854 



PRACTICAL GUIDE TO GARDEN PLANTS 



LILIUM 



in a compost consisting chiefly of peat, 

 with a little rich loam and plenty of 

 sand added. The bulbs should be 

 planted 4-6 in. deep, and may be pro- 

 tected in severe winters with a covering 

 of leaves, litter &c. Increase is effected 

 by separating the offsets. 



L. polyphyllum. — A charming but 

 rather delicate Lily from the Himalayas, 

 with stems 2-3 ft. high, and linear lance- 

 shaped leaves 4-5 in. long. The drooping 

 flowers appear in June and July, 4-6 in 

 a loose raceme. They are waxy- white in 

 colour, heavily spotted and lined with 

 purple. 



Culture and Propagation. — This 

 species is probably too tender for the 

 outdoor garden in most parts of the 

 British Islands. If treated in the mild 

 southern parts of England and Ireland 

 in the same way as L. cordifoUum and 

 L. giganteum, in sandy loam, peat, and 

 leaf soil, it succeeds fairly well. Plants 

 in flower were exhibited in London in 

 1880, but the species seems to have 

 dropped out of cultivation of late years. 

 L. nitidum, a Californian species 2-3 ft. 

 high, with 10-20 bright yellow flowers on 

 a stem, seems to have met the same fate. 



L. pomponium. — A fine Lily of the 

 Turk's Cap group, with small yellowish- 

 white bulbs, and erect furrowed stems 2 to 

 3 ft. high, thickly covered with more or 

 less linear leaves 3-4 in. long at the base, 

 but gradually becoming shorter towards 

 the top. The. drooping bright red, orange- 

 tinted flowers, with recurved segments 

 and a strong odour, are borne in loose 

 clustered racemes in summer before those 

 of L. chalcedonicum and L. pyrenadcum, 

 with which latter species it is often con- 

 fused. There is a good deal of variation 

 m the colour of the flowers, one form 

 with yellow flowers bemg very pretty to 

 look at, but having sometimes a disagree- 

 able and at other times rather a pleasant 

 odour. 



Culture and Propagation. — The 

 Pompon Lilies flourish in any good 

 garden soil, but prefer ti deep rich loam. 

 They look well in masses in beds and 

 borders, shrubberies &c., in either sun- 

 shine or shadow, and have an elegant 

 appearance. The bulbs should be planted 

 about 6 in. deep, and as much apart, and 

 new plants may be obtained by detaching 

 the offsets. 



L. pyrenaicum. — This Pyrenean Lily 

 is closely related to L. pomponivmi, but 

 is somewhat taller in growth, and bears 

 about a dozen bright yellow drooping 

 flowers at the end of the stems, the grace- 

 fully recurved segments, showing the fez- 

 like base of the tube, being elegantly 

 dotted with red or deep purple almost all 

 over the inner surface. There is a red- 

 flowered form very close to L. pom- 

 ponium, but not so good, and the flowers 

 are also peculiar for their strong scent. 



Culture dtc. as above, p. 843. The 

 plants may be grown exactly in th& 

 same way as ij. pomponium. 



L. Roezli. — An attractive Californian 

 Lily, first introduced to cultivation about 

 30 years since, but lost until a few years 

 ago. Its place, however, had been taken 

 by a form of i. pardai/mum. The' true 

 species has stems 2-3 ft. high, clothed 

 with lance-shaped linear leaves, which 

 are sometimes partly whorled but usually 

 scattered. The drooping deep orange-red 

 flowers, 2-3 in. across, are produced in 

 June and July, and have the reflexed 

 segments more or less densely covered 

 towards the base with irregular black 

 blotches, while the stamens have golden- 

 yellow to brown anthers. In the plants. 

 I have seen only 2 or 3 flowers are open 

 at a time, all borne on more or less erect 

 pedicels sharply bent at the top. 



Culture dc. as above, p. 843. The 

 plants grow well in a compost of sandy peat 

 with a little loam, and may be planted 

 among Azaleas, Ehododendrons &c. 



L. roseum (h. thomsonianutn ; 

 Fritillaria macrophylla). — A rare Hima- 

 layan species 1^2 ft. high with tufts of 

 narrow lance-shaped leaves 12-18 in. long 

 at the base, but alternate on the stems 

 and much shorter and narrower. The 

 beautiful bell-shaped flowers of a pleasing 

 rosy-lilac or flesh colour appear in April 

 and May, sometimes as many as 40 on 

 vigorous stems. They are at first more 

 or less erect, with segments recurved at 

 the tips, but are eventually drooping. 



Culture and Propagation. — This 

 remarkable Lily owing to its early-flower- 

 ing properties requires to be grown in 

 warm sheltered spots against a south wall 

 or hedge where it will not be injured by 

 spring frosts. The young growths should 

 be protected with a spriniling of leaves or 

 bracken, and if possible a light should be 

 placed over the plants in severe weather- 



