alata_, and its numerous varieties, bright lilac-purple to white,
October to December; _I. Bakeriana_ (fig. 12), sky blue and white,
blotched with violet, January to March; _I. Boissieri_, reddish purple,
June; _I. caucasica_, pale yellow, February and March; _I. Danfordiae_,
or (_Bornmuellieri_) golden yellow, February (fig. 14); _I. juncea_,
golden-yellow, fragrant, June and July; _I. Kolpakowskyana_ (fig. 13)
has reddish-purple and golden-yellow, with purple veins in March; _I.
orchioides_ has very large bulbs and bright-yellow flowers in March and
April; _I. persica_ (fig. 15), and its varieties, with light purple,
lavender, lilac, sea-green, and other shades of colour, and usually
distinctly spotted and sweet-scented during February and March; _I.
pumila_, lilac, purple, or deep violet, April. _I. reticulata_ has deep
violet fragrant flowers in February and March; there are very many
distinct varieties of it, such as _cyanea_, bright blue; _Histrio_,
blue, blotched with golden-yellow, December to March (fig. 11);
_Histrioides_, bright blue tinted with violet; _humilis_, rich red,
purple, orange, and white; _Krelagei_, claret purple and yellow;
_purpurea_, reddish purple; _sophenensis_, varying from reddish and
bluish purple to lilac and lavender; _I. Rosenbachiana_, variable in
colour, purple, yellow, and white to rich crimson and purple blue, March
and April; _I. sindjarensis_ has sweet-scented slaty-blue flowers; and
_I. stenophylla_ or _Heldreichi_, mauve purple, February and March.
PLATE 22. CALOCHORTUS VENUSTUS (84) CALOCHORTUS ALBUS (85) CALOCHORTUS
PULCHELLUS (86)
The Spanish and English Irises flourish in ordinary good and
well-drained garden soil containing a fair amount of sand or grit, and
humus. The English varieties on the whole require a somewhat moister
situation and rather heavier soil than the Spanish. They flower
profusely, and their many shades of colour make the long-stalked
blossoms great favourites for decorative purposes. The different
colours can be had separately from the nurseryman or florist, but a
mixed collection will afford great pleasure to those who do not
wish to be burdened with the fancy names given in catalogues.
The smaller kinds of Bulbous Irises--like those shown on Plate
3--require to be treated a little more carefully than the Spanish and
English varieties. Indeed many of the choicer and rarer varieties are
safer grown in pots of rich sandy soil in cold frames. They flower early
in the year, and, if exposed in the open border or rock-garden, the
blossoms would be probably not only considerably disfigured, but the
cold rains and frosts might kill the bulbs. When grown in the open air,
warm sheltered spots should be selected for them, and the soil should be
a well-drained sandy loam with a little leaf-soil. If the plants are
flourishing, they may be left in the same spot for three or four
seasons. After this it is better to lift them when the leaves have
withered, and then any offsets may be detached to increase the stock. As
a rule the best time to plant bulbous Irises is in September or October,
but not later.
=IXIA= (=African Corn Lily=).--If the reader will turn to Plate 1, he or
she will at once admit that the Ixias are a charming class of bulbous
plants. The picture was prepared from specimens kindly supplied by
Messrs. Wallace & Co., of Colchester. There are many other shades and
combinations of colour besides those represented, and happy would be the
amateur who succeeded in raising such lovely flowers in his
garden--either in the open air or under glass.
The Ixias are natives of South Africa, and have smooth or
fibrous-coated, round and flattish corms, about an inch in diameter. The
sword-shaped leaves are strongly veined, and the beautiful blossoms are
borne on stems 1 to 2 feet, during June and July. Some of the best
varieties are shown on Plate 1, and attention is especially directed to
the charming soft sea-green flowers of _I. viridiflora_, having a dark
blotch in the centre. To these may be added the deep-red or
crimson-flowered _speciosa_ or _crateroides_.
It is a pity that such elegant flowers cannot be grown in the open air
in every part of the British Islands. Unfortunately they are not hardy
enough for this, and consequently the best results out of doors are only
likely to be secured in the mildest parts of the kingdom. The best time
to plant is from September to November. The corms should be about 3
inches beneath the surface of the soil. This should be a light, sandy
loam; if inclined to be heavy, it should be raised in small beds above
the general level to secure better drainage, and a little sand may be
placed round each corm, also with the same object in view. In the event
of cold rains and frosts in winter, the bulbs should be protected with
litter, bracken, &c., to be removed at the end of February or March when
the leaves begin to appear.
Where it is impossible to grow Ixias successfully in the open air, they
may be grown in pots in cold frames or for the decoration of the
greenhouse or conservatory. The corms should be potted in September or
October, and kept under ashes or fibre in the open until roots have
developed, after which they may be brought inside to develop. Ixias are
best increased by offsets.
