THE GARDEN 23 



ourselves with, other than that the leaves are not evergreen. The leaves 

 are much more delicate and narrower in appearance. The flowers are 

 rather more gracefully poised on the stem, and the roots are more of a 

 bulbous character. 



Easily grown, easily wintered, the roots may be divided, and the stock 

 increased every season after the flowering is over. I have found that by 

 constant division the blooms increase in size and intensity of coloring. Many 

 gardeners allow the roots to remain undisturbed year after year, until 

 immense clumps have developed. As the roots increase, they have a 

 tendency to come to the surface of the ground, because, increasing, they 

 have piled up on those of preceding years, and are crying out for immediate 

 attention, in other words, division. While nothing looks more attractive 

 and distinguished than a fair-sized group, the tall sword leaves topped with 

 clusters of healthy rich-colored flowers, yet single plants placed in lines 

 behind some smaller growing flowers, say sweet Williams, give a stately 

 and formal look to the bed or border that nothing else except perhaps the 

 gladiolus will give. 



Save every single piece of root, plant in rich soil, the smaller the root 

 the richer the soil, with an abundance of water, and the small, perhaps 

 despised, piece of root will soon reward your care and attention with a 

 splendid flower. 



Remember that the iris is by rights a water plant, therefore be gener- 

 ous with the water. 



Irises come in flower early. By careful choosing and observant trans- 

 planting, the blooming season may be lengthened in a wonderful way. Some 

 varieties bloom quite late, so that even in August one may have them in 

 flower. 



LEMON LILIES 



To even attempt the description of a lily, how altogether ridiculous, 

 because futile. No lily but is beautiful beyond description, whether it be the 

 stately calla, sacred to the Egyptians, who gazed reverently upon it, grow- 

 ing coldly white and aloof above the sluggish waters of the River Nile; or 

 whether it be the tiny vale lilies, shyly fragrant within the shelter of their 

 broad, green sheathing leaves; whether it be the gorgeous tiger, dazzling 

 the mind and eye alike, or the brave, wee snowdrop, blooming bravely, 

 alone above the melting snow. 



A lily is a lily. The \ ery name itself seems to convey to the mind some 

 of the many characteristics possessed by the various members of this 

 Immense family. 



Just now we want to talk about the old-fashioned lemon lilies. These 

 lilies are so closely related to the ordinary orange lilies that the two are 

 often confused. Certainly in many respects a close similarity is present; 

 for instance, the roots of each. Now nothing on earth, or in the earth for 

 that matter, either, resembles the peculiar collection of "tail-ed bulbs," one 

 end of each being attached to a main stem, the whole forming a reservi; of 

 nourishment, on which the plant lives, besides counting that drawn from the 

 ground. The older the root the greater the number of bulblets attached to 

 each plant. 



A peculiar thing we have discovered about these small bulblets. If the 

 large root seems to have a very large number of these, remove as many as 

 you think may be spared, never failing to leave at least three fair-sized ones 

 attached to the central root. Plant these, each separately, in rich earth, 

 keep well watered, and in the course of nine months or a year they will 

 throw out root fibres, and in two years will be as large (capable of flower- 

 ing, too) as the original plant. 



The lemon lilies are of the palest, most delicate yellow, smaller than 



