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THE GARDENING WORLD 
July 13, 1895. 
HINTS FOR AMATEURS. 
Liliums. 
The owner of small flower gardens is always on the 
look out for easily cultivated plants possessing a 
hardy constitution that, instead of causing them 
to resent each slight indignity offered them by 
straightway proceeding to leave this harsh world, or 
as we have heard some amateur gardeners, aye and 
not a few professionals likewise, laconically phrase 
it, 11 peg out," will put up with a few hardships 
which some amateurs’ floral belongings have to con¬ 
tend against sometimes, and will good-temperedlv 
continue to look gay and smiling, despite the fact that 
they are not quite as comfortable as they would like to 
be. Where the owner of the garden has followed the 
plan, now going slightly out of fashion, of cramming 
each and every available corner and bit of space 
with the more tender and ephemeral section of 
summer bedding plants, there is but little room for 
this class of material, but where a part of the gar¬ 
den is devoted to the culture of herbaceous stuff or 
of dwarf ornamental shrubs, Liliums of various 
kinds are just the sort of plants to associate with the 
latter to enliven and beautify their somewhat 
monotonous appearance. 
From their somewhat leggy habit, Liliums always 
need to be employed in connection with dwarfer¬ 
growing hardy plants, the foliage of which not only 
serves to hide the long, almost leafless stems, so 
common to many, but acts as a foil against which 
the glowing beauties of the gorgeous flowers appear 
to very much greater advantage than they would 
otherwise do if such an aid were not given them. 
Many of our readers who have from time to time 
paid visits to Kew Gardens will have noticed the 
splendid effects there produced by judicious associa¬ 
tion of Liliums with beds of dwarf, hardy, ever¬ 
green, or deciduous shrubs. Although some of these 
brilliant results are entirely out of the reach of the 
average amateur gardener, it does not follow but what 
it is well within his scope to imitate them on a smaller 
scale, graduated to. suit both his garden and, perhaps 
more necessarily, his pocket. For in all these con¬ 
siderations of how best to make a garden look 
attractive, what subjects to have, and in what num¬ 
bers to employ them, there enters the inevitable 
question of how much will it cost ? And thus many 
a lover of plants has to stifle his longings to possess 
some favourite plant, and modify his views to meet 
his particular circumstances. Still, by the outlay of 
a by no means extravagant sum of money, and the 
exercise of a little taste and forethought, something 
very closely akin to the original may be achieved. 
Autumn is the best time of the year for shifting 
the bulbs or for planting new ones. In all cases, 
however, it is not advisable to keep them out of the 
ground any longer than is unavoidable, for the dry¬ 
ing influences of the air injure the thick, .fleshy 
scales to a considerable extent. But as this is not 
the time of year to talk about planting we will con¬ 
tent ourselves with a few seasonable notes that shall 
be of service now. Plants which are growing 
amongst small shrubs in the manner described will 
be shaded to a certain extent and thus kept cool—a 
state of things that the Lilium loves. Supplies of 
water, must, however, be given occasionally, and if 
liquid manure can be obtained so much the better. 
For those which find a place in the herbaceous border 
plenty of water will be an even greater necessity 
than for those which have the benefit of the shade. 
A liberal mulching of short, well decayed stable 
manure will also be of the greatest aid. Staking 
will in many cases be necessary, especially for the 
taller ones, which bloom later in the summer when 
gales of wind are to be expected. 
Included in the genus are a host of beautiful 
plants, many of which are worthy a place in any 
garden. We shall, however, from lack of space, 
only be able to mention a few of the kinds most 
suitable for the amateur, for suitability in this case 
must be taken to mean extreme hardiness of con¬ 
stitution and great floriferousness. L. croceum is, 
perhaps, the most frequently met with of any in 
cottage gardens, growing from 3 ft. to 6 ft. in height, 
and bearing large reddish-orange flowers. It blooms 
in June and July. L. elegans is very much dwarfer, 
and bears large flowers of a pale reddish-scarlet 
that often appear out of proportion to the size of the 
plant, so large are they. L. candidum, or as it is 
often popularly called, St. Joseph's Lily, is indeed a 
gem, with its pure white, sweetly scented flowers. 
