LILIUM. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



657 



superior to. it Takesima is recognised by 

 a purplish tint on the exterior of the 

 blossoms and on the stem. Wilsoni, or 

 eximium, the finest variety, has bold dark 

 foliage, and is nearly 4 ft. high, with 

 numerous flowers about 9 in. long. Take- 

 sima is the latest to bloom. Madame Von 

 Siebold is also a fine variety. L. longi- 

 florum giganteum is the variety generally 

 obtained from Japan ; strong bulbs will 

 send up a head of from 8 to 12 -flowers 

 widely opened ; the foliage is bright 

 green ; under glass this Lily may easily 

 be forced. L. formosanum, the variety 

 from Formosa, has its flowers ribbed 



checked. A well-drained light loam, 

 well enriched with leaf-mould suits it 

 admirably. L. Wilsoni is benefited by a 

 lighter soil and by a warmer and more 

 sheltered position. When just pushing 

 the growth in spring it is advisable to 

 encircle the plants with a few dead 

 branches, if unprotected by shrubs. 

 Where this fine species and its forms fail 

 in the ordinary soil of the garden, success 

 may be ensured by making a special soil of 

 rotten manure, leaf-mould, or cocoa fibre. 

 In such a mixture, so free and open that 

 the hand could be pushed down below the 

 bulb, we have seen them perfectly grown 



Lilium longiflorum Harris!. 



and flushed with rosy-brown ; they are 

 somewhat smaller in size than the type. 

 L. Harrisi is L. longiflorum altered by 

 growth in a tropical climate, Bermudas, 

 S. Africa, &c. Jama - Jura and Liukiu 

 are native names for the varieties men- 

 tioned. The variegated - leaved form 

 (albo-marginatum) is desirable, as the 

 variegation is distinct and constant. L. 

 longiflorum and its varieties sometimes 

 bloom well in borders, but care should 

 be taken that they are not injured by 

 spring frosts. L. longiflorum is so early 

 that, unless protected by the leaves of 

 evergreens, its growth is apt to be 



where the natural soil was too stiff and 

 impervious. The hardier varieties are 

 admirable for artistic gardening, their fine 

 forms being very effective when tastefully 

 grouped on the fringe of beds of choice 

 bushes and when touching and seeming 

 to spring out of the Grass. They are also 

 good in beds either specially devoted to 

 them alone or in combination with other 

 plants. Similar to L. longiflorum are 

 L. neilgherrense, philippinense, Walli- 

 chianum, and nepalense, but none is 

 hardy and all are poor and unsatisfactory, 

 except, perhaps, for the greenhouse. 

 L. Martagon (TurKs-cap Lily). This 

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