THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



LILIUM. 



633 



flower in three or four years ; though others 

 will not flower for several years. The finest 

 kinds, such as the Japanese and Cali- 

 fornian Lilies, are now so cheap that it 

 is scarcely necessary to propagate from 

 home-grown plants. It will be well, how- 

 ever, if, by rapid increase, or otherwise, 

 they become plentiful enough to adorn 

 the smallest cottage gardens. Several 

 Lilies, chiefly Japanese and Californian, 

 are largely imported every year. As soon 

 as received, all bulbs should be examined, 

 and decaying matter should be removed. 

 They should then be laid in soil, or, 

 better still, Cocoa-nut fibre in a moderate 

 condition of moisture, until the bulbs re- 

 cover their plumpness and the roots are 

 on the point of starting from the base. 

 Then they should be potted or planted 

 out as required ; but, before this, decaying 

 scales should again be removed, as a few 

 of the outside ones are often bruised in 

 transit, and after they have been in the 

 soil a little time decay sets in, which if 

 not then taken off may contaminate the 

 whole bulb. Of those so imported, L. 

 auratum and Krameri should, when 

 potted, be surrounded with sand, but 

 some do well without it. The most 

 difficult to import among the N. Ameri- 

 can Lilies are L. Washingtonianum and 

 L. rubescens, since, as a rule, they suffer 

 much more than the large, solid bulbs of 

 L. Humboldti, or than those of pardalinum, 

 canadense, and superbum. These solid 

 bulbs should be treated as above directed, 

 but L. Washingtonianum, rubescens, and 

 Humboldti should not be potted, as they 

 never succeed in that way ; and indeed 

 all the N. American Lilies do much better 

 if planted out. Those grown in Holland, 

 such as the varieties of davuricum, 

 elegans, and speciosum, etc., arrive plump 

 and sound, but it is much better to lay even 

 these in soil a little while before potting. 



L. Alexandra. A beautiful new dwarf 

 Lily, apparently a hybrid between longi- 

 florum and auratum, bearing a large, well- 

 opened, reflexed flower, broad petalled and 

 pure white, from a southern Japanese 

 Island ; and therefore grows best under 

 glass. Its native name is Uke uri. 



L. auratum. Some forms have flowers 

 nearly I ft. across, with broad white petals 

 copiously spotted with reddish-brOwn and 

 having broad bands of golden-yellow down 

 the centre. The poorest forms have starry 

 flowers and scarcely any markings. 

 Several named varieties are particularly 

 distinct ; and the chief are cruentum and 

 rubro-vittatum, which have deep crimson 

 instead of yellow bands down the petals. 

 Rubro-vittatum is a variety with a very 



distinct bulb, the foliage is darker, and it 

 is a hardier, better doer than the type. 

 Platyphyllum is also more easily grown 

 than the type. The white-petalled variety 

 of platyphyllum, generally called virginale, 

 is perhaps one of the most beautiful forms. 

 Wittei and virginale, the flowers of which 

 have no colour but the golden bands ; 

 rubro-pictum, with a red stripe and spots ; 

 platyphyllum, with very large flowers and 

 broad leaves ; and Emperor, a grand 

 flower, with reddish spots and centre. 

 There are also some beautiful hybrids 

 raised between L. auratum and some of 

 the other species ; for example, L. 

 Parkmanni (between L. auratum and L. 

 speciosum), which has large white flowers 

 banded and spotted with carmine-crimson. 

 It grows freely in peat or loam, a 

 mixture of both with a little road-scrap- 

 ings best fulfilling its requirements. 

 Where the soil is naturally poor, light, 

 and sandy, it should be taken out to a 

 depth of 1 8 in., and replaced with the 

 compost above mentioned, or some fine, 

 well-enriched mould. The bulbs should 

 be planted in this, and, as soon as growth 

 commences in spring, should be mulched 

 with decomposed manure or short Grass. 

 If the garden soil be fairly good, it need 

 only be well stirred and manured, but the 

 manure should be thoroughly decomposed. 

 A sheltered situation should be chosen, 

 and if possible screened from the mid- 

 day sun, and protected from westerly and 

 southerly gales and from heavy driving 

 rains ; for this Lily is very susceptible to 

 injury by cold draughts and cutting winds. 

 No better place can be chosen than a 

 snug nook sheltered from the north and 

 east by shrubs, but at the same time open 

 to the sun. The best examples that have 

 been seen were grown in a Rhododen- 

 dron bed, and planted in a deep, moist, 

 peaty soil, where they have been for years 

 undisturbed. When planted among other 

 things the young and tender uprising 

 shoots are greatly protected in spring. 

 As to propagation, there is scarcely any 

 need to enlarge upon that, as bulbs are 

 imported so plentifully ; and it is only 

 necessary to separate the young bulbs and 

 replant them in good soil. Those who 

 increase this Lily from seed must be pre- 

 pared to exercise a little patience, as the 

 seed is long germinating and the seedlings 

 are several years before flowering. The 

 seed should be sown, as soon as ripe, in a 

 frame. The seedlings should be planted 

 out as soon as the bulbs are of an appre- 

 ciable size. 



L. Browni is a fine Lily in the way of 

 L. japonicum, but with larger flowers. 



