56 THE BOOK OF THE LILY 



shrubs on a southern slope grows as much as four and five 

 feet high and auratum much taller, not only the results of 

 one year but a succession of years. The soil is peaty 

 and sandy in these parts, and there is often sufficient 

 under-moisture to keep the Lilies in full vigour. 



In growing lilies in the open like this, an undergrowth 

 of shrubs is essential in order to give protection to the 

 tender shoots in spring and early summer, when icy-cold 

 winds sometimes ruin them for the season, as well as for 

 keeping the soil about the Lilies moist and cool. 



It therefore seems the wisest plan is to choose the 

 right kind of shrub as an undergrowth which will thrive 

 in the same soil as the particular Lily it shelters, and 

 yet not grow so dense or tall as to overpower it. The 

 common practice is to plant peat-loving Lilies among 

 Rhododendrons. This is generally satisfactory up to 

 the time when the Rhododendrons close in upon the 

 Lilies and smother them, for though the Lilies like 

 shelter they resent heavy shade. 



It is unwise to plant Lilies among Rhododendrons on 

 this account, because at the outset the Rhododendrons 

 must be planted tolerably thick to give effectual shelter, 

 but with Lilies that are likely to remain undisturbed for 

 some years the Rhododendrons overpower them, and 

 one has to lift both Rhododendrons and Lilies to replant 

 at wider intervals. Dwarfer and slower-growing shrubs 

 such as Azaleas, Andromedas, Ka/mms, Vaccimums, Per- 

 nettyas, and Heaths, all of which give protection to the 

 young shoots in their early stage, make beautiful masses 

 out of which the Lilies can rise freely. 



It is an easy matter to find suitable peat-loving shrubs 

 to associate with peat Lilies, but it is not such a simple 

 matter to select suitable shrubs for the loam-loving or 

 stifFer-soil Lilies, as the tendency is for these shrubs to 

 grow tall and quickly overpower the Lilies. But by 

 selecting those shrubs that naturally keep dwarf, and 



