Ii8 HARDY PERENNIALS 
Another complaint is that Lily of the Valley will 
never behave itself but is always breaking out of 
bounds and choking other little plants around. 
When these complaints are made the reason of the 
trouble is obvious. The lily bed has been left to 
take care of itself too long in the first instance, and 
is in the wrong place in the second. The proper 
place is not in the general flower border, but in a 
small plot either at the foot of a wall, in the fore- 
ground of shrubs or even under trees, and bounded 
by a hard pathway that will tend to check the 
tendency of the rambling root-stems to spread 
beyond their allotted space. A cool moist spot 
too heavily shaded for many plants will suit Lily 
of the Valley, and if leaves from overhanging trees 
fall upon the bed every Autumn, so much the better. 
In making a new bed the first thing is to dig the 
ground to a depth of at least two feet, working in 
a good dressing of cow manure or well-rotted stable 
manure, leaf- mould, and burnt ash. Draw drills 
about three inches deep and nine inches apart. 
The next thing is not to place tangled masses of 
roots and crowns in patches at intervals along the 
drills, but to carefully separate the roots, selecting 
those with round, plump crowns and laying them 
evenly in the drills so that the crowns are three to 
four inches apart. Cover with soil free from stones, 
and if the soil is dry, as it may be at the best time 
for planting, which is during September, give the 
whole bed a thorough watering. 
