AND THEIR CULTURE. 55 



planted against the side, so that all the processes of growth might be 

 watched. 4. Amongst the North American forms with rhizomatous 

 bulbs, such as 8uperbum, Puberulum, &c., fresh growths are emitted 

 every year, in the form of bulbs or stolons ; from these the flower 

 stem shoots upwards in the following year, so that each year 

 there is a succession of new growth. From these considerations, 

 it follows that well chosen bulbs, planted early, must be in the 

 most favourable condition to flower freely, and make good growth 

 the succeeding year, producing a fine display of highly-coloured 

 blooms. Hence the following rules : 1. Plant deeply, say 6 to 8 

 inches, so that the roots may easily get into a moist sub-soil, and be 

 sheltered from the scorching, drying influence of the sun's rays. 

 2. Plant early in the autumn, so that the roots may bo at work all 

 the winter. 3. Choose fresh undried bulbs, with, if possible, new 

 white central growth, whose roots have not been cut off nor dried. 



4. Plant in a cool shady border not exhausted by roots of trees, where 

 the roots may always obtain moisture, and yet not be saturated; 

 where the surface of the ground is shaded from the sun's rays, and 

 yet where the buds and leaves may enjoy sunshine to perfect the 

 flowers ; such, for instance, as a sloping bank, with water percolating 

 its subsoil, with a south-eastern or south-western aspect in our 

 southern counties, and with a more southern aspect as we go farther 

 north. Carpet the soil with low-growing foliage or flowering plants, 

 such as Rhododendrons, Saxifrages, Sedums, Golden-leaved Chick- 

 weed, Dwarf Pennyroyal, Veronica repens,&c.: "Sedumglaucum(grey), 



5. Lydium (green), S. acre elegans (pale yellow), Saxifraga Rosularis, 

 (silvery white), S. hirta (green), Antennaria tomentosum (white), Her- 

 niaria glabra (green)/' are all given in Garden, vol. 15, p. 48, as " sur- 

 face rooters, looking equally well in winter and in summer, in order of 

 merit as named, for carpeting bulb beds" or, in the absence of anything 

 better, use Mignonette or Chickweed rather than allow full exposure to 

 the sun's scorching influence. 5. During the growing season, i.e., from 

 the time that the stem pushes above ground to the time when 

 the flowers begin to open, let an abundant supply of moisture be 

 provided. In India, they have their rainy season, during which 

 L. Wallwhianum shoots up aloft; in Japan, they have abundant rains 

 during May and June for six to eight weeks ; this, coinciding with 

 my own experience, makes me confident that, drainage being provided, 

 we can hardly give too much water at that season. 6. Where Lilies 

 are grown in pots, it will be found advantageous to protect the upper 

 roots by placing masses of fibrous peat and loam on the surface of the 

 pot. 7. If pots are used, and they can hardly be avoided for some 

 kinds (and that Lilies can be well grown in pots, the practice of 

 Mr. Wilson amply proves), then large pots must be used to provide 

 abundant room for root action pots with straight sides and broad 

 bases are, for this reason, better than those with narrow bases 



