THE LURE OF THE LILY 185 



considered so easy to manage. It grows here in a west 

 border in very light soil and has a ground cover of large- 

 leaved Saxifrages. The tall, wandlike stalks carry from 

 two to four ivory-coloured, funnel-shaped blooms, the 

 outside of which is a soft chocolate colour, and the orange- 

 coloured anthers give just the touch of brilliance needed 

 to make the soft harmony of ivory and chocolate per- 

 fect. It blooms in late July and early August. Damp- 

 ness is its great enemy and we should imitate the Japa- 

 nese, who lay the bulbs upon their sides to prevent water 

 lodging between the scales. 



From now on the recital is not so triumphant. I 

 planted with high hopes L. Krameri, also known as 

 japonicum. Just once it bore its lovely pink funnel- 

 shaped flowers and forever disappeared. Mr. Adams, 

 in his very helpful book "Lilies," which I did not 

 possess at the time, says that this Lily is "very erratic 

 and in cold climates safest in pots. Prefers light, rich, 

 sandy loam, or peat and good drainage." With L. 

 Washingtonianum I fared no better and know now that 

 I gave none of the conditions that the poor Lily craved. 

 It is one of the Californians, all difficult to manage in 

 our eastern gardens, but this one said to be less so than 

 the others if its requirements are observed. It loves a 

 deep, peaty soil, with generous additions of coarse sand 

 and leaf -mold and never-failing moisture at the roots. 

 Also it is most comfortable in partial shade. Humboldtii 

 is another Californian, something like superbum in ap- 



