Of all the valuable flowers that have been imported from Japan or
China, during the past twenty years, nothing equals the exquisitely
beautiful Japan Lily--_Lilium Lancifolium_. No description can do
anything like justice to these flowers, or show the beautiful,
frost-like white of the surface, glistening like dew-drops; or the
rubies that stand out on the surface of one of the varieties, while the
end of the leaf is shaded like the exquisite pink, or the inside of
some sea-shells from India.
There are nine varieties. The pure white and crimson, Lancifolium
Monstrosum rubrum; the pure white Lancifolium Monstrosum album, and
a delicate rose of the same variety; then the dark crimson, Lilium
Melpomene; white, spotted with delicate salmon, Lilium Punctatum; the
pure white, with projecting glistening spots, called Lilium Lancifolium
album; Lilium Lancifolium rubrum, white ground, spotted with crimson;
Lilium Lancifolium roseum, shaded and spotted with rose; and Lilium
auratum. This is sometimes called Golden-banded Lily, and is truly the
king of the lilies. The flower is ten to twelve inches across, composed
of six delicate white ivory parts, each thickly studded with crimson
spots, with a golden band through its centre. In addition to the
beauty of these lilies, they are fragrant, and as hardy as any of our
common varieties.
Strong bulbs send up flowering stems from three to five feet in height,
and begin to bloom about the middle of August. Each flowering stem will
have from two to a dozen flowers, according to the strength of the bulb.
Rich garden soil is all that is needed for these lilies. Plant them
in October or early in November, about a foot apart, and five inches
deep. The bulbs should remain several years, if possible, without
removal. These must be the lilies that surpassed Solomon in all his
glory. Lilium Longiflorum is called very beautiful. The flowers are
snow-white, trumpet-shaped flowers. Lilium Brownii, new variety, superb
white.