200 
sary to reset them. This is done in 
late August or when the tops show.that 
the bulb is ripe. 
These delightful Lilies need not be 
grown in beds even if one wants them 
for cutting purposes. In June one of 
the most beautiful pictures in my gar- 
den is the stately Madonna Lily bloom- 
ing with the Delphiniums (Larkspur) 
in my flower borders, an old, old com- 
bination, but one so truly lovely it al- 
ways seems new. Mrs. Francis King 
tells in her interesting book, “ The 
Well Considered Garden,” how her 
Madonna Lilies are planted in groups 
with lemon and white Hollyhocks, an- 
other fine combination. 
It is well to remember that patience 
is one of the qualifications of a suc- 
cessful gardener, so don’t be discour- 
aged if your bulbs disappoint you the 
second year find out the trouble and 
correct it. 
M. B. Homans (Iowa). 
Culture of the Madonna Lily. 
The Madonna Lily should be planted 
in the sandiest, dryest part of the gar- 
den. It is a bulb composed of over- 
lapping scales. If these scales retain 
moisture the bulb rots. Mrs. D. R. 
Andrews says hers “bloomed well the 
first year, but not the second,” which 
is the usual experience of growers, 
because they water them freely when 
the leaves begin to turn brown im- 
mediately after blooming. This is the 
resting period and they then turn 
brown and the stalk dies and should be 
removed and burned. Along in Sep- 
tember the green leaves appear and 
remain for a protection against fall 
rains and the winter’s snow. From 
the center of these leaves, the next 
spring, the flower stalk appears and 
you have your beautiful Lilies in June. 
The secret is good drainage and keep- 
ing away from them with the garden 
hose. They do well on a hillside or in a 
raised bed and in sandy soil and should 
be separated in August about every 
third year. Stock is advertised for 
sale in August. 
By the way, all bulbs that are left in 
the ground should rest and be kept 
dry. Planting annuals or Geraniums 
over your Tulip or Narcissus bulbs and 
watering them may make your garden 
more attractive during the summer, 
but it soon ruins your bulbs for the 
next spring’s blooming. 
Mrs. Wm. Crawford (Indiana). 
Madonna Lilies for Cut Flowers. 
In answer to Mrs. D. R. Andrews, in 
regard to the culture of Madonna 
Lilies, I do not think they would be a 
paying crop to cultivate for cut flow- 
ers alone, as there is only one flower- 
ing stalk to each bulb, and the bulb 
has to be three years old before it 
blooms well. I have grown them suc- 
cessfully for many years, and they are 
very lovely and fragrant, and I don’t 
think a garden is complete without 
them. 
They are slow to multiply and will 
not bear planting close to any strong 
plants. 
“Slower (Brower 
Those that are grown in partial 
shade are taller, have larger flowers 
and the flowers keep longer when cut. 
The bed should be deeply dug, the 
soil very rich in decayed vegetable 
matter, like woods earth or well rotted 
leaves, with a dressing of lime and 
wood ashes if the soil is sour. Do not 
plant after an application of lime for 
at least one month. Plant the bulb 
about two inches deep, and in the 
month of August in this climate. 
I have never had disease or insect 
pests to trouble the Madonna Lily. 
With me they are very hardy, and are 
altogether one of my best loved plants. 
Mrs. 0. A. Runyon (Ky.) 
Planting Madonna Lily. 
Grace Tabor recommends that “Ma- 
donna Lilies (Lilium Candidum) be 
planted in August, or before Septem- 
ber 15, under 4 inches of earth, always 
dusting the bulbs first with powdered 
sulphur and setting them in a three inch 
pocket of sphagnum moss.” A good 
friable loam should be the earth used. 
Keep manure away from the bulbs. 
Keep free of weeds but do not cultivate 
deeply. A position sheltered from the 
hot afternoon sun would be an ideal 
location. 
These Lilies can be obtained in 
quantity from any of the large firms 
dealing in bulbs for fall planting. Ow- 
ing to the lateness of the season, would 
recommend that planting be deferred 
until next August. 
Chas. E. F. Gersdorff. 
Winter Bouquets. 
