146 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER 
August  15,  1901. 
Lilies  for  Heavy  Soils. 
( Concluded ,  from  page  127.) 
The  scarlet  Turk’s  Cap  Lily  (Lilium  chalcedonicum)  is  a  very  old 
fashioned  Lily,  and  does  well  in  most  soils  if  left  undisturbed.  As  it 
rarely  produces  more  than  five  or  six  flowers  on  a  stem,  it  lasts  a 
shorter  time  in  bloom  than  some,  and  its  habit  of  growth  is  less 
graceful,  while  the  dying  of  the  lower  leaves  before  it  blooms  makes 
it  a  rather  untidy  member.  Still,  it  has  a  vividness  of  colour  which 
ve  y  few  Lilies  possess.  The  above  five  Lilies  and  their  varieties  may 
be  said  to  be  the  five  most  easily  grown  on  heavy  soils,  needing  little 
more  care  at  planting  than  other  choice  flowers,  and  in  after  years,  less. 
But  there  are  others  more  beautiful  than  some  of  the  foregoing,  which 
will  thrive  equally  well  if  the  neoessary  care  betaken  in  consulting 
their  varying  tastes  when  planting. 
Lilium  elegans,  or  Thunbergianum,  as  it  is  often  called,  is  a  hardy 
at  d  vigorous  grower.  There  are  many  varieties  of  it,  varying  from 
1  to  4  feet  in  height,  and  from  pale  yellow  to  the  deepest  blood 
red  in  colour.  Some  of  the  apricot  coloured  varieties  are  especially 
beautiful — namely  Wallacei,  G.  F.  Wilson,  and  bicolor.  Though 
growing  in  almost  any  good  garden  soil,  to  do  well  they  need  a  good 
deal  of  leaf  mou'd  mixed  with  the  soil  when  it  is  heavy,  and  still 
better,  peat,  while,  unlike  some  others,  they  reed  a  fairly  sunny  situation. 
A  very  valuable  Idly  indeed  for  borders  and  permanent  beds  is  Lilium 
longiflorum,  the  L.  I.  jap  nicum  gigaDteum,  or  robustum,  being  the 
best  variety  for  the  purpose.  A  strong  bulb  will  sometimes  produce 
eight  or  ten  white,  trumpet- shaped  flowers,  6  or  7  inches  long.  It  has 
been  blooming  this  Bumnur  in  the  Poplar  tubs  in  front  of  the  Royal 
Exchange,  London,  though  the  flowers  have  been  of  very  moderate  size. 
Wh  re  the  soil  is  very  heavy  a  hole  should  be  made,  and  filled  up 
with  a  mixture  consisting  of  about  one-quarter  soil,  one-quarter 
rotted  manure,  and  one-half  leaf  mould.  If  the  soil  is  only  moderately 
heavy  a  smaller  proportion  of  leaf  mould  will  suffice.  This  Lily 
comes  up  very  early  in  the  spring,  and  should  have  a  few  twigs  stuck 
over  it,  as  Lilies,  and  this  one  in  particular,  often  sustain  damage  from 
spring  frosts,  from  which  they  do  not  recover  the  whole  sea  on.  It  is 
deliciously  scented,  and  the  bulbs  are  inexpensive. 
Ttie  Nankeen  Lily,  Lilium  excelsum,  or  testaceum,  is  a  vigorous 
grower,  4  to  6  feet  high,  resemblir  g  Lilium  candidum  in  its  form  of 
growth  and  fragrance,  the  colour  being  apricot,  with  red  anthers.  It 
will  thrive  in  any  ordinary  fertile  soil  of  good  depth,  but  to  get  it  to 
perfection,  at  least  on  very  heavy  soils,  plenty  of  leaf  mould  is 
necessary,  some  peat  being  very  beneficial  too.  Lilium  umbellatum, 
or  davuricum,  is  a  rather  slender,  dwarf-growing  Lily,  most  of  the 
varieties  having  orange  red  flowers  spotted  dark  crimson.  Sappho 
and  erectum  are  two  of  the  best  varieties,  and  all  are  cheap.  The 
name  umbellatum  is  given  to  this  Lily  because  all  the  flowers  spring 
from  one  point  at  the  top  of  the  stem,  forming  an  umbel,  a  method  of 
growth  which  detracts  somewhat  from  its  gracefulness.  Still  it  is  a 
g'  od  Lily  for  the  mixed  border,  flowering  freely  when  once  well 
established,  and  growing  equally  well  in  sun  or  partial  shade,  if  there 
is  food  and  moisture  below. 
