IIAKDY GARDEN PLANTS. 23 



of plants there also that are hardy enough here outdoors, and a 

 reading of the account of Whyiuper's ascent of Chimborazo 

 makes one wonder all the more that they have not been seen in 

 cultivation. 



While on the subject of lilies, there is one from Central China 

 that will be a decided gain to our gardens when it is more plenti- 

 ful. I refer to L. Henryl, which, as seen at Kew last season, is 

 most distinct, vigorous, and free-flowering. I saw plants that were 

 •eight feet high, and bore over thirty of the uniform apricot yellow 

 blooms to a stem; this may not be the maximum number, but it 

 has been attained gradually ; each year more strength has brought 

 more bloom and no signs of deterioration have been apparent, and 

 there is every reason to believe that it is as good as it is beauti- 

 ful. L. auratum platijphyllnm is another good garden lily that is 

 not common ; it seems to be a well-marked form of L. auratum, 

 ■with very broad foliage — as broad as that of L. specios^un, and 

 like that species, it will thrive indefinitely in the border, the 

 bloom being almost identical with that of L. auratum. The 

 Japanese seem now to appreciate that these rare forms are worth 

 ■cultivating for export, and we can now obtain them at a very 

 reasonable rate. L. auratum platijphyllum, or, as it is often 

 called, L. auratum viacrantham, is one of the finest lilies for the 

 garden, and indeed has been called the " King of all Lilies." 



No garden seems to be complete in the early spring months 

 without a selection of Narcissuses, and, taking the best of these, 

 there are few more reliable bulbs for garden use. Of recent 

 years there has been a revival in Narcissus culture that has 

 amounted to a craze, and it has resulted in the production of 

 garden hybrids and forms innumerable. Collectors have also 

 been sent through Southern Europe in search of those that are 

 less known. These two facts need emphasis, for they are fraught 

 with considerable meaning to American cultivators of the Nar- 

 cissus. We have during recent years made an extensive trial of 

 most of these new introductions, especially those of Spanish 

 origin, and we find that after flowering the first year they dwin- 

 dle away and rarely succeed in gardens ; indeed, of the many 

 that we have had, such as Johnsonii, Queen of Spain, Saragossa, 

 Santa Maria, King Hum1)ert, Pelayo, and others, it is safe to say 

 that not one bulb remains ; V)ut though we have not the bulbs, we 

 have the knowdedge, and this was the primary reason why they 



