HORTICULTURAL SPECIALIST 
1 
LILIUMS 
are our leading specialty. We grow these in thousands 
m Weymouth in lull sunshine, and our collection is 
without a rival m i\ew England, f rom a very small 
beginning a iew years ago a large business has been 
bunt up m these glorious hardy oulbs, and shipments 
are made to all parts ot the United States as well as 
Canada, Great Pritam and other countries. Virtually 
every variety listed may be found growing here and 
unlike tne majority of dealers we are not dependent 
on bought in stock, except in the case of a few vari¬ 
eties. llie superior advantages of home grown bulbs 
with their greater plumpness must be apparent to 
every grower of these beautiful bulbous plants. 
Some varieties like candidum and testaceum are 
ready in August, a very large number are to be had 
in September, and this month and October are the 
best months in the year for the planting of the great 
majority of Lilies. The auratums, speciosums, sul- 
phureums, and a few other varieties can be planted 
later and it is better to get these in during late fall 
rather than wait until spring. Some of our most suc¬ 
cessful plantings of Lilies nave been made in late 
December and January, removing a crust of frost to 
get into the ground. Very little winter covering is 
necessary for Lilies, our own beds get virtually 
nothing at all. So long as drainage is good there need 
be no fear of Lilies winter killing. To extend the flow¬ 
ering season plantings of such varieties as speciosum, 
auratum, Henryi, regale, sulphureum, elegans, 
tigrinum and some others can be made in spring. 
Our flrst Lilies to open in 1935 were tenuifolium 
and monadelphum, both during late May, the greater 
number of Lilies bloom during June and July but 
quite a number flower later and we usually have 
speciosums, Philippinenses, and sulp'hureums until 
mid-October which makes a fairly long season. 
Plant candidum only IV 2 —2 inches deep, testaceum 
and chalcedonicum not over 3 inches. All varieties 
making roots only from below the bulbs should be 
planted shallow. Stem rooters like regale, auratum, 
speciosum, Henryi, sulphureum, Sargentiae, and 
Willmottiae require covering 8 inches and even more 
is better should soil be very light. European varieties 
like candidum, chalcedonicum, monadelphum, marta- 
gon, testaceum and Pyrenaicum like a well sweetened 
soil while the Asiatic varieties either prefer one 
which is alkaline or neutral. Regale seems to grow 
equally well in an acidy as a sweet soil. Some vari¬ 
eties like candidum, testaceum, chalcedonicum, mar- 
tagon, Japonicum and rubellum are best laid on their 
sides at planting time, all should be bedded in sand 
and covered with it before being filled in. 
Very retentive soils may be improved by adding 
peat moss, sharp sand and fine coal ashes. As a sum¬ 
mer mulch peat moss is excellent, but do not use it 
for the European varieties. Where the more tender 
and doubtful varieties are being tried it will assist 
very much to lay strips of tar paper over the plant¬ 
ings to shed water in winter. 
Lilies are effective in perennial borders, but when 
planted there should not go too near husky growing 
plants, when mulching beds with manure avoid scat¬ 
tering it over the Lilies. In beds or borders by them¬ 
selves with a background of evergreen or not too 
robust deciduous shrubs Lilies do remarkably well, a 
groundwork of violas, or Nepeta Mussini may be used 
if desired. In rhododendron or azalea beds auratum, 