The  last  Lily  to  be  recommended  is  the  Panther  Lily,  Lilium 
pardalinum,  a  very  handsome  Californian  Lily,  different  varieties  of  it 
growing  from  3  to  8  feet  high.  It  must  have  a  sheltered  position, 
where  it  gets  plenty  of  light  and  air  without  the  direct  rays  of  tho 
mid-day  sun.  It  thrives  in  a  moist  soil,  which  has  been  very  deeply 
dug  and  well  enriched  with  rotted  manure  and  leaf  mould,  not 
unattainable  conditions  in  most  gardens.  It  is  a  very  satisfactory 
Lily  to  grow,  as,  with  a  moderate  catering  for  its  wants,  it  does  not 
dwindle  as  many  Lilies  do,  many  of  the  more  delicate  ones  being 
rather  shurt-lived  in  any  soil,  but  soon  gets  estab'ished,  and  increases. 
The  best  varieties  are  Robinsoni,  7  feet  high,  with  plenty  of  foliage, 
and  vermilion  flowers  shading  to  yellow,  and  Bourgali,  6  feet,  bright 
crimson  shading  to  yellow,  both  being  freely  spotted. 
The  above  list  by  no  means  exhausts  the  number  of  those  ihe 
special  Lily  lover  succeeds  in  growing  on  a  heavy  soil,  but  contains 
all  those  which  are  fairly  easily  grown.  Lilies  need  lov’mg  care 
without  coddling.  Though  moisture-loving,  none  of  those  mentioned 
will  endure  being  waterlogged,  and  none  of  them  will  do  much  in  a 
very  dry  pcsition.  To  mitigate  the  effects  of  the  winter  rains,  it  is 
well,  when  planting,  to  surround  the  bulbs  with  coarse  sand,  which  also 
kelps  to  keep  off  certain  undesirable  grubs,  whose  fle-hy  bodies  do  not 
like  the  giit  Lilies  often  suffer  a  great  deal  in  a  prolonged  drought, 
both  as  regards  their  flowering  and  their  preparations  for  next 
season’s  growth,  and  there  is  a  risk  in  watering  them  of  the  water 
running  in  between  the  scales  of  the  bulbs,  and  so  predisposing  to 
decay.  A  mulching  of  manure  in  the  late  spring  or  early  summer 
is  very  helpful,  but  the  water  should  be  poured  into  a  hole,  or 
small  flower  pot  sunk  in  the  ground,  a  few  inches  away  from  the 
bulbs.  Liquid  manure  thus  given  is  very  beneficial,  producing  stiffer 
and  larger  blooms,  and  increasing  the  vigour  of  the  growth  the  following 
season. — A.  Petts. 
Hibbertia  perfoliata. 
This  most  interesting  plant  usually  flowers  during  April,  but 
unfortunately  it  is  not  nearly  so  largely  grown  as  it  ought  to  be,  for  it 
is  of  unquestioned  beauty.  This  may  account  for  the  fact  that 
“  F.  J.  R.”  has  not  hitherto  met  with  the  plant  in  the  course  of  his 
wanderings.  The  Hypericum-like  flowers  are  bright  yellow,  and  being 
freely  produced  render  the  plant  very  attractive.  Several  species  of 
Hibbertias  are  grown  in  conservatories,  usually  trained  to  pillars  or  the 
roof,  but  H.  perfoliata  is  more  compact  in  habit,  and,  like  the  smaller- 
flowered  H.  Reedi,  is  better  suited  for  culture  in  pots.  The  flowers  are 
not  of  long  duration,  but  so  many  are  produced,  and  in  such  close 
succession,  that  the  plant  continues  ornamental  for  a  considerable  time. 
- - 
Flowers  and  Scrubs  for  Poor  Soil. 
We  cannot  but  admire  how  Nature,  with  ever-bountiful  hand, 
clothes  the  most  unpromising  spots  in  green  or  flowery  garb. 
Travelling  along  any  railway  line  we  see  proof  of  this  as  the  train 
rushes  through  cuttings  and  over  embankments,  where  the  soil  is 
often  poor,  yet  covered  by  a  varied  and  mostly  thriving  vegetation. 
