464 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT, 



advisable to lift both shrubs and Lilies every 

 three years or so, when the soil can be reno- 

 vated, the shrubs re-spaced, and the bulbs sorted 

 and given a fresh start. 



The species which at Kew show a preference 

 for loam are: L. Martagon and its varieties, L. 

 iigrinum, L. pyrenaicum, a chalky soil is best for 

 this; L. testaceum, stems 5 feet high; L. candi- 

 dum, never very first-rate in any soil at Kew; 

 L. pardalinum, stems 7 feet high, does very 



well in loam also; L. Hansont, does not object 

 to a rather dry situation; L. chalcedonicum, pre- 

 fers a strong moist loam, but is not a great 

 success at Kew; L. croceum, happiest on a deep 

 moist loam; L. davuricum, L. umbellatum, a suc- 

 cess in any garden soil; L» Henryi, although 

 this does well in peat, it grows strongest in 

 loam; L. Szovitzianum, happiest in a deep loam 

 with a clayey subsoil. 



Propagation by seeds. — Many Liliums are short- 



Fig. 571.— Lilium speciosum. 



lived under cultivation, whatever may be their 

 behaviour in a wild state. To keep up a supply 

 of bulbs it is worth while to look after the 

 seeds, and to sow some every year, especially 

 of those species which flower well for a year or 

 two and then fail. The process is simple, all 

 that is necessary being to ensure the setting of 

 a few fruits on the healthiest plants, and to sow 

 the seeds as soon as they are ripe in a pan or 

 box of sandy soil, which should be placed in a 

 frame. When the seedlings have made one 

 leaf, prick them out in a cold frame or partially 

 shaded bed and transplant annually, but do not 

 let the bulbs get dry. In this way large stocks 

 cf such species as L. Henryi, L. formosanum, L. 

 sulphureum, L. nepalense, L. superbum, and others 

 have been obtained. 



By scales and bulbils. — The scales of healthy 

 bulbs if removed and placed in pans or shallow 

 boxes of sandy soil in a frame will form tiny 

 bulbs in a few months, which will grow to 

 flowering size in two or three years if planted 



out and looked after. Some species, e.g. L. 

 tigrinum, L. sulphureum, and L. leucanthum t 

 develop axillary bulbils, which, if removed 

 and sown in boxes or a cold frame, grow into 

 flowering bulbs in two years. They should be 

 lifted and sorted after the first year's growth. 



L. giganteum. — This grand Lily has attracted 

 so much attention of late that a few remarks 

 upon it may not be out of place. It delights in 

 a deep rich vegetable soil, in a position where 

 it has protection from wind and sun. It is 

 perhaps more specially suited for the woodland 

 than any other Lily. Nothing is gained by 

 planting extra large bulbs; smaller bulbs, which 

 establish themselves in a year or two, will 

 throw up their lofty flower-stems in full beauty, 

 whereas a bulb which flowers the season after 

 planting can have nothing like the root action 

 to draw upon. 



As pot -plants, for conservatory decoration, 

 Lilies have great value, producing, when well 

 grown, quantities of large well-formed flowers. 



