6 FAMILIAR GAIiUEX FLOWERS. 



garden produce not a single flower in a run i>£ ten 

 or more years, wliile in another garden, with the self- 

 same soil and climate, similar clumps will flower annually 

 in the most delightful manner. One probable cause of 

 the disappointments that occur in the lily garden is the 

 exhaustion of the bull,)s through excessive flowering. The 

 disappearance of L. aiirufinii is certainly traceable to this 

 cause in some instances ; but the ways of the lilies are as 

 yet but imperfectly understood, and the commonest and 

 cheapest are given to vagaries that no one can explain. 



As we have before us a very hardy, free-flowering, and 

 useful lily, a few general directions on Hly culture may be 

 useful. When lilies are planted out they should have the 

 full sunshine, for the shade of trees is unfavoin-able both tc 

 bloom and longevity. The commoner kinds will bear ii 

 certain amount of shade withiiut harm, but it should 

 always be borne in mind that lilies love sunshine. 



The lilies may be divided into two groups as regards 

 the soil that suits them : one group needing a loamy, and 

 the other a peaty soil. But they will all thrive — other 

 circumstances being fairly favouralsle — in a mello^ well- 

 drained loam, or in a nourishing fibrous peat. A boggy, 

 sour, p)oor, or chalky soil will not suit a single lily, whether 

 it be the commonest or the rarest. In preparing for lilies, 

 it is not advisable to use stable manure, exce]>t as a top- 

 dressing when the planting is completed, but the cow-shed 

 will supply a suitable fertiliser to dig in and mix with the 

 staple. Far better, however, as an aid in making up a 

 Ix'd for lilies, is a heap of rotted turf, leaves, and other 

 vegetable refuse, forming what is known to gardeners as 

 " leaf-mould." A good soil they must have, but stimu- 

 lants are likely to do more harm than good, and their free 



