18 
Californian "Bulbs, Grolvn by Carl Purdy 
CALIFORNIAN LILIES, continued 
large grounds, the ideal location is a glade in the woods, but the partial shade of decidu¬ 
ous trees, the shelter of rhododendrons or bamboos, or similar shrubs, or of tall-growing 
perennial plants, may give conditions quite suited to their culture. A protected nook 
on the shady side of the house is best on small grounds, and ferns are congenial neigh¬ 
bors. 
(2) Drainage. This must be perfect. If the ground is heavy and clammy, under¬ 
drainage should be given, and the soil made lighter and looser by the addition of humus 
and porous materials. 
(3) Soil. This should be a fairly good loam, mixed with humus and sand. New 
manures are always to be avoided with Lilies. 
( 4 ) Planting. They should be planted so that the top of the bulb is not less than 
4 inches from the surface; about each bulb put a layer of an inch or so of sand which 
will carry away excessive moisture and prevent fungous attacks. 
(5) Watering. Lilies should not be kept water-soaked, but should have a moist 
surface during the growing season. They are better to be kept rather dry after they 
have flowered. 
Never move a lily bulb unless absolutely necessary. 
My very best success with Lilies of this group has been in a very loose, gravelly 
soil, rich with leaf-mold and with water running above and percolating under the roots. 
Culture of Group II 
The second group into which I would divide Californian Lilies as to culture, com¬ 
prises all of the so-called Bog Lilies. The Pardalinum and Parvum group are so classed. 
These Lilies grow naturally along the banks of small, living streams, on the borders 
of lakes and ponds, in deep, alpine meadows, on the borders of or on raised hummocks 
in bogs. Their bulbs are not so deep as the others, and they are more dependent upon 
surface moisture. The soil in such places as I have mentioned is always rich in rotten 
leaves, and usually sandy; sometimes it is peat or pure humus. Low shrubs or tall 
plants protect the surface from heat, while the tall stalks rise above them into the sun¬ 
light. Be careful as to the following points: 
( 1 ) Drainage. The fact that they like moisture does not mean that they like a 
water-soaked soil. Many failures with Bog Lilies are due to this error. Better err in 
the direction of dryness. If the roots can go down to moisture, all the better, but don’t, 
of all things, put the bulb in wet, gummy soil. 
(2) Soil. A light, sandy loam mixed with leaf-mold or peat is the best possible. 
(3) Situation. My description of the natural habitat will suggest the best location 
where large and varied grounds give a choice. On the margin of a pond or brook, planted 
a foot or so above the water-level, in moist, meadow-like expanses in sheltered places, or 
damp openings in woods. These are ideal locations for all of these Lilies. 
In small grounds, a hydrant can be so arranged as to give a constant drip; the 
fern corner is good, and the rhododendron bed is perfectly adapted. Pardalinum will 
grow splendidly where good potatoes can be produced if the ground is a little shaded. 
During 1906, a careful test was made at the Missouri Botanical Garden, in which 
all of the Western Lilies, and also the native Eastern sorts, were planted in a well-pre¬ 
pared and carefully drained bed. Of twenty-three Western species, seventeen flowered 
the first year, while five gave no bloom. Of the Eastern sorts, none flowered. Among 
the Califoi nians, Pardalinum fragrans, Roezlii, Burbank’s Humboldtii Pardalinum and 
Humboldtii magnificum did best, while the forms of Washingtonianum were poorest. 
I understand that no extra protection was given, so this is a fair test of hardiness. 
A lady in Garden Magazine” for September, 1907, writes: “ Although only one 
of my three bulbs of the Leopard Bog Lily (. L. Pardalinum ), planted in the fall of'1905, 
bore flowers this season, nine stalks appeared from three bulbs, three of which were in 
flower about the middle of July.” 
A customer from Akron, Ohio, writes that Lilium Humboldtii magnificum did 
finely there without protection. 
Mr. E ; V. Hallock, one of the largest bulb growers in America, in his time, in a 
address before the Society of American Florists this August, says: “Lilium Pardalinu 
from California is a good-keeping, free- and sure-flowering Lily. Ninety-five per cei 
of the bulbs should bloom. Lilium Parryii from California is a very handsome yellow 
variety, and is not difficult to bloom.” Mr. Hallock does not think well of Humboldtii 
and Washingtonianum for the East, and I cannot recommend the type Washingtonianum 
which I will not sell on account of their poor growing and keeping qualities. On the 
an 
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