2 NOTES ON LILIES 



moisture, they will, when the Rhododendron blooms are over, and 

 the beds begin otherwise to look dull and uninteresting, astonish 

 and delight their owner with stout vigorous stems, fine large well- 

 coloured flowers, and glossy foliage. 



One more point in their favour, from a decorative point of 

 view, and I have done: What more truly beautiful than a pot of 

 well-grown Lilies, whether it be Szovitzianum with its pendent 

 canary-coloured bells, Auratum with its massive fragrant flowers, 

 Brownii with its gracefully recurved tubes, richly browned outside, 

 but pyre white within, possessing a most delicate perfume, or 

 Speciosuin the loveliest of all; or among the smaller kinds, of the 

 graceful Pulctollum, the taller but elegant Tenuifolium, or that 

 pretty bright yellow 'star-like Coridion ? yet it is not necessary that 

 these should be grown from the beginning in a pot for this 

 purpose, see page 9 : trouble and labour may be spared by 

 carefully lifting the plants from the border just when coming into 

 flower, dropping them into a good sized pot, careful that no injury 

 be done to the upper roots, watering well, and placing in the 

 shade for a day or two; their blooms will open a little later on, 

 without detriment to the bulb, and all their charms be displayed 

 ; when and where required. 



In order, therefore, to help former cultivators and interest new 

 admirers in this very graceful section of flowers, and with a view to 

 render their cultivation more easy, we shall be glad to offer in these 

 jottings the result of our observations during the last few years : by 

 no means supposing that we know everything about Lilies, but 

 hoping, while imparting what we know, to extract from others further 

 valuable information. 



1. As to the Hardiness of Lilies. There may be among the many 

 imported forms a few Lilies, such as L. Wallichianum from India, L. 

 Catesbcei from S. Carolina, and L. Pkilippinense from the Philippines, 

 j unable to stand a severe winter ; but with these exceptions, we have 

 found no Lily unable to endure the winter cold to which we are 

 accustomed in England. It has been said that L. Auratum is quite 

 hardy in Scotland, but that the Lancifolium section are killed by cold. 

 It may be so, and in some districts it may be necessary either to pro- 

 tect certain Lilies in winter with ashes, cocoa-fibre, and other dry- 

 refuse, but, generally speaking, in England it is not necessary. One 

 winter, after severe frosts with skating for several weeks, our Auratum 

 bulbs planted out of doors three inches deep, were all examined ; not 

 one was damaged, and they came up and flowered as well as ever.* 

 During the very severe winter of 1878-9 we do not think we have 

 lost any out door Lilies from frost. Though I have no doubt that 



* It is sometimes said of L. Longiflorum that, coming up as it does so early in the 

 year, it is materially injured by spring frosts. This may be obviated by protecting the 

 young growths with bracken or other dry litter. 



