LILIES IN THE OPEN-AIR GARDEN AND WOODLAND. 391 



LILIES IN THE OPEN-AIR GARDEN AND WOODLAND. 



My part of the subject deals with Lilies purely from the point of view of 

 their great value in beautifying the open-air garden and woodland. 



The commoner kinds of Lilies we all of us know. Most of them we 

 have known from childhood, and particularly those we always associate 

 with the cottage and farm-house garden, where they have survived the 

 changes of fashion that have overspread the gardens of the mansion and 

 the villa. The masses we see to-day in the cottager's garden of the lovely 

 Madonna Lily, of the Orange Lily (fig. 205), of the yellow and scarlet 

 Martagon or Turk's-cap, and of Tiger Lilies remind one of what was a 

 common sight in days gone by in the large mansion gardens before the 



change to the "bedding-out" period, which banished many a beautiful 

 hardy flower from English gardens. 



Though there is a reaction in the taste of garden lovers in the 

 appreciation of purely hardy flowers, there is still much reason to plead for 

 the more extended cultivation of Lilies, as their absence from gardens 

 generally is everywhere conspicuous, except in the case of a few of the 

 commonest and most popular kinds, and one may visit many large gardens 

 and not find even the old Lilies which are still grown by cottagers. 



This neglect of Lily culture arises, I think, not so much from want 

 of appreciation as from want of knowledge of the wealth of beauty existing 

 among Lilies. Another cause is probably due to the mistaken idea that, 

 as in the case of Orchids, the less common Lilies are difficult to cultivate, 

 and, without the care and attention of a specialist, produce disappointing 

 results. 



We who know Lilies, common and rare, are fully aware that there are 

 some species that are woefully capricious and baffle our attempts in 

 growing them well, even after a long experience. 



But we also know that a large proportion of them can be grown in 



By W. GoLDRiNG, F.R.H.S. 



Fig. 205. — L. croceum. 



