The Culture of Flowering Bulbs 



well-known spring favourite. The bulb is perfectly hardy, and will 

 grow in any garden soil. Plant in clumps three inches deep, any 

 time from the end of September until the middle of November. 



LILIES 



HARDY border Lilies are amongst the most useful garden plants 

 known. They are peculiarly hardy and robust, requiring no sup- 

 port from sticks or ties ; several of them remain green all the winter, 

 and are capable of resisting any amount of frost. If left alone, they 

 increase rapidly, and become more valuable every year. We will 

 say nothing of their beauty, for that is proverbial ; but it may be 

 useful to observe that many of the most lovely Lilies, usually regarded 

 as only suitable for the greenhouse, and grown with great care under 

 glass, are really as hardy as the old common white Lily, and may 

 be grown with it in the same border. To grow Lilies well requires 

 a deep, moist, rich loam. A stubborn clay may be improved for 

 them by deep digging, and incorporating with the staple plenty of 

 rotten manure and leaf-mould. They all thrive in peat, or rotten 

 turf, or, indeed, in any soil containing an abundance of decomposing 

 vegetable matter. The autumn is the proper time to plant Lilies, but 

 they may be planted at any season, if they can be obtained in a 

 dormant state or growing in pots. They should be planted deep for 

 their size, say, never less than six inches. After they have stood some 

 years it is necessary to lift and part the clumps, when the borders 

 should be deeply dug and liberally manured before replanting. If 

 the stems of Lilies become leafless and unsightly before the flowers 

 are past, it is a sign that the roots are too dry, or that the soil is im- 

 poverished ; and therefore, as soon as the stems die down, they should 

 be lifted, and perhaps transferred to a more favourable spot. 



Amaryllis. These magnificent plants do not require the high 

 temperature in which they are usually grown, nor should they be 

 allowed to remain for a great length of time dust-dry, as we some- 

 times find them. It is important to remember that they have distinct 

 seasons of activity and rest, but must not be forced into either 

 condition by such drastic measures as are occasionally resorted to. 

 The proper soil for them is turfy loam, enriched with rotten manure, 

 and rendered moderately porous by an admixture of sand. The 

 light soil in which many plants thrive will not suit them ; the soil 

 must be firm, and somewhat rough in texture. When first potted, 

 give them very little water, and promote growth by means of a bottom 



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