BURBANK'S HYBRID LILIES 
During a period extending over a number of years Luther Burlxink, 
who is no'w leeognized as the greatest improver of plants the world has 
e\-er known, erossed and h_vbri(li7.e(l Lilies. 
In the eourse of his exi)eriments, thirty or forty of the world's Lilies 
were used, and hundreds of thousands of plants grown from the seed and 
flowered. \o experiment in the improvement of Lilies can be mentioned 
in the same breath, either wdieu the number of individuals grown in the 
effort or the results ])ro(luce(l are considered. At the conclusion of his 
work he had perha])s a hundred plants wdiich had been selected from a 
vast number of the xery best. One of these, a cross between Pardalinum 
and A'Vashingtonianum, a good Lily, but b}^ no uieans the best, was intro- 
duced and with his consent called L. Burbankii. The others were turned 
over to mc to be put in my Lyons Valley garden (where conditions were 
ideal for their culture), te> be further selected from, and the very best; 
propagated. In their new home they have done well, but the process of 
scale propagation is a slow one, and it will be scx'cral years before some 
of the magnificent species v/hich were represented b}' a single bulb wdll be 
grown in sufficient quantit}^ to offer to the world. 
I am able to offer to the world on joint account of Mv. fUirbank and 
m3^self three fine A'arictics, either of which is a grand ac(itiisitif)n. 
L Hybrids of Pardalinum and Humboldtii. Of these there arc fifty 
forms which I will sell in mixture. All share in the vigor of Pardalinum 
as a gr(Twcr and the very strong 
habit of Humboldtii. All are 
splendid flower in shades of orange 
and crimson and dotted maroon. 
The bulbs are rhizomatous, very 
large and hea.vy, and the stalks 
grow from five to seven feet high. 
Thej^ are trul}^ grand Tallies. 
50c each. 
2. A selected hybrid of Pardali- 
num on Parvum. It is a tall, strong 
f.ily, with xcry many bell-shaped 
rich red flowers \vhich face h<Tri- 
zontally and give a xcvy brilliant 
appearance. It is an excellent 
grower. 75c each. 
3. L. Pardalinum (Red Giant). 
i\1r. liurbank's records were not 
perfect as to the parentage of all 
of the hj'brids. This is unquestion- 
ably of hybrid origin, but its par- 
entage is not traceable. The stems 
are very heav^^ and leafy and of 
medium height. The immense 
broadly spreading flowers are 
orange at cenli'r with a broad ex- 
One of Burbank's Hybrids, jianse of the deepest crimson. A 
most slrik'ing noxelt}'. 75c each. 
There are still to come a set of fragr.anl Pardalinum Parrjdi h3d:)rids 
with >-ellow and K'mon-colort'd (lowers as large as ;i llarrissii, and lovel}^ 
beyond an_\- i<nown species. 
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