[ Written expressly for The flower Grower. ] 
Under the above title the October 
issue of The Woman's Home Compan- 
ion has a brief article with several 
illustrations, none of which show par- 
ticularly artistic arrangement or con- 
vey much in the way of information. 
The idea, however, of winter bouquets, 
is a most excellent one and some of 
the suggestions contained in the article 
referred to are interesting. 
Milkweeds have been used for winter 
decoration for many years. Pick the 
pods when they are still green and 
allow them to dry slowly, fastening a 
fine wire around them so that when 
they are dry the opening will be small. 
Then just a few of the fairy-like seeds 
will get out. A drop of glue at the 
top of the opening will anchor them 
in place. Arrange milkweeds thus 
fashioned in a tall vase with another 
variety of weed, like the common mul- 
len. Milkweed pods with all the seeds 
removed may be formed to resemble 
birds. The bill is a bit of red sealing 
wax put on the tip of the pod and 
molded into shape while warm, and 
the eyes are black headed pins, and 
the wings are cut out of scraps of 
woolen material. Milkweed pods 
picked after all the seeds have blown 
away, and decorated with oil paints 
make an interesting bouquet. The 
smooth inner surface should be colored 
brilliant orange, bright blue or yellow, 
and a darker or lighter color used for 
the straight section that holds the 
December, 1920 
seeds. The rough, gray exterior of the 
pod forms a pleasing contrast to the 
smooth, brilliant interior. 
The brilliant bittersweet needs no 
artificial decoration. It is always de- 
corative and all that is necessary is to 
select it at the right stage of maturity. 
The little wild Aster with its starlike 
dry flowers, makes a charmingly dainty 
bouquet for a slender vase. 
Another decorative seed pod is that 
of the evening Primrose. The pod is 
much prettier than the rather insignifi- 
cant flower itself. When treated to a 
coat of bright color, with the inside of 
the flower form done in a contrasting 
color, a very Egyptian-looking creation 
is evolved. 
The colors used in decorating are 
artists’ oil paints mixed to the required 
tone with white lead and then thinned 
out with common floor varnish. The 
colors should be kept bright and clear, 
brushes cleaned with turpentine when 
changing colors. Black paint is simply 
black enamel applied so as to color the 
plant entirely. 
So much for what The Woman’s 
Home Companion has to say on the 
subject of winter bouquets. The ar- 
ticle speaks only incidentally of the 
teasel and the cat-tail, and lays much 
stress on the artificial decoration of 
the materials with paints. 
We would point out that the decora- 
tive possibilities of the cat-tail are con- 
siderable for rooms of comparatively 
large dimensions, and if small cat-tails 
are available they may be utilized most 
anywhere. No artificial coloring is 
needed and they may be cut at a stage 
of maturity when the colors will be 
pretty well preserved. 
Then the teasel as mentioned in the 
article is suggested to be wired like 
the milk-weed. We have known the 
teasel for years and it needs no wiring. 
When cut after full maturity and while 
the leaves are still green it will retain 
a fair amount of the hues of autumn, 
and although the natural brown of the 
teasel seed pod itself might be im- 
proved if it were colored brighter ; we 
prefer to leave it in its natural color- 
ing. 
Then as a winter bouquet, the Hy- 
drangea Paniculata Grandiflora, de- 
scribed by Mrs. Hammond on page 183 
of our November issue, is very valuable 
and it is quite surprising how the beau- 
tiful natural blending of colors of this 
flower are preserved without any other 
attention than to cut them when at the 
right stage of development. 
We have in our office two large 
bunches of cat-tails, about five feet in 
height ; two teasel bouquets, about 
four feet in height, set in ordinary ten 
inch glass vases, and then on our desk 
we have a bouquet of the Hydrangea 
Paniculata Grandiflora above referred 
to. Where one has not a greenhouse 
the winter bouquet idea as above out- 
lined will surely prove interesting. 
Winter bouquets of the so-called 
“Ever-lasting Flowers,” which are 
known to the trade as Immortelles, are, 
of course, too well known to be neces- 
sary to mention. The more recent de- 
velopments in this particular field are 
really beautiful. — Madison Cooper. 
