80 
House b° Garden 
Lilium tenuifoliimi is a 
dwarf, growing I'-ifi' 
high and is especially val¬ 
uable for its early flower¬ 
ing brilliant red turbans 
McFarland 
The Nankeen lily, L. testaccum, gives a yellowish, delicate 
apricot color and carries its flowers in a large spreading head. 
Although preferring a peaty soil any garden soil will grow it 
H. STUART ORTLOFF 
Lilium candidum. Ma¬ 
donna lily, adds to the 
garden’s glory in late 
June. Its white serves as 
foil for many perennials 
T here is an added charm about a 
garden where stately lilies blow and 
fill the air with fragrance, yet it is a surprise 
to note the infrequency with which we meet 
them. This is due, no doubt, to the dilfi- 
culties which are supposed to attend their 
raising. Success with them may well be 
considered an achievement, not because of 
bringing them into flower, but because of 
having given them enough consideration 
to assure their presence. The difficulties of 
raising are bugaboos. It is the lack of 
understanding of their likes and dislikes in 
regard to soil and moisture 
which so often causes fail¬ 
ure. There are a number of 
lilies which will thrive in 
ordinary garden soil quite 
successfully, and others 
which will do almost as well 
if a few extra precautions 
are taken to insure their 
complete happiness. 
So many people are con¬ 
tent to plant haphazardly, 
leaving practically every¬ 
thing to chance. The lily 
refuses to be wooed by any 
such casual treatment. Most of them, 
being natives of the temperate zone, are 
hardy, so this is not the reason for their 
reluctance to grow successfully. The princi¬ 
pal reason, however, is improper or insuf¬ 
ficient drainage, winter dampness resulting, 
or it may be a lack of protection from late 
spring frosts. The danger from improper 
drainage can be eliminated by proper 
precautions at the time of planting. A 
cushion of sharp sea sand or of sphagnum 
moss insures good drainage, and the soil in 
which the bulb is planted must be mechan¬ 
ically, as well as chemically, fit. Too much 
cannot be said about drainage for without a 
doubt this is the one item upon which lilies 
are most sensitive. Even our native bog 
varieties spring from a hummock or tussock 
in their native bogs, high and dry above the 
water level, and contenting themselves with 
an ample supply secured by their long 
roots. For while they disdain wetness they 
revel in a good supply of steady moisture 
at their roots. 
The other danger, that of late spring 
frosts, can be easily taken care of by 
growing some sort of cover 
crop above the lilies in order 
that when they push up 
their tender shoots in early 
spring they may have pro¬ 
tection. Ferns, dicentra, or 
some other herbaceous thing 
whose period of growth and 
glory is early in the season, 
will serve this purpose ad¬ 
mirably, and at the same 
time furnish protection to 
the later growth of the 
bulbs by keeping the ground 
{Continued on page 106) 
The Hanson lily, L. 
maculatum, is a perma¬ 
nent typc,has ahardycottr- 
stitution and its flowers 
are yellow spotted black 
One of the oldest culti¬ 
vated lilies is L. cana- 
dense, with bell-shaped 
spotted flowers. Plant it 
among azaleas in humus 
