HENDERSON'S BULB CULTURE. 



drop-like pure white flowers, tipped with green. 

 L. ver7ium, the spring Snow-flake, can be forced 

 into flower about January, and is most useful for 

 cutting. L. cestzvum, the summer Snow-flake, is 

 larger than the foregoing, producing its large 

 heads of bloom after that favorite flower is past. 

 They grow freely in any garden soil, and should 

 be planted in clumps in the borders, among shrubs, 

 or in conjunction with other bulbs for bedding. 

 L. . autumnale flowers in October. Dormant 

 bulbs may be procured from October to January. 



LIBERTIA. 



A small genus of half-hardy bulbous plants of 

 dwarf habit, with delicate white flowers, which 

 are produced in umbels. They flower in early 

 spring in the cold frame, and grow well in a com- 

 post of sandy loam, peat and leaf-mould. 



LILIUM. Lily. 



No class of plants capable of being cultivated 

 out of doors possesses so many charms; their stately 

 habit, rich and varied colored flowers, often de- 

 liriously fragrant, and easy culture, rendering 

 them so distinct from all other hardy plants that 

 no collection, however select, should be without a 

 few of the choicest sorts. They are also excel- 

 lent subjects for the shrubbery border, if planted 

 in groups between hardy Azaleas, Rhododendrons, 

 etc., the soil suitable for these plants being par- 

 ticularly adapted for the growth of many kinds of 

 Lilies, more especially of our native and "California 

 species. The best time to transplant the bulk of 

 the Lilies is in October and November, but they 

 also do very well when removed in early spring", 

 care, however, being taken that the bulbs do not 

 get dry. All of them delight in a light, rich soil, 

 such as is afforded by a mixture of loam, leaf- 

 mould and well rotted cow manure, and as one 

 uniform treatment is applicable to the whole of the 

 species, all may be grown together in one bed or 

 border, and remain undisturbed for a number of 

 years, frequent removals being not only unneces- 

 sary but injurious. Plant about four or five inches 

 deep, and make sure that the situation is well 

 drained, so that the water will not collect there in 

 winter. A good coating of well rotted manure 

 will prove highly beneficial, for though the most 

 of the lilies are quite hardy they are all impatient 

 of being frozen ; this not only acts as a protec- 

 tion during winter, but forms an excellent mulching 

 for summer. The California species, such as L. 

 Washin,gto?iiamim, L. Parryii, L. Huniboldtii, 

 etc., require to be planted ten to twelve inches 

 deep, and heavily mulched to keep the roots cool 

 in summer. 



L. Harrisii, the Bermuda Easter Lily, in now 

 forced in large numbers by florists, for cut flowers 

 in winter. The bulbs should be potted as soon as 

 received in August, and placed out of doors in any 

 well drained situation, and covered with four or 

 rive inches of rough manure, leaves, or any non- 

 conducting material that will prevent their drying 

 out by the sun, and, at the same time, be as cool 

 as possible to encourage root action. Potted thus 

 early, they will form roots sufficient to enable them 

 to be brought into the greenhouse by the first of 

 October, where, if kept in a temperature of sixty 

 degrees at night, with ten or fifteen degrees higher 

 in day time, they will give a crop of flowers by 

 Christmas. Like all other bulbs, succession crops 

 should be brought along as necessity requires, and 

 as large quantities are used for Easter decorations, 



an extra supply will be in order for that season. 

 After the bulbs are done flowering, water should 

 be withheld for eight or ten days, they should 

 then be placed in a cold frame, or sheltered spot, 

 the bulbs packed close together, with sufficient soil 

 thrown over them to fill up the interstices, then 

 cover with three or four inches of dry leaves and, 

 if in mid-winter, they must be covered with sashes; 

 if in spring, the covering of the leaves alone will 

 be sufficient to protect against frost. The bulbs 

 so treated will flower freely again in August in the 

 open ground, but will not do as well to force for 

 the succeeding winter, if wanted for that purpose, 

 and will require another year's growth to be in 

 proper condition ; for that reason it is the most 

 economical plan to use the Bermuda bulbs that 

 have been specially grown for winter forcing. L. 

 Harrisii, though perfectly hardy and doing 

 splendidly south of Washington, is not entirely 

 hardy here ; it however succeeds well in a cold 

 frame, or if protected by five or six inches of rough 

 manure or leaves. L. longifloricm and L. can- 

 didmn, the Annunciation or St. Joseph's Lily are 

 both quite hardy, and are largely used for forcing 

 for Easter. They require exactly the same treat- 

 ment as L. Harrisii, but neither of them can be 

 made to flower so early. Dormant bulbs of the 

 various species maybe procured from August until 

 May. 



LYCORIS, Golden Lily. 



A very pretty and choice genus of greenhouse 

 bulbs from China, succeeding well under the same 

 treatment as the greenhouse Amaryllises. They 

 flower in June with the exception of L. aurea, 

 which flowers in October. Dormant bulbs may 

 be procured from September to December 



MERENDERA. 



A pretty little hardy bulbous plant from the 

 Caucasus. M. Caucasica, the best known species, 

 is very like Bulbocodium vernwn, but flowers in 

 autumn, and grows freely in the garden, with the 

 same treatment that is given to other hardy 

 bulbs. 



MILLA, Mexican Star Flower. 



A genus of hardy Mexican bulbs of slender 

 growth, having small rush-like foliage and tall 

 flower stems, carrying one, two and sometimes 

 three blossoms, starry in outline, wax-like in tex- 

 ture, and pure white. They flower in July and 

 August, continuing a long time in succession. It 

 may be planted out of doors in April or May, in a 

 sandy loam, exposed to full sunshine, and shows 

 to advantage when planted thickly in groups or 

 clumps in the front of the shrubbery or herbaceous 

 border. Dormant bulbs may be procured from 

 November to May. 



MONTBRETIA. 



A small genus of half-hardy bulbous plants from 

 Southern Africa, the best known of which is M. 

 Pottsii, with bright red flowers flushed on the out- 

 side with pale red, borne on spikes six to nine 

 inches long and twelve to twenty flowered. M. 

 Crocosmiflora is a hybrid raised between M. 

 Pottsii and Crocosmia aurea. It is a perfectly 

 hardy, Iris-looking plant, with scapes a foot or 

 more high bearing many flowered panicles of bright 

 orange-scarlet flowers from July until frost. It is 

 one of the most floriferous and showy of autumn 