This plant has long been a favourite in cottage gar¬ 
dens, and we have this season seen some ex¬ 
ceptionally fine plants of it in such places as would 
prove an ornament to any nobleman's establishment 
in the kingdom. In most districts in the south of 
England it will now be nearly or quite out of flower. 
L. davuricum has beautifully bright scarlet flowers 
some 5 in. or 6 in. in diameter when fully expanded. 
Rather different in appearance from these are the 
Turk’s Cap Lilies. L. Martagon has rather small 
flowers disposed in large, loose, nearly pyramidal 
racemes. In colour they are a variable purplish-red, 
profusely spotted with black. The hue, however> 
varies in depth, according to the situation, and often 
from season to season. The white Turk's Cap Lily, 
L. M. album, is a distinct and pleasing departure, 
having dull white flowers with rather green centres. 
Not unlike these in habit is the beautiful L. Hansoni, 
which, like them flowers during June and the begin¬ 
ning of July, according to the earliness or lateness of 
the season. The flowers in this case are rich orange- 
yellow in colour, sparsely spotted dark purple, the 
segments being very thick and fleshy and rather 
reflexed. This is one of the very best for growing in 
beds filled with shrubs. L. longiflorum can scarcely 
be overpraised. Its blooms are large, 5 or 6 in. in 
length, funnel shaped, pure white, and deliciously 
fragrant. Altogether it is one of the most dis¬ 
tinguished members of the genus, and one a few 
specimens of which every garden should boast. 
Rather later than those already mentioned we 
have the glorious old Tiger Lily, L. tigrinum, 
flowering in July and August. Who does not love 
this showy old plant with its bright orange-red 
flowers so fantastically spotted with black or dark 
purple ? The species grows to a height of about 
4 ft., although there are some varieties of it upon 
the market, such as L. t. splendens and L. t. For- 
tunei, that grow to a height of 6 ft. or 7 ft. It is 
manifest that any list of Liliums, however abridged, 
would be incomplete without it included L. auratum, 
the gorgeous, golden-rayed Japanese Lily, with its 
ivory-white flowers, and distinct yellow bandings, 
with the characteristic dark purple spots. Many 
varieties of this species are also cultivated, although 
the type is as yet quite able to hold its own amongst 
any or all of them. This list might be indefinitely 
extended, but those plants which have been enumer¬ 
ated will serve to give the owner of small gardens 
some little idea of the wealth of handsome plants 
which are to be found within the limits of the genus 
Lilium.— Rex. 
-- 
AMATEUR GARDENERS 
AT ALDENHAM HOUSE. 
On Saturday last, in response to the kind invitation 
of H. Hucks Gibbs, Esq., upwards of 150 members 
of the National Amateur Gardeners’ Association 
paid a visit to Aldenham House, Elstree, for the 
purpose of inspecting the gardens. The head¬ 
quarters of this Society are in London, and meetings 
are held the first Tuesday in every month at the 
Memorial Hall, Farringdon Street. The Association 
is formed for the purpose of promoting and advan¬ 
cing the science and practice of horticulture among 
amateurs, to watch and promote the interests of 
amateur gardeners generally, and to secure their 
proper representation on all important societies. 
Lectures are given from time to time, and the pro¬ 
ducts of members’ gardens are adjudged. Cultural 
certificates are given for exhibits of extra excellence, 
and prizes are offered for competition amongst mem¬ 
bers. In order further to promote the advancement 
of horticulture, visits are paid about once a month 
during the spring and summer time to various 
gardens and horticultural establishments. As show¬ 
ing the interest which is now taken in this interesting 
science, it may be stated that there are between 400 
and 500 members of ihis particular Society, or the 
parent Society as it may be called, and there is a 
number of branches and affiliated societies all over 
the country. The visitors, among whom were a 
number of ladies, were met on their arrival by Mr. 
and Mrs. Beckett and some amateurs from the 
neighbourhood (among whom we noticed a well- 
known amateur from Watford), and after Mr. D B. 
