33 
BELDT'S AQUARIUM, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI 
be found beneficial. However, it should be used sparingly 
for if used too heavy it will cause algae to develop rapidly 
and also cause the water in pool to turn green. Very good 
results are obtained with good black garden soil only. A nice 
clear pool all summer is worth something and perhaps more 
than a little larger flower produced with the aid of manure. 
Hardy lilies can be planted almost any time of the year. We 
usually start shipping tubers about April 1 as by that time 
they have developed leaves and this makes it easy to get them 
out of ponds. Most all aquatic plants are hardy, the tops which 
freeze off during the winter do not kill the plants and the 
roots will produce a new growth early in the spring. 
Care of Tub Garden During Winter 
Leave the tub full of water and leave all hardy plants 
in same. Put boards on top and heap leaves around and 
above boards to keep heavy frost out. 
Tropical Lilies Make Very Rapid Growth and Are Best 
Adapted for Artificial Pools 
This young tropical lily will surprise you. The growth 
they make is tremendous. Within four weeks after planting 
you will have a number of lily pads almost 12 inches in diam¬ 
eter and the first flower usually opens up four weeks after 
planting. One lily will produce as many as 100 flowers during 
the season and they bloom until heavy frost. Tropical lilies 
will make ideal cut flowers for the table and most of them 
are very fragrant. 
Care of Tropical Lilies 
Tropical lilies should be planted after June 1. They may 
be planted in large 12-inch flower pots or boxes up to 2 feet 
square and 1 foot deep. This all depends on the size of your 
pool. If it is small, use a smaller box. Tropical lilies develop 
in size according to the space they get. They are grown in 
4-inch flower pots in the greenhouse during winter. In these 
small pots they do not get very large and the flowers they 
produce in the winter may only be 2 inches across. Whereas 
the same plant in an out-of-door pool during summer will 
develop flowers from 8 to 12 inches across. 
Planting Tropical Lilies 
Tropical lilies are planted the same as hardy lilies. Good 
black garden soil will produce a rapid growth. Of course, if 
clay is used it is best to work in about 20 % of good rotted 
manure. Any kind will do, also pulverized sheep manure is 
very good. It is always good to put about 2 inches of sand or 
fine gravel on top of soil to keep the water clear. The boxes 
should be ready for receiving lilies and a little dirt is removed 
from center of box in which you place the young plant. Take 
care not to plant the tropical lily too deep, the crown should 
rather be slightly above surface. The young plant may drop 
all of its leaves the next few days after planting. Don’t let 
this alarm you. 
WINTER CARE OF TROPICAL LILIES 
One tropical lily will produce several tubers during the summer months. Our 
illustration shows a tropical lily tuber. The tubers may vary in size from 1 inch 
to four inches in diameter. Leave the tropical lily in the pool until ice has formed 
and killed the tops. Then take crown and also the small tubers you find mostly 
near the center, out of box. Throw these tubers in cold water in a bucket and 
keep them in cellar. The roots should be trimmed very close before 
the tubers are put in bucket, also the top growth. This keeps the water 
from spoiling. In about a week’s time the tubers should be taken out 
of bucket and washed clean. Then place the tubers in a glass or 
enameled receptacle packed in sand; always see that there is some 
water above the sand. The tubers are resting now and should be 
kept at a temperature of about 60° F. near a window in the basement. 
They are left in this condition until about the middle of March. Now 
they are brought up in the sun parlor or living room and each tuber 
is planted in a small 3-inch flower pot in an aquarium filled with water. 
The small aquariums listed in catalog holding three gallons of water 
are well suited for their development. They should be placed in 
either southern or eastern exposure, no other exposure will do. They 
should be kept close to the window. It is a great pleasure to see the 
young plants develop from tubers. The tubers may rest for another 
month or may begin to produce a new plant at once. Our illustration 
shows a growth of three weeks after the tuber was placed in the sun 
for growing. Sometimes the young plant may die again and in this case the tuber will produce 
another plant. Sometimes a tuber will produce quite a number of plants. The best results are 
obtained usually with young or small tubers, the old tuber usually rots after the second year. 
It may be noted and interesting that the tropical night bloomers are easier propagated this way 
than most day bloomers. 
The young plants produced by the viviparious day bloomers are hard to keep over winter 
unless you have a greenhouse. They will produce tubers as well as young plants from the leaves. 
And it is best to handle the tubers only. Tropical lilies should be planted from 4 to 6 inches 
below the water surface. 
