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The Florists^ Review 



Dbcembeu 2, 1920 



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GROWING LILIES TOR EASTER. 



Little Used Otherwise. 



Lilies liavo alw;iys hccii locikcil U|iiiii 

 as the iHililest of <jar(.leii plants. 'J'luir 

 flowers, of strikiiifi; colors, .-uhl llirir 

 fine forms appeal stroiif:ly to tlir ryo 

 and the itiiaj;inatioii as well. \'ct lilir-, 

 are less understood and less apjirciiatcd 

 than almost any other jilant ni' jiimni 

 nenee. Tire tij^er lily is a favorilr and 

 old-fashioncHl flower, to lie 'found in 

 many of Iho nuist homely and unpre- 

 tendinij {gardens. \o\v and then oiu> 

 finds a jjood f,'roup of the Madonna lily 

 and sometimes the landseape i^ardmiTs 

 jilant masses of the }:jold-banded lily in 

 the shrubbery borders. Lilies are orna- 

 mentally useful principally for their 

 flowers. Their foliage is seldom of a 

 character to assist in doeorative 

 schemes. 



In prowing lilies outdoors, the best 

 results can be obtained in lijjht, rich 

 soil, sheltered from severe ■vvin(is as well 

 as the midday sun. In preparing- the 

 bed, mix leaf-mold or peat with the 

 soil, as it will not only keep the (ground 

 loose, but will also keep the bed cool 

 in the hot summer months. 



Propagation. 



As a rule, lilies do best in a rich soil, 

 but the bulbs should not he in contact 

 with fresh manure, as this is injurious. 

 Well rotted manure is beneficial to 

 them. 



Lilies art' propai;ated from seed, from 

 scales and froni ofl'scts. To proilucc 

 bulbs from seed is a slow process. In 

 jjrowinjj bulbs from scales, take quite 

 rip<*, stronf^, outside scales and ])lanl 

 them where they will be kej)t warm and 

 moist. They generally grow into Imll. 

 lets the first season, and make a fairly 

 good growth the second year. If well 

 taken care of, they will be large euongh 

 for blooming the third season; that is, 

 by fall in the tliird season. Bulbs grown 

 from offsets, when giv( ii gooil c;ire. 

 usually bloom the third or fourth se.asun. 



For Easter. 



An import.nnt cliaracteristic of lilies 

 is their fragrance, whi(di is quite slroni: 

 in L. candiduni and L. auratum. Asiile 

 from these, no lilies can be cl.assed as 

 real favorites of the ,\merican public. 

 while dozens of magnifiient kinds -.in- 

 jiractic.ally unknown. 



It is different with the l^aster lily. t'lT 

 who does n(d know the n(d)lo tlowir nt 

 purity, the flower that has been idcnti 

 fied with the Christian religiim for l;i n 

 erations, to symbolize the Jiwakenin;; ii. 

 new and better life, the coming ot 

 spring? It is also gratifying that it is 

 more customary in thi^ Tnitcd States 

 than in any otlier country to have the 

 lily as the Easter flower. About ISSO it 

 became a n;ition-wide custom to use 

 lilies in churches for decorations .and in 

 residences for table plants. 



The leading varieties are: L. gigaii- 

 teum, L. longiflorum, L. Ilarrisii and L. 



A paper entitled "Lilieo," rf.id bj- Max Kiiiscr. 

 of tlie Merrinm }'nrk Kloral I'o., St. I'liul, Minn., 

 at the .Vovemlxr mceling (if the Minnesota State 

 rioriMts' AsKtH'iation. 



formosuin. It is not diflicult to grow 

 the Kaster lily unibr glass from strong, 

 healthy bulbs, 'fhere is ;i difference in 

 each bulb to a certain extent, as to age, 

 size, fri'shness iiiid degree ol' maturity. 

 This exjihains why it is so diflicult to 

 secure uniform Miioniing at .'i definite 

 time. The d.'ites of potting ^^•hi(dl give 

 satisfacf <iiy results one year may give 

 unsatisfactory results the following sea- 

 son. What the florist does, t lierefore, is 

 to start his bulbs early and then grow 

 them by varying the temperature to get 

 the crof) when needi'd. Kaster lily 

 bulbs should be kejit cool until w(dl 

 rooted; then they may be brought into 

 heift for flowering. Secure the bulbs 

 as early as jiossible ;nul ])lant immedi- 

 ately. Do not let them become dry and 

 shriveled, as mucdi of their vigor will 

 be lost. There are several commercial 

 grades, measured by the average circum- 

 ference in iiKdies. The 7 to 9 is usually 

 the most serviceable and economical for 

 the commerci.'il florist. 



Planting Important. 



Oet the soil ready in time, so that the 

 bulbs can be jdanted at once u]K(n be- 

 ing r(>ceived. Use the S(dl as light as 

 ])ossible, should it be rather heavy, and 

 set the bulbs on a cushion of sand. 

 With heavy soil mix y>lenty of well de- 

 cayed manure. It cannot be mentioned 

 too often that the soil sliould be light 

 and rather fibrous. Do not forget the 

 drainage in your pot and ]>lant your 

 liulbs firtnly; that is, press the soil well 



around the pot and leave the soil more 

 loose on top of the bulb, (lood jjlanting 

 is half of the growing. Many florists 

 st.'irf the bulbs in 1 iiudi jiots and trans- 

 fer them, when growth has begun, into 

 I)ids in wliiidi they arc- to bloom. Others 

 jilant the bulbs in i)ots in which they 

 are to bloom, fill them two-thirds with 

 soil, leave them in that stage until the 

 bulbs make four to five inches of 

 growth, and then fill the pots with soil. 

 Often one gives a t(jj)-dressing, half 

 manure and h.alf s(dl, which is not ailvis- 

 .able, ]iarticul;irly if it is fresh uuinure. 

 If one grows lilies in largo (]uantiti('s, 

 both of these methods of pl.'inting take 

 too much time and labor. Always do 

 your work tlie (juickest, shortest and 

 best w.'iy. I'iant the bulbs in p(ds in 

 wdiich tliey are to bloom, fill them with 

 soil, except .-illowance for water space, 

 .•md then give a thorough watering. 

 After this the bulbs commence to swell. 

 Then keep them on the dry side; this 

 will help the bulbs to make roots 

 sooner .and get better root action. By 

 so doing, the bulbs will make top and 

 bottom roots at the same time. As soon 

 as growth l)egins, give water as you see 

 fit. If possilile, have a house ready 

 where the pots can be set right from 

 the beginning on the benches. If this 

 cannot be done, place them under 

 benches in the same house where they 

 are intended to be grown, as it will save 

 time. 



May Regulate Growth. 



Bulbs ]daute<l the first j)art of Novem- 

 l)er, started with a temperature of 50 

 degrees, increased slowly by the middle 

 of December to 60 degrees, should have 

 made good roots and a little top growth 

 by that time. From then on the tem- 

 ](erature may be increased to assure 

 blooming for E.aster. (Jive lilies a house 

 with plenty of light and air and good 



Chrysanthemum Glorious. 



