XX 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GA 



R D E N S 



March, 1907 



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The Mexican War 



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Marginatum. This grows about three feet 

 high, has large grayish-green leaves bordered 

 with snowy white and the entire stem and un- 

 derside of the leaves of the plant is of the 

 purest snow white. A beautiful plant in con- 

 trast with other dark-foliaged plants either 

 cannas, ricinus or caladiums. It is easily raised 

 from seed started in the house in March. The 

 seed germinates rather slowly and the young 

 plants require some coddling, but once estab- 

 lished in the open ground require little care. 



THE HARDY LILY BED 



By Ida D. Bennett 



FROM June till October the lilies blazen 

 and bloom. The stately white Annun- 

 ciation heads the procession with her 

 up-held chalices of snowy sweetness. Easily 

 first in our affections as she is in the floral 

 calendar of the year — if we except the longi- 

 florums, which are not common enough in our 

 gardens to rival the lily of the Annunciation, 

 and it is not until the sultry days of August 

 that any great activity in the lily kingdom is 

 shown ; then, indeed, she must look to her 

 laurels, for now the gorgeous Japs are in 

 evidence. Roseum, rubrum, album, Mel- 

 pomene, all in robes of white, sprinkled with 

 rubies, gold dust and diamond frost, with 

 that stateliest of all lilies — auratum — stand- 

 ing sentinel over all. These are the lilies most 

 commonly met with in the hardy garden. 



Less frequently met with are the Washing- 

 tonia, gigantea, and the famous Burbank 

 lily — the fragrance of a bed of which it is said 

 may be detected at a distance of ten miles ; 

 these are the aristocrats of the lily kingdom, 

 and yet subservient to the same laws that gov- 

 ern the more humble subjects, and like them 

 obliged to toil — despite the charge — -"consider 

 the lilies of the field, they toil not, neither do 

 they spin" — in their laboratory of the earth to 

 transmute its elements into leaf and stem and 

 blossom, and whether the lily in the cultivated 

 garden finds these elements to its liking de- 

 pends upon the intelligent forethought of the 

 gardener. Growing wild on its native Jap- 

 anese hillside the lily has a choice of soil and 

 location in a measure. Transplanted to our 

 American gardens it is at the mercy of the 

 one into whose hands it falls and it should be 

 accorded generous treatment. 



While any good garden soil properly pre- 

 pared will grow the lily it would seem wise to 

 approach as near to its natural environment 

 as possible. In its native habitat it is found 

 growing wild on the hillsides where the roots 

 of the trees form a network through the 

 ground and thus insure good drainage. Trav- 

 elers in Japan say that it is difficult to dislodge 

 these lilies from the encircling roots, so 

 buried are they in them. Then, too, the fall- 

 ing leaves protect the lily both summer and 

 winter, forming a mulch of constantly decay- 

 ing leaves that protect their roots while the 

 trees afford shade for the plants while in 

 bloom. 



This would suggest the shrubbery as a 

 favorable place to grow lilies and the proxim- 

 ity of tall shrubs and small trees on the 

 windward side of the lily bed cannot but be 

 an advantage. They may also be grown 

 among the peonies with good success. Any 

 good garden soil, well enriched with leaf 

 mold and old, well-rotted manure, will grow 

 the lily to perfection ; it should be dug deep 

 and well incorporated, and good drainage 

 provided ; where there is any reasonable doubt 

 about the drainage it will be wise to dig out 

 the bed to a depth of two feet and fill in a 

 few inches of rough gravel and broken shards, 

 this will prevent the water settling around 

 the bulbs and causing decay. 



The lily bulb is very susceptible to decay 

 and disease and precautionary measures are 