=IXIOLIRION montanum.=--This beautiful plant (also known as _I. Pallasi_
and _I. tataricum_) has long-necked ovoid bulbs about an inch in
diameter, and tufts of grassy leaves. The charming lilac blossoms, as
shown on Plate 18, fig. 73, are borne in early summer in loose clusters
on stems a foot or more high, and are very useful in a cut state. There
is a good deal of variation in the colour, which has led to different
names being given from time to time.
_I. Kolpakowskyanum_ is a rare and little known species from Turkestan.
It has much smaller bulbs than _montanum_, and the blue or whitish
blossoms appear somewhat earlier in the year.
Ixiolirions may be grown successfully in the milder parts of the kingdom
in warm sheltered spots in the flower-border or rock-garden. They should
be planted about 3 inches deep in September or October in light sandy
soil, and in cold localities should be protected with litter, &c., in
winter.
=LAPEYROUSIA= (=Anomatheca=) =cruenta.=--A pretty South African plant, 6
to 12 inches high, with irregular roundish corms about 2 inches in
diameter, and narrow sword-shaped leaves. The deep crimson or blood-red
blossoms, with a still deeper-coloured blotch on each of the three inner
segments, appear in late summer in loose clusters on slender stalks, and
are very striking when seen in large masses. This species, although
perhaps a trifle hardier, may be grown in the same way as the Ixias (see
p. 90). The corms, however, being larger, should be planted about 6
inches deep, and new plants may be secured by detaching the offsets when
the leaves have withered.
PLATE 23. GLADIOLUS OPPOSITIFLORUS (87) LILIUM CANADENSE, VARS. (88-89)
=LEUCOJUM= (_Snowflake_).--Beautiful plants closely related to the
Snowdrops, and somewhat resembling them in bulbs, and leaves, and
flowers. The Spring Snowflake (_L. vernum_) is the first of the group to
produce its drooping sweet-scented blossoms in March and April. They are
usually borne singly on a slender stalk 6 to 12 inches high, and are
white in colour with more or less conspicuous green tips to the petals,
as shown in Plate 12, fig. 47. The next best-known kind is the Summer
Snowflake--the paradoxical name of _L. aestivum_. The pure white flowers,
tipped with green, appear in May and June, sometimes as many as six
being borne on a stem. _L. pulchellum_ is closely related to this
species, but has narrower leaves, and produces its smaller blossoms
somewhat later. The pretty little plants, formerly known as _Acis_, are
now included with the Leucojums. They all have small white drooping
blossoms on slender stems 6 to 12 inches high, those of _hyemalis_ and
_trichophylla_, appearing in April, while those of _autumnalis_ appear
in autumn.
The Snowflakes flourish in rich sandy soil, and appear to advantage in
the rock-garden or in the grass, where they may be massed in the same
way as Snowdrops, &c. Most of them are easily increased by offsets.
=LILIUM= (_Lily_).--Of all the hardy bulbous plants that may be grown in
the open air in our climate, the Lilies may be looked upon as the most
noble. Not only are many of them giants in stature among other hardy
bulbs, but there is nothing to equal their individual blossoms in size,
or their general gracefulness of appearance when borne collectively on
the leafy stems.
They differ in another respect from other bulbous plants described in
this book, and that is in having "scaly" bulbs as shown on page 12. All
the other plants have either bulbs with several coats rolled round each
other (tunicated), or else they are solid, when they are known as corms.
But in the Lilies neither of these two types appears. What are known as
the "scales" are fleshy leaves that have been specially modified under
the surface of the soil to act as reservoirs or storehouses for the
surplus food that the green aerial leaves on the stems have elaborated
for them during the daytime.
There are a large number of species of Lilium, differing greatly in size
and blossom, and it is therefore only natural to expect the bulbs to
vary a good deal also. Indeed, there are very large and very small
bulbs, comparatively speaking, and they display a good deal of
difference in their vegetation, and in producing offsets. For example,
most kinds develop new bulbs or offsets round the base of the older
bulb, while others, like _canadense_, _Grayi_, _pardalinum_, _Parryi_,
and _superbum_, develop their new bulbs along creeping stems or rhizomes
as shown in the sketch on page 31.
Useful as the offsets are for the purpose of increasing the stock, some
kinds, notably _bulbiferum_, _Browni_, _speciosum_, and _tigrinum_,
often develop what are called "bulbils" in the axils of the aerial
leaves. These bulbils are small bulb-like bodies, which, when sown and
covered with soil as if they were large seeds, will develop into
flowering bulbs in the course of two or three years. The origin of these
bulbils is more fully dealt with at p. 32.
