22 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



that come on one aftei- another until September frosts. The shade 

 afforded by the Rhododendrons gives a cool soil at all times, and 

 a slight protection from late spring frosts to the young shoots, 

 and in fall the leaves placed about the roots of the Rhododen- 

 drons give a sure and safe guard against severe cold, and also 

 keep the bulbs from starting prematurely. There was a time 

 when it was regarded as an astonishing feat to flower L ilium 

 giganteum in the outdoor garden, but in such a position as that 

 named, there is no difficulty in not only flowering it for one 

 season, but in growing and increasing the plants indefinitely, and 

 when well grown and flowered, there is no other Lily, and very 

 few hardy plants, that can approach it in its majestic vigor. I 

 have seen the flower stems orer ten feet high in the garden of 

 Hon. John Simpkins, at Yarmouthport ; his were strong, well-es- 

 tablished clumps, and perhaps the finest ever seen in cultivation. 

 There is no reason why this Lily cannot be grown in any garden, 

 but care must be taken in procuring bulbs that are true to name. 

 We have been sadly mistaken once in being supplied with bulbs 

 of L. cordifolium for the true L. giganteum. There is also 

 another Himalayan lily of tested hardiness here in Massachu- 

 setts ; I refer to L. suljihureum, or Wallichiannm su/perhum as it 

 is more often called, though not so correctly. This is one of the 

 most lovely lilies there are, and the specific name " sulphureum " 

 aptly describes the soft yellow interior of the large flowers. 

 Although it comes from the Himalayas, it is as hardy as L. tigri- 

 num, and, like the old Tiger Lily, produces little bulbs from the 

 base of each leaf. We have about three dozen nice young bulbs, 

 almost as large as a hen's Qg^, these being onty a year old, and 

 most of them will flower next summer if permitted. This lily 

 used to be rare and costly, but it has recently been propagated in 

 this country to a large extent, and will soon be as cheap as other 

 varieties. 



It seems to me that we have too often been inclined to con- 

 sider these and other plants tender, and coddle them in the 

 greenhouse for lao other reason than that they come from the East 

 Indies, forgetting all the time that it is not merely latitude or 

 longitude that concerns us as cultivators, but altitude. If we 

 give but a moment's thought it is reasonable enough ; we get 

 Orchids from directly under the Equator that require the coolest 

 possible treatment in greenhouses, and no doubt there are plenty 



