604 FLOWERS OF GARDEN AND GREENHOUSE 
devoted to Rhododendrons or other shrubs of low stature, Lilies may be 
planted with advantage in between. In such a position the bulbs will 
be perfectly secure from frosts in winter, and the tender shoots from 
strong winds in spring, whilst the flowers will show up well against the 
bold foliage of the shrubs. The bulk of the Lilies at Kew are grown in 
this way, and are a great success. Strong manures should not be allowed 
to come near the bulbs, but well-rotted manure, applied as a mulching 
as soon as the flower-buds begin to form, is of great value. A plentiful 
supply of water at the same period is very important. Lily-bulbs should 
remain undisturbed for several years. If their removal is necessary, it 
should be done in autumn, when the stems have died down; but they 
should be at once replanted, for exposure to the air soon renders them 
flabby. 
- Most of the species of Liliwm are well adapted for 
ot-culture. 5 
pot-culture, and an admirable compost for them may be 
contrived by mixing loam and peat in equal portions, and adding to it a 
little charcoal and some sharp sand. The pots must be adapted to the 
size of the bulbs, but a 6-inch pot will be found small enough for any 
of them. The bulb should be inserted deeply, but with a good layer of 
soil beneath it. Lilies root not merely from the base of the bulb, but as 
soon as the stem is formed a circlet of roots emerges from the thick 
portion of the stem, and these take possession of the top layer of soil, 
which should not be allowed to get dry. When the buds are formed— 
but not till then—clear liquid-manure may be given; and after flowering, 
the pots should be stood outside, and less water given. When the stems 
have died in autumn the bulbs may be shaken out, and at once repotted 
in fresh soil. During the winter they should have a cool corner of the 
greenhouse where they will be free from frost and not entirely dry. 
During this period their roots will be not inactive, therefore the soil, 
though not very damp, must be permeable. 
Healthy Lilies propagate themselves. The bulb that 
sent up one stem last year will send up two or three this 
season, and the fleshy scales will rearrange themselves around these 
stems ; so that the original bulb becomes two or three. These, of course, 
may be separated from time to time. If the flowers are allowed to ripen 
their seeds, these may be sown in pans of sandy soil; but as flowering 
bulbs cannot be produced from these seeds in less than about five years, 
the amateur will probably prefer the more expeditious mode already 
mentioned. The bulbils produced in the axils of some species should also 
be utilised; and often a vast number of minute bulbs will be formed 
among the scales of the old bulb, which they soon break up. A single 
Propagation. 
6 
