they will disappoint 

 those who buy them. 



Before we proceed to speak of particular lilies, it 

 will be well to say something about the culture of lilies 

 in general. It has been said that no two kinds of lilies 

 should be grown exactly alike, and certainly lilies 

 vary more than most genera of plants in their wants. 

 But one or two general rules may be safely laid down 

 about them, and the first of these is that they all 

 like a soil full of the roots of trees or shrubs. The 

 reason of this is not quite clear. It cannot be merely 

 that they like sharp drainage, since drainage supplied 

 by other means will not make up for the want of a 

 rooty soil. Some lilies will do well enough without 



