Notes on the Cultivation of Lilium Speciosum 
By John Scheepers, New York 
SELECT the finest, plumpest, heaviest and most solid 
bulbs with conspicuous crowns. Japanese bull is. 
freshly imported annually, give larger, more bril- 
liant (lowers and finer heads, than either Dutch or "home'' 
grown bulbs. These latter can be used for early flowers 
if desired (they flower earlier naturally than the Jap- 
anese), but "retarded" Japanese bulbs really render them 
superfluous for the best work. The bulbs should, of 
■course, show high full crowns, and for forcing, the bulbs 
showing weak crowns are discarded. Those may be 
planted, successfully outside 
Some people prefer 
bulbs with a single 
crown, others two or 
three, when the bulbs 
are potted up singly. 
It depends on the 
point of view : for a 
large single spike 
choose the single 
crown, but for a bal- 
anced full plant of 
several spikes the two 
or three crowns are 
1 tetter. 
Large pots, one 
bulb per pot. is the 
best practice. Even 
market-growers often 
avoid boxes for spe- 
cii isum as pots are 
warmer, better drain- 
ed and so more under 
control. Pots should 
be at least 8" diamet- 
er, 10" is better and 
they should be of good depth so that the bulb 
can be placed low in the pot. Speciosum depends 
for its flowers largely upon the surface roots 
emitted from the flower stem, quite apart from 
the basal roots of the bulb, so that the best re- 
sults are obtained by first potting up the bulb, 
not much more than covering it with soil, and 
leaving three or four inches at the top of the pot 
empty. Then, when growth is active, fresh soil 
is added to within an inch of the rim, which, be- 
ing fresh and sweet, the stem roots at once romp 
into. The bulbs should be potted firmly. 
Do not plant more than one bulb in a pot, but 
have the pot large enough, as the bulb must not 
rest on tin- inside of the pot. hut on the soil. There are 
several good reasons for not planting more than one bulb 
in a pot: one of them is that the pot. in which the Lily is 
planted, should dry out every day, otherwise the soil gets 
stagnant and the larger the receptacle used, the longer it 
takes to dry out ; then again, one of the bulbs, planted to- 
gether with others in a large pan, may not come as well 
a> the others, giving an undesirable appearance to the 
plant, the inferior bulb cannot be removed without dis- 
turbing the roots of the others, which is fatal. 
In case you want to have large receptacles full of Lilies 
to use for exhibition or decoration purposes, then take the 
entire plants, with soil and all, and set them together that 
way. as many as you want, in the larger receptacle, with- 
I. ilium Speciosum. 
out disturbing the roots : this must be done very carefully, 
as a disturbance of the roots will cause the flowers to flop 
down. 
A good loam with sufficient sand to insure rapid drain- 
age — a little honemeal and soot can be added. Under the 
bulb itself put a piece of peat, as the first roots run quick- 
ly into this and the bulb itself is best kept from direct 
contact with the soil by a coating of sand which assists 
in keeping grubs from it. Raw manures should not be 
added but in the later stages the buds will be helped by 
small and regular doses of weak liquid manure. 
Fresh bulbs should be potted immediately 
they are in from Japan, the earlier the better, 
though they lie about for two or three months 
without injury, but it is better to wait for the 
best types of bulb, which rarely arrive before De- 
cember, rather than use the first bulbs that come 
in regardless of quality. For earlier work use 
"retarded" bulbs. Those, of course, will be taken 
nut of cold storage as wanted and potted up at 
once. Cases containing cold storage or "re- 
tarded" Lily bulbs should be opened upon receipt 
and immediately potted, thereafter allowing the 
natural heat ( in summer ) to draw out the cold in 
the bulb. Twenty-four hours outside for that 
purpose is sufficient. 
These newly potted 
bulbs should be kept 
in cold frame or un- 
der a frame in the 
open — sheltered from 
storms and frost, but 
otherwise kept cool. 
It is the greatest mis- 
take to hurry bulbs at 
the start and they 
must be s t r o n g 1 y 
rooted and must have 
stout stems before in- 
troduced to forcing- 
temperatures. Early 
forcing leads to weak 
stems which cannot 
support the flowers, 
as well as poor flow- 
ers and disease. 
"Retarded" b u 1 b s 
should be kept cool 
even longer than the 
natural bulbs as once 
introduced to heat they respond quicker than the fresh 
and are in flower quicker; in other words "retarders" 
should be grown slower and then forced harder. 
To be kept healthy the bulbs must have all sun and air 
possible. Sunshine is a great factor. 
The mistake is often made of treating bulbs in this 
country as they do in Europe, forgetting that we have to 
contend in Europe with entirely different climatic condi- 
tions ; in the case of growing Lilies, for instance, we get 
much finer flowers here and quicker results, especially in 
winter, than are obtained in the moister, cloud-laden air 
of the British Isles. 
The bulbs can be introduced to the forcing house when 
stems are 1 ! _. to 2 feet long ; 60 F. is enough at the start; 
o( to 70 F. is a good average, though in the last stages 
Lilium Specie 
alt'iu 
145 
