THE LURE OF THE LILY 179 



none is more charming than Dicentra eximia with its 

 fernlike foliage, but on account of its pink flowers it 

 may be used only with Lilies of white, pink, or buff col- 

 ouring candidum, speciosum, Brownii. Other good 

 plants for the purpose are Corydalis lutea and cheilanthi- 

 folia, Funkias subcordata and Sieboldii, Nepeta Mussini y 

 Artemisia Stelleriana and Abrotanum, Rue, Columbine, 

 Thalictrum minus, and the large-leaved Saxifrages. 



Some kinds of Lilies * are said to prefer a heavy, peaty 

 soil, among them being L. auratum, tigrinum, Hansoni, 

 giganteum, Washingtonianum, Humboldtii, testaceum, and 

 Martagon. Of those reputed to do best in light soils 

 are L. Philadelphicum, bulbiferum, croceum, dahuricum, 

 concolor, elegans, candidum, longiflorum, chalcedonicum, 

 and speciosum. I think it well, however, not to take 

 these lists as final, but to find out fo'r one's self what 

 Lilies one's soil will entertain successfully. 



The soil recommended in Bailey's "Cyclopedia of 

 American Horticulture" as being the most generally 

 suited to Lilies is a light, rich loam freely mixed with 

 sand and grit. Standing water about the bulbs is a 

 most frequent cause of destruction, and to guard against 



* In the July Garden Magazine for 1915 Mr. E. H. Wilson, in a most interesting 

 article on Lilies, insists that the reputed desire on the part of Lilies for a peaty soil 

 is pure fiction : that the major portion of them are found growing in desert places, 

 on dry, rocky hillsides or in volcanic deposits, and that even the so-called "moisture 

 lovers" grow in the swamps on little hillocks which are quite dry in whiter. This 

 would quite revolutionize the science of Lily growing, which has so far brought 

 about most indifferent results, and teach us to give our Lilies a poor, gritty soil 

 with good, sharp drainage. 



