October Looking Forward 



is no doubt that, generally speaking, Lily of the Valley 

 prefers to remain undisturbed. But if the plants are ob- 

 viously unhappy, the only thing to do is to take them up 

 and replant at a greater distance apart. Much may be done 

 to keep them healthy by applying a top dressing of leaf 

 soil and partly decayed manure each autumn. In plant- 

 ing Lily of the Valley, choose a position partly shaded 

 from the sun, for example, a bed or border facing west j 

 have it dug 18 inches deep at least and plenty of manure 

 and leaf soil mixed in. The crowns (each separate root 

 is called a crown, and a .certain number of crowns make 

 up a bundle) should be put about 3 inches apart and at 

 such a depth that the tops are only slightly covered- 

 But this is a wayward plant. You may take the greatest 

 pains to establish it and be less successful than those 

 who treat it in haphazard fashion. Must I confess that 

 the only Lilies of the Valley I now possess are those that 

 came underneath my neighbour's fence, and he, I am 

 sure, took no great pains to establish them. So at the 

 end of this long paragraph I am inclined to think that 

 I have made " much ado about nothing." 



King's Spear or Eremurus. How noble a plant is 

 the King's Spear, of which the botanical name is Ere- 

 murus ! Why amateurs should habitually neglect it I 

 am at a loss to understand. When in bloom in early 

 summer it makes an imposing display. It thrives in 

 deep, well-drained loamy soil. The spikes of some 

 kinds tower to a height of 6 or 8 feet, and the upper 

 part of the stem ,is covered with small blossoms. The 

 roots are almost as remarkable as the flower stems ; 

 they are thick and thong-like, radiating from a central 

 bud like the spokes of a wheel. They are brittle, and 

 should be handled with care. A soil covering of 4 or 

 5 inches is necessary, and it is advisable to place a 

 mound of ashes on the surface of the soil immediately 

 above them for the sake of protection during winter. 

 Eremurus looks especially well towards the back of the 



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