298 THE CULTURE OF FLOWERING BULBS 



LILIES 



HARDY border Lilies are amongst the most useful garden plants 

 known. They are peculiarly hardy and accommodating, requiring no 

 support from sticks or ties; several of them are green all the winter, 

 and capable of resisting any amount of frost, and, if left alone, they 

 increase rapidly, and become more and more valuable every year. 

 We will say nothing of their beauty, for that is proverbial ; but it may 

 be proper to add that many of the most lovely Lilies, that are regarded 

 as only suitable for the greenhouse, and grown with great care under 

 glass, are really as hardy as the old common white Lily, and may be 

 grown with it in the same border. To grow the Liliums well requires 

 a deep, moist, rich loam. A stubborn clay may be improved for 

 them by deep digging, and incorporating with the staple plenty of 

 rotten manure and leaf-mould. They all thrive in peat, or rotten 

 turf, or indeed in any soil containing an abundance of decomposing 

 vegetable matter. The autumn is the proper time to plant Lilies, but 

 they may be planted at any season, if they can be obtained in a 

 dormant state, or growing in pots. They should be planted deep for 

 their size, say, never less than six inches. When they have stood some 

 years, they should be taken up and parted, and the borders should be 

 deeply dug and liberally manured before replanting. If the stems of 

 Lilies become leafless and unsightly before the flowers are past, it is 

 a sign that the roots are too dry, or that the soil is impoverished, and 

 therefore, as soon as the stems die down, they should be lifted and 

 perhaps planted in a more favourable spot. 



AMARYLLIS. These magnificent plants do not require the high 

 temperature in which they are usually grown, nor should they be 

 allowed to remain for a great length of time dust-dry, as we some- 

 times find them. It is important to remember that they have distinct 

 seasons of activity and rest, but must not be forced into either 

 condition by such rude measures as are occasionally resorted to. 

 The proper soil for them is turfy loam, enriched with rotten manure, 

 and rendered moderately porous by an admixture of sand. The 

 light soil in which many plants thrive will not suit them ; the soil 

 must be firm, and somewhat rough in texture. When first potted, 

 give them very little water, and promote growth by means of a bottom 

 heat of 65. Increase the supply of water as the plants progress, and 

 shift them into 6-inch pots for flowering. While they are in flower 

 they may be placed in the conservatory, or wherever else they may be 