Besides these two fairly easy means of increasing the stock of Lilies,
many kinds may be also raised from seeds, which at the end of three,
six, or eight years, will have produced bulbs large enough to throw up
flowering stems. Raising Lilies from seed is more common now than it
used to be, especially in America, where some lovely hybrids have been
raised, such as _Burbanki_, _Dalhansoni_, _Marhan_, &c.
=Distribution of Lilies.=--As Liliums are distributed throughout all
parts of the north temperate hemisphere--extending from California in
the west, to China and Japan in the east, across the continents of North
America, Europe, and Asia--they are therefore found naturally growing in
different soils, and under various climatic conditions, in all degrees
of sunshine and shadow, drought and moisture. In the British flower
garden they are, as a rule, best in positions where they will be shaded
from the hot mid-day sun, as the flowers will last much longer than if
exposed too much. They should not, however, be planted in deep shade
under trees, or among their roots, as the latter would absorb too much
food and moisture from the Lilies, while the overhanging boughs would
prevent the rain from reaching the bulbs in sufficient quantity. During
vigorous growth, Lilies like plenty of water, but the soil must at the
same time be so well drained that it shall readily pass away from the
bulbs. ("A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO GARDEN PLANTS.")
=Time and Depth of Planting.=--If bulbs can be secured early in autumn,
say in September or October, that would be the best time to plant
Lilies. But very often bulbs of certain kinds cannot be secured till
spring, so that planting must necessarily take place then. The depth at
which Lily bulbs are to be planted depends greatly upon the size of the
individual bulbs; some kinds are planted about 6 inches deep, while
others require a depth of 9 or 10 inches. A safe general rule to follow,
is to cover the bulbs with about twice their own depth of soil when
planting in the open air. If a piece of peat be placed beneath each bulb
at the time of planting, and a layer of sand about half-an-inch thick
round them, they will root much more freely. An exception to the general
rule seems to be _L. giganteum_ (see p. 100). When Liliums are hardy
enough to be left undisturbed for several seasons in the same place, a
good top-dressing or "mulching" of well-decayed manure in autumn will be
of great advantage in replenishing the food for the roots.
So far as culture is concerned, Liliums may be arranged in three
distinct groups as follows:--
I. LILIES THAT FLOURISH IN ORDINARY GOOD GARDEN SOIL, OR BETTER STILL,
IN STRONG LOAM THAT HAS BEEN DEEPLY DUG AND ENRICHED WITH WELL-DECAYED
MANURE IN ADVANCE.
_Alexandrae_, 2 to 3 feet high, with pure white flowers, 6 to 8 inches
across in July and August.
_Batemanniae_, 3 to 5 feet high, flowers rich apricot, 4 to 5 inches
across.
_Bulbiferum_, 2 to 4 feet high, with erect crimson flowers spotted with
brown; May and June.
_Candidum_, the well-known "Madonna Lily," 3 to 5 feet high, with
sweet-scented pure-white flowers, 3 to 4 inches across, and ten to
thirty on an erect truss in June. When subject to disease in any
locality, it is almost useless attempting to grow this Lily. (See Plate
16, fig. 64).
_Chalcedonicum_, a fine "Turk's Cap" Lily, 2 to 3 feet high, with
drooping bright scarlet flowers in July and August; there are several
varieties, including _maculatum_, a spotted one.
_Croceum_, the "Orange or Saffron Lily," with somewhat cobwebby stems 3
to 6 feet high, and golden orange, funnel-shaped flowers, spotted with
purple at the base; June and July. (See Plate 17, fig. 67).
_Dalhansoni_, a pretty hybrid between _dalmaticum_ and _Hansoni_, about
5 feet high, with dark brownish-purple flowers in June and July.
_Dauricum_ or _davuricum_ grows 2 to 3 feet high, and has orange-scarlet
flowers spotted with blackish-purple.
_Henryi_, 3 to 6 feet high (sometimes much taller) with jagged-surfaced
orange-red flowers from July to September.
_Marhan_, a lovely hybrid between the white-flowered _Martagon_ and
_Hansoni_. It grows 4 to 5 feet high, and has clear orange-yellow
flowers with red-brown streaks and spots.
_Pomponium_, a fine "Turk's Cap" species, 2 to 3 feet high, with
drooping, bright-red, orange-yellow, flowers.
PLATE 24. LILIUM TIGRINUM (90) BRODIAEA BRIDGESI (91)
_Pyrenaicum_ is closely related to _pomponium_, but is somewhat taller,
and has bright-yellow flowers, blotched with crimson at the base (see
Plate 18, fig. 71).
_Rubellum_, a beautiful species about 2 feet high, with bell-shaped
rosy-pink flowers in June (see Plate 26, fig. 97).
_Testaceum_ (or _excelsum_), a fine Lily, 5 to 6 feet high, with
somewhat drooping, soft, buff-yellow or apricot-coloured flowers, dotted
with orange-red.
_Umbellatