58 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



December, 



The Canadian Lily. It Deserves Bet- 

 ter of our Flower Lovers. 



A love for novelty, or for whatever is far- 

 fetched, has often led American growers 

 away from that which, among our native 

 plants Is meritorious, to things far less so 

 from the nations of Europe or of the East. 



A case in point is that of the remarkably 

 handsome native Lily known as the Cana- 

 dian Lily {Lilium Canadensis) of which an 

 engraving of the flowers is shown on this 

 page This Is a bulbous plant found native 

 to nearly all parts of our country and of 

 Canada, and which in the graceful habit of 

 its growth, and the beauty of its flowers, 

 stands among LOies simply matchless for 

 beauty. The plants grow from two to four 

 feet high, bearing on slender stems terminal 

 clusters of drooping, brown-spotted and 

 orange-colored flowers; varieties also bear 

 red(i. C. ritbrum) and yellow (i. C. flavum) 

 flowers. 



The Lilies known as L. parvum, L. niti- 

 dum, and L. columbianum are somewhat 

 similar to the Canadian Lily and require 

 the same treatment. 



The Canadian Lily is by no means diflBcult 

 to cultivate, the principal thing being to 

 plant its peculiar rhizomous bulbs in a com- 

 post abounding in vegetable fibre. In a situa- 

 tion that is always fairly moist, without 

 being soggy, and the roots after being 

 planted should not be disturbed, as then 

 they will gain in vigor every year. While 

 generally the soil should be quite largely of 

 peat, or some similar substance like decayed 

 turf, no strict rule can be laid down as it 

 is found doing well in an open loam in the 

 wild state, and has been also known to 

 naturalize well. A slightly shaded position 

 seems best for this Lily, but it must have 

 light enough to keep it in a thriving state. 



The Canadian Lily flowers in late sum- 

 mer, and when in bold masses such as may 

 be seen more often in the gardens of Eu- 

 rope, than (be it said to our discredit) in those 

 of our own country, is very attractive. 

 Both it and the allied forms will make ele- 

 gant groups among choice shrubs in rich 

 beds. With such treatment we are often 

 able to get a second crop of bloom, as well 

 as a variety of forms from beds that other- 

 wise would have only a single lot of flowers 

 and rather unsightly plants. In this method 

 the shrubs should be kept from forming a 

 stiff solid mass, having them so grown 

 as rather to provide a shelter to the Lilies, 

 without doing them harm by excluding 

 the necessary light or preventing the devel- 

 opment of the flowers. 



A Trio of Deserving Plants That are 

 Little Known. 



W. E. EKDICOTT. NORFOLK CO., MASS. 



Three genera, Gloriosa, Littonia, and San- 

 dersonla, are so much alike in many ways 

 that no person, however ignorant of botany, 

 could fail to perceive the relationship. 

 Gloriosa and Littonia, indeed, are almost 

 indistinguishable, except in flower and root. 

 They both make long rambling stems, set 

 with glossy, bright green leaves, the tips of 

 which are prolonged into tendrils, by which 

 the plant will climb up a string under the 

 roof of a greenhouse to the height of eight 

 or ten feet. Sandersonia has the same 

 glossy leaf, and might be taken for one of 

 the former, which had not advanced far 

 enough to begin to climb, which the San- 

 dersonia never does. 



They are all showy plants and deserve 

 extensive cultivation. The tubers should be 

 potted, two or three in a five-inch pot, the end 

 of March. If the house be warm they start 

 in a few days; otherwise they remain dor- 

 mant for some time. When plants (Gloriosa 

 and Littonia) have reached a height of two 

 feet they begin to flower, and continue for a 



long time. Sandersonia will blossom when 

 ten inches high; its full stature never ex- 

 ceeding two feet. 



They are self-fertilizing, and every flower 

 will form a long, three-lobed pod of a most 

 brilliant and glossy green, which at the end 

 of the season will split open and display 

 rows of bright, red-skinned, round seeds 



A Fine Native Lily- Lilium Canad^nse. 



about as large as a very small Pea. I have 

 raised very many Gloriosas and Littonias 

 from seed, and have always found the seed 

 of the former to germinate in about six 

 weeks, while Littonia seeds never sprout in 

 less than eighteen months, and sometimes 

 they take two years. When the foliage and 

 stems turn yellow, the pots may be turned 

 down on their sides under the benches until 

 time for repotting, or the tubers may be at 

 once taken from the earth and put away in 

 a box, no packing being needed or repotted, 

 and be kept dry and warm over winter. 



Gloriosa was named by Linnaeus, but the 

 name is objectionable for two reasons, flrst, 

 the word is an adjective, not a noun; sec- 

 ond, it conveys a very exaggerated idea of 

 the appearance of the flower. The best 

 known species is Oloriosa supcrha, a name 

 which is fitting for only the most brilliant 

 and beautiful of flowers, which the one in 

 question, though showy and attractive, most 

 certainly is not. Methonica and Clinostylis 

 have been suggested as fitting names, but 

 Gloriosa has the precedence, and by botani- 

 cal custom it must stand. 



O. superha has reflexed flowers of scarlet 

 or orange, and yellow, the former color oc- 

 cupying the outer half of the floral divisions. 

 It is found throughout India and the large 

 islands adjacent, and throughout the south- 

 ern half of Africa. O. vircsccns, occupying 

 the same parts of Africa but not extending 

 into Asia, is not unlike the former species, 

 but its variety ijrandiflora, which is found 

 in equatorial Africa,is quite distinct, bearing 

 larger flowers of a beautiful clear yellow. 



Seedlings of Gloriosa make in their first 

 year, a triangular tuber from one corner of 

 which the stem springs; the other two con- 

 taining the "eyes" from which growth 



starts the next year. As the tuber increases 

 in age, (if we may so speak of an annual 

 tuber) the shape change and the two 

 branches (sometimes three) attain a length 

 of several inches, and are frequently much 

 contorted by their crowded condition in the 

 pots. The natives of India believe that one 

 of these branches is a virulent poison and 

 that the other is its antidote. 



Littonia has but one species, modcsta. Its 

 flowers are less showy than those of Gloriosa, 

 but are pretty and graceful. They are of a 

 clear egg-yolk yellow and are not reflexed, 

 but hang like little bells among the leaves. 

 They are not more than an inch long. A 

 new variety, Kcitii, has lately been found, 

 which is fully twice as large in all its parts. 

 The plant is a native of Natal and Kafl'erla. 

 The tubers of Littonia are of the shape de- 

 scribed above, but much thicker. 



Sandersonia, with two species, is also a 

 South African plant. L. aurantiaca has 

 orange-colored, urn-shaped flowers, resem- 

 bling those of the Blackberry in shape, 

 though considerably larger. 



Sister Gracious' Comments on Sev- 

 eral Matters. 



A new motto for plant lovers. Be bold ! 

 Be bold ! 



Many look at my plant shelf and say, "I 

 wish I could raise plants, but it's no use 

 for me to try, plants won't grow tor some 

 folks." Take right hold of something, if it 

 dies, try again. Make a rule never to buy a 

 plant in bloom. Get a slip, raise it yourself, 

 you will have learned lots about its habits 

 and needs, and when you have coaxed a 

 bud, the pleasure will be double than if 

 you had bought the plant at some florist's, 

 only to see the flowers fade in a few days. 



Amateuk's Disappointments. These crop 

 out all along the line, and are sometimes 

 overwhelming. My pretty Chrysanthe- 

 mums were covered with pure white blos- 

 soms that lightened the parlor windows, and 

 drew a smile from the passers by, but the 

 darlings were covered with disgustingblack 

 bugs. I made a strong Tobacco tea, filled 

 the watering pot, removed the plants to the 

 kitchen sink, and deluged them well. Poor 

 little things, they held down their heads, 

 dropping tobacco juice tears, and the next 

 morning the white blossoms were spotted 

 and looked as if they were afflicted with 

 smaU pox. Will some benevolent plant 

 raiser, give to the suffering sisterhood, a 

 sure, quick, clean remedy for these black 

 pests on Chrysanthemums, that flourish and 

 increase like the flies in Egypt? 



Chrysanthemums. October and Novem- 

 ber are the months for this queen of 

 Autumn. In Detroit they flourish royally. 

 One sees them in the windows of grand 

 houses and cottage homes. The flower mar- 

 ket is one grand display. The florists' 

 wagons are laden mth them delivering to 

 rich customers, and the street cars are 

 bright with great pots of them, carried, per- 

 haps, with live fowls in one hand, or a big 

 basket of vegetables, and perhaps one baby 

 in arms and another clinging to the skirts. 

 In the ardor of our admiration let us make 

 a resolve to grow them ourselves. The 

 pleasure then will be distributed along 

 through nine months in the year. If one is 

 beginning, go to the florists' in May, and get 

 slips. He will pull them off two or three 

 inches high from the old plant, and sell 

 them for a few cents. Plant them in the 

 garden for a while, water every day, and 

 now and then with cow manure tea. How 

 they grow! .Jack's bean stalk is hardly a 

 circumstance. Keep pinching them off or 

 they will be looking over the fence into your 

 neighbor's yard. Pot in July or August, and 

 in September the buds will begin. Keep 

 out>of-doors until October. 



