POT CULTURE OF LILIES 77 



Those that need the protection of a greenhouse, 

 except in favoured localities, and may be grown in pots 

 or planted out in a bed in the greenhouse, include : 



Lilium Loiui. 



neilgherrense. 



nepalense. 



philippinense. 



Lilium polyphyllum. 

 y , primulinum . 



reum. 



sulphu 

 W^allichianum. 



A few hints as to the treatment of Lilies in pots may 

 be helpful as it is not the same in all cases. 



L. auratum. Bulbs imported from Japan are the most 

 desirable for pots, and even these are apt to fail in an 

 unaccountable way. As it is such a magnificent Lily it 

 deserves exceptional attention. 



The best bulbs reach this country about Christmas, 

 and as soon as received, should be laid singly out of 

 doors and covered with three or four inches of cocoa nut 

 refuse, and a mat thrown over the bed if the weather is 

 severe. The object of laying the bulbs out instead of 

 potting them at once is the opportunity it affords for 

 any incipient signs of decay to develop, after two or 

 three weeks in contact with the moist covering the 

 decayed parts can be more readily detected and removed 

 than when the bulbs are dry, and this done the bulbs 

 should be potted. 



A suitable soil for pot culture of L. auratum is equal 

 parts of loam and fibrous peat, with sufficient silver sand 

 to render the compost friable. 



For ordinary sized bulbs, pots five or six inches in 

 diameter are very suitable - 9 while three bulbs can be 

 put in an eight-inch pot, and more can be put in a 

 proportionally larger pot or tub to form large specimens. 



Pots should be clean and well drained, in the usual 

 way. The bulb should be potted at such a depth that 

 there is about an inch of soil over the top, and care must 

 be taken to leave sufficient space for a top dressing of 