Crane (the Secretary of the Society) had introduced 
Mr. T. W. Sanders, F.R.H.S. (the President), and 
the members generally, the whole party adjourned 
for the purpose of refreshment. It was a glorious 
day for such an outing, and the sun being very hot, 
tables were laid under the welcome shade of some 
fine old trees, and here ample justice was done to an 
excellent tea, which was supplied and served by Mr. 
Buck, of Watford, in his usual able manner. 
The repast being concluded, the entire party were 
then conducted by Mr. Beckett round the lovely 
walks and gardens, and exclamations of surprise and 
delight were constant as each turn or bend presented 
to the eye some new picture more beautiful than the 
last. The crowning point, however, was reached 
when the greenhouses were inspected. The flowers 
of every description were admired by all, but when 
it came to the Grapes, Pines, Bananas, Nectarines, 
Peaches, &c., there was many a wistful glance cast at 
the lovely fruits, but one and all came to the con¬ 
clusion that they were ‘‘sour.’’ Mr. Beckett was 
most obliging to all, and although many questions 
were put to him by many people, yet to each and all 
he was only too ready to give whatever information 
was desired, and those who were fortunate enough to 
be in the front rank had the opportunity of hearing 
described by him what had been done in these 
gardens during the last few years, which had been 
the means of producing such a charming place. 
After the inspection of the grounds, &c., was over, 
a friendly game of cricket was indulged in, which 
caused considerable amusement. 
At last the time came for the visitors to depart, 
and Mr. Sanders, addressing his friends, said, " that 
before they separated there was a duty which he had 
to perform, and it gave him the greatest pleasure to 
perform it. He thought they would all agree that 
their visit had been an exceptionally interesting and 
pleasant one, and he was sure that all felt under a 
deep debt of gratitude both to Mr. Gibbs and his 
very able gardener, Mr. Beckett, for having given 
them the opportunity of enjoying themselves as they 
had. They would all agree, especially those who 
had considerable experience in gardening themselvesi 
and who possessed horticultural science, that the 
grounds and gardens were in very excellent condi¬ 
tion, and testified to the skill, knowledge, and ability 
of Mr. Beckett. They had visited many places of 
interest during the summer, but he was speaking 
with all sincerity when he said that they had never 
had such a lovely outing. They would always 
remember the enjoyment their visit had afforded 
them, and he was sure they would all for many years 
to come look back with pleasure on that day. He 
hoped Mr. Beckett would assure Mr. Gibbs that they 
felt under a deep debt of gratitude to him for the 
pleasure they had derived from their visit. He also 
proposed a hearty vote of thanks to Mr. and Mrs. 
Beckett for making their visit so enjoyable. He 
was sure that had it not been for the them, neither 
he nor his friends would have spent such a pleasant 
day. He, therefore, had the greatest pleasure in 
proposing a hearty vote of thanks, first to Mr. 
Gibbs, and then to Mr. and Mrs. Beckett." 
Mr. Crane, in seconding the votes of thanks, said 
that Mr. Beckett had all along taken a very great 
interest in the work of the Association, and during 
the last few years he had keenly watched its pro¬ 
gress, and had done all he could to further its 
interests. They had all enjoyed their visit very 
much, and hoped to have the pleasure of coming 
again on some future occasion. Mr. Beckett had 
been very kind to them, and his efforts had 
been unremitting to make their enjoyment com¬ 
plete. In addition to his interesting explanations of 
different points during their progress round the 
grounds and gardens, he had provided them with a 
good game of cricket ; in fact, he was a “ jolly good 
fellow.” 
The resolutions were carried unanimously. 
Mr. Beckett, in replying to the resolutions, said 
he was sure Mr. Gibbs would only be too delighted 
to know that they had enjoyed themselves so much, 
and if on any further occasion they should again 
visit Aldenham House, he hoped they would derive 
as much pleasure from their visit as they had done 
that day. He also begged to thank them very much 
for the kind expressions they had made use of with 
regard to his wife and himself. He was extremely 
glad to see them, and only regretted that the grounds 
were not in a better state of perfection, but they had 
had a very dry season to combat with, and it was 
only natural that things should not look as well as 
they would have done had there been more rain. He 
was always willing to do what he could to promote 
horticulture in any shape or form, and was extremely 
glad the Association had visited them that day. 
