248 POPULAR GARDEN FLOWERS 



special culture it will grow six to eight feet high, and 

 twelve to twenty magnificent flowers may be produced 

 from one bulb. 



The original species had white flowers, barred with 

 yellow and dotted with red. It is illustrated in the 

 Botanical Magazine, t. 5338. But importations yielded 

 varieties differing from the type, and these were given 

 varietal names. There were, for instance, cruentum, 

 which was more heavily marked with red than the 

 species ; platyphyllum, with broader leaves and very 

 large flowers ; rubro-vittatum and rubrum, forms with a 

 broad crimson band along the petal ; tricolor, heavily 

 spotted ; virginale, white ; and Wittei, with yellow bars. 

 Specialists soon singled these treasures out, and created 

 a special demand for them. They are now sold separately, 

 under names, at a somewhat higher cost than the species 

 itself. 



Lovers of Lilies have established Lilium auratum as 

 one of their prime favourites. They have found that it 

 is capable of giving beautiful effects when grouped in 

 the border, especially when it has shelter from shrubs 

 or other plants capable of breaking strong wind. Such 

 shelter is particularly grateful in spring, when the plants 

 are making their first growth ; but it is welcome at all 

 seasons, especially in wind-swept districts. Clay is not 

 quite the right soil for it, but it can be made to thrive on 

 heavy land if the site is well dressed with lighter material, 

 such as leaf mould. The thick, soft deposits of the woods 

 have a mellowing effect on stiff land. They should not 

 be expected to do everything, however. The ground 

 should be drained, the subsoil broken up, and the surface 

 layer reduced by exposure in a lumpy state. If peat is 

 available it should be added to the leaf mould which is 

 incorporated, and in any case road grit or coarse sand 



