12 THE BOOK OF THE LILY 



It is perfectly hardy in most parts of this country, and 

 the conditions most favourable to it are a well-drained 

 soil consisting of peat or leaf mould and sand, and a 

 position where partially protected from the cold winds 

 of spring and the direct rays of the sun later on. 



Owing to this they are often planted in rhododendron 

 beds ; and if the rhododendrons do not consist of the 

 very vigorous varieties and are not planted too closely, 

 this Lily will often do well. Dwarf and less spreading 

 shrubs that need the same soil as rhododendrons, such as 

 the smaller azaleas, vacciniums, pernettyas, and kalmias, 

 as well as the Alpine kinds of rhododendrons, agree 

 well with this Lily, and in planting it among these there 

 is less danger of overcrowding. 



The flowering season of L. auratum out of doors 

 extends from July till mid-autumn. Individual variations 

 of height, foliage, contour of the flower and its markings, 

 occur plentifully in the case of this Lily, while among 

 them are some well-marked and very beautiful varieties. 



Chief among those named are pictum, in which the 

 petals are freely spotted with crimson, while the central 

 stripe is suffused with the same tint ; macranthum, also 

 called platypbyllum, is a robust growing form in which 

 the stem is stouter and attains a greater height than the 

 type. The leaves are much broader, and the massive 

 flowers are more shallow. They are as a rule less 

 spotted than in the type. 



Two varieties that afford direct contrast to each other 

 are rubro-vittatum, which has a bright crimson band down 

 the centre of each petal, and Wittei, also called virginale, 

 which has a pure unspotted flower with a light yellow 

 band. 



What is known as the type, that is the wild plant, has 

 narrow leaves and large flowers, always with a golden 

 band down each petal, which are more or less copiously 

 spotted with reddish brown. 



