GARDENS NEAR THE SEA 



white fragrant flowers. It is the earliest of the tall 

 garden lilies to bloom, and is thought by many to be 

 the most beautiful on account of its look of unspotted 

 purity. It is not unlike the Bermuda lily, L. Harrisi, 

 although its flowers are more open and their tubes 

 considerably shorter than those of the Eastertime 

 favorite. The Madonna lilies like the sun. I have 

 seen a great bed of them gleaming under its rays like 

 whitened silver. 



As with all lilies that blossom early in the season, 

 the bulbs of the Madonna lily should be planted in 

 the autumn, as they can then make considerable 

 growth before the cold weather. When they are 

 divided, which is periodically necessary on account of 

 the rapidity of their increase, it should also be done in 

 the early autumn or as soon as their stalks have turned 

 yellow. Fortunately, they are bulbs that can be 

 secured early. 



Sometimes it is impossible to obtain the bulbs 

 imported from Japan or other countries before 

 November, in which case their bed should be prepared 

 in advance for their reception and covered with leaves 

 or litter that will prevent the ground from freezing 

 before they can be planted. When the shipments of 

 bulbs are especially late, many nurserymen carry them 

 over the winter in pots, that they may thus be kept 

 in readiness for spring planting. 



Of the Japanese lilies that now hold so prominent 

 a place in many gardens, the golden-banded lily, L. 

 auratum, is the most stately and the best known. It 

 grows tall and bears a large number of most beautiful 



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