October Looking Forward 



The Japanese Irises are unsurpassed for gorgeous 

 colouring and, if the correct conditions are provided, they 

 offer little difficulty to the gardener. They must have 

 deep, moist soil and a sunny situation, and never look 

 so well as by the waterside. However, it is not everyone 

 who has a pond or stream by which to plant them, yet 

 that is no good reason why they should be neglected. 

 They will thrive in the flower border in deep, loamy soil 

 that is kept thoroughly moist in summer. The individual 

 flowers of some of the, new varieties are large and of 

 dazzling colouring ; but they are expensive, and a mixed 

 collection of older, mixed sorts is gorgeous enough. 



Lilies to Plant in October. There are so many 

 spurious Lilies among garden flowers that the amateur 

 may be pardoned if sometimes he is unable to distinguish 

 between the true and the false. The only true Lilies are 

 those of which the botanical name is Lilium ; a few fami- 

 liar examples are the Tiger Lily, the Madonna Lily and 

 the white Trumpet Lily. The bulbs of many kinds are 

 obtainable in autumn and ought then to be planted. So 

 many people restrict their choice to the golden-rayed 

 auratum, the rose-coloured speciosum, and the orange, 

 black-spotted tigrinum, all of which they plant in spring. 

 The bulbs of Lilium auratum are not generally obtainable 

 until towards the end of the Old, or early in the New, 

 Year, and in this case planting out of doors may well 

 be deferred until spring, but the bulbs of the Tiger 

 and speciosum Lilies are available in October. It is per- 

 fectly true that s6me Lilies are capricious and need 

 special conditions to ensure success in cultivation, but 

 a far greater number are as easy to grow as ordinary 

 border flowers. Why do not amateurs plant them? 

 They are not expensive, and each year they increase in 

 size and beauty. It is advisable to mix sand freely in 

 the soil immediately round about the bulbs. 



Of those suitable for planting in an ordinary, well- 

 tilled border the following are to be recommended : 



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