ON LILIES 247 



preferably such as has been used for a hotbed. Sand 

 may be sprinkled round the bulbs, and they may be 

 covered four inches deep. 



When Lilium candidum is thus treated it generally 

 grows strongly, and bears large clusters of beautiful 

 flowers, well earning such panegyrics as that of Cannart 

 d'Hamale in his monograph of the Lily : " C'est le Lis 

 classique, par excellence, et en meme temps le plus 

 beau du genre." " It takes its place naturally," says 

 d'Hamale, " at the head of this splendid group" ("II 

 se place tout naturellement a la tete de ce groupe splen- 

 dide"). Many would tell us that it is the Lily of the 

 arms of France, but to this I demur. It is above all 

 the classical Lily, and at the same time the finest of the 

 genus. 



The White Lily makes a charming border companion 

 to the blue perennial Larkspurs, and may therefore be 

 grouped near these noble flowers. The two plants are 

 generally in bloom together. 



The Scarlet Lily. If we doubt the accuracy of 1596 

 as the date of the introduction of the white Lily, what 

 are we to say of 1796 as the year when the fine scarlet 

 species Chalcedonicum was introduced to Britain ? It is 

 surely much older. The Scarlet Lily is a brilliant plant, 

 and has long been a great favourite in our gardens. It 

 is illustrated in the Botanical Magazine, t. 30. 



The Golden-rayed Lily, auratum, is a modern plant 

 compared with the species named and some others to 

 which reference will be made, as it was introduced as 

 recently as 1862. As most people know, it is a Japanese 

 plant, and to this day the principal trade is in Japanese 

 bulbs. Although not so tall as giganteum, it is certainly 

 the finest of all the hardy Lilies, and enjoys widespread 

 popularity with all classes of flower-lovers. When given 