Beautiful  and  numerous,  too,  are  the  plants  scattered  over  some 
heaths  or  commons,  where  the  soil  seems  barren  indeed,  and  just 
affording  hold  for  the  plants,  which  chiefly  subsist  upon  the  moisture 
they  get  in  the  form  of  rain  or  dew.  The  last  two  months  have  been 
somewhat  trying  for  the  vegetation  of  waste  places,  but  it  is  wonderful 
how  long  some  plants  struggle  on  with  short  supplies  of  nourishment, 
and  even  when  they  have  died  down  to  the  crowns  or  roots,  as  just 
now,  supposing  they  are  perennials,  autumn  rains  will  make  them 
spring  up  again.  It  is  on  chalk  or  sand  that  a  drought  has  most 
effect  upon  plants,  and  they  suffer  least  where  the  soil  is  clay  or  peat. 
There  are  many  extensive  gardens  in  various  parts  of  our  island 
where  the  natural  soil  is  mostly  barren  or  poor,  and  for  the  general 
purposes  of  culture  this  has  to  be  improved  by  manures.  But  often 
portions  of  such  grounds  are  allowed  to  remain  in  their  natural  state 
so  far  as  the  soil,  and  it  is  necessary  to  choose  plants  and  shrubs  for 
slopes  or  hollows  which  will  flourish  in  unpromising  conditions.  It  is 
not  difficult  to  find  species  that  will  make  a  good  show  during  an 
average  season  on  poor  land,  but  dry  weather  comes  hard  uoon  some  of 
them,  just  now  for  instance,  unless  there  are  facilities  for  watering 
them  occasionally.  About  the  southern  counties  people  have 
frequently  planted  upon  the  sand  some  of  those  aromatic  plants  that 
thrive  upon  it,  then,  if  strolling  near  on  a  summer's  day  or  night, 
they  can  be  refreshed  by  the  perfume  diffused  from  the  clumps  and 
rows.  Centuries  before,  even  on  the  London  clay,  the  citizens 
managed  to  have  herb  gardens  along  the  suburban  hills  of  Middlesex 
or  Surrey. 
At  the  head  of  all  aromatic  shrubs  suitable  for  sandy  soils  we  may 
place  the  old  favourites,  Rosemary  and  Lavender.  The  first,  though 
it  seems  in  its  after  years  of  history,  like  many  more  plants,  to  have- 
been  linked  with  the  Virgin  Mary,  took  its  ancient  name  from  the 
dew  that  sparkled  near  the  ocean,  upon  the  margin  of  which  it  often 
grew.  Rosemary,  a  plant  that  by  its  progress  or  decay,  was  thought 
to  foretell  its  owner’s  condition,  prosperous  or  adverse  ;  it  was  a  so  an 
emblem  of  remembrance,  while  if  held  in  the  hand  it  had  the  repute 
of  strengthening  the  head  and  heart.  An  admirer  of  Rosemary 
commends  its  “inexhaustible  sweetness,”  and  its  “incomparable 
incense;”  it  has,  too,  the  excellence  of  opening  the  bloom  during 
March  in  favourable  situations.  Loudon  advised  that  plants  should  be 
raised  from  seed,  but  usually  Rosemary  is  propagated  by  cuttings 
planted  in  spring  on  a  shady  border.  At  one  time  it  was  a  common 
plan  to  give  the  bushes  a  fan  shape,  especially  the  striped  varieties, 
which  we  do  not  often  see  now. 
Equal  to  Rosemary  in  enduring  fragrance,  and  like  it  able  to 
sustain  a  drought,  Lavender  is  a  good  plant  for  warm  sand,  and  from 
it  a  crop  may  be  obtained  that  pays  well.  Cuttings  made  in  early 
summer,  placed  when  rooted  in  nursery  lines,  are  ready  for  removal 
in  the  September  or  October  of  the  next  year.  Layering  does  not 
produce  such  well  formed  plants  as  are  got  from  cuttings.  A  Lavender 
hedge  is  a  pretty  sight,  and  it  is  handy  for  cropping,  but  after  the 
third  year  the  bush  deteriorates.  It  is  best  to  harvest  your  Lavender, 
says  a  grower,  when  a  good  number  of  the  flowers  in  the  spike  are 
open,  yet  none  of  those  on  the  top.  Scattered  bushes  may  be  allowed 
to  attain  old  age,  for  if  they  show  little  bloom  on  them,  still  they  have 
a  pictorial  value.  Amongst  the  Lavender  upon  some  Sussex  slopes 
we  may  see  the  humble  but  pretty  Laveuder  Cotton  (Santolina 
chamsecyparissus). 
With  these  plants  may  be  associated  other  aromatic  species,  which 
have,  many  of  them,  whitish  or  bluish-grey  foliage,  and  are  adapted 
to  poor  ground.  There  is  the  family  of  the  Wormwoods,  not  pleasantly 
