SJ The Scented Cjarden flg 



intense cold in winter and terrific heat in summer, in 

 solitudes where only a few intrepid explorers and wild 

 tribesmen venture, the regal lily reigns. Both in summer 

 and winter these regions are swept by storms of awe- 

 inspiring violence, yet in June the precipitous, arid 

 mountain-sides blossom with countless thousands of these 

 glorious lilies filling the air with their wondrous perfume. 

 And from her mountainous fastnesses this radiant queen 

 has been transported to our gardens. When one looks at 

 her with the rich wine-colour shining through the snow- 

 white inner surface of her petals and her golden anthers 

 in this exquisite setting, and bearing sometimes as many 

 as fifteen flowers on each slender stalk, it seems as though 

 one so gorgeously apparelled must live delicately in Kings' 

 courts, yet her dwelling is amidst the bleakest solitudes of 

 this planet. Still stranger is it that this lily ripens seed 

 freely in this country, the seeds germinate in a few weeks 

 and the plants flower after their second year. 



We have not only caught and tamed the rose and 

 changed her character, but like the human race she differs 

 through the centuries. The roses depicted in the old 

 missals and books of hours in the pictures by the great 

 masters and the stained glass windows in our Cathedrals 

 resemble the roses of to-day as little as the mediaeval 

 mystic's outlook on life resembles that of the modern 

 scientist. But the lily remains unchanged, and hybridists, 

 hybridize they never so wisely, have (mercifully) suc- 

 ceeded in doing virtually nothing. The Nankeen Lily 

 (Z. testaceum) is supposed to be a hybrid of L. candidum 

 and L. chalcedonicum, although this is not certain, and it 

 is generally regarded as the best hybrid in cultivation. 

 But hybrid lilies are few and usually poor. To quote Mr. 

 162 



