SOILS AND PLANTING OUT 49 



one, but a mixture of equal parts good 

 garden soil and well-rotted cow manure 

 makes a good compost also. When setting 

 out the plant spread out the roots well, and 

 after filling in the soil cover with an inch of 

 sand. If old cow manure is not available use 

 ground bone — a small double handful is 

 enough for one small tub. The sand for 

 covering is not a necessity, but it serves to 

 keep in place the earth and manure. 



One caution — do not use mud or swamp 

 muck in the water garden; it contains much 

 undecayed matter, which in decomposing 

 causes some portions to float. 



After planting, raise the water level to from 

 three to four inches above the crowns of the 

 plants, gradually adding more to keep pace 

 with the growth of the leafstalks, until 

 finally the water level is brought up to from 

 twelve to fifteen inches above the crowns of 

 the plants. It is important that this is done 

 gradually, as the sudden addition of a large 

 amount of cold water is likely to chill and so 

 check the lilies. 



