CHAPTER VII 



PLANTING LILIES 



THE soils and situations most suitable for various Lilies 

 are dealt with in another chapter, but here are a few 

 remarks concerning the actual planting of the bulbs, and 

 the depth at which they should be covered. 



In planting the choicer Lilies particularly if the soil is 

 of a rather retentive nature, a good plan is to surround 

 the bulbs with sand. This is done by putting a handful 

 of sand in the hole dug for the bulb, then press it, and 

 give it at the same time a somewhat circular movement, 

 which will partially bury the bulb. Another handful of 

 sand put on the top will cover the bulb, and then the 

 soil may be made level over it. The sand ensures 

 drainage immediately around the bulb, so that this is 

 an important detail. The sand also is a preservative 

 against fungus attacks and rot in the bulb scales. 



The depth at which Lily bulbs should be planted de- 

 pends upon their size, and other considerations. Those 

 kinds that produce stem roots in quantity grow naturally 

 deeper in the soil than those in which few, if any, roots 

 are produced from the base of the stem. Examples of 

 these two classes are L. auratum and L. Martagon. 



In the case of L. auratum masses of roots grow from 

 the base of the stem independent of the bulb itself. 

 These stem roots serve to nourish the developing flower. 

 It is therefore evident that bulbs of this section should 

 have soil to envelope the lower parts of the stems so 

 as to encourage the growth of stem roots, as the roots 



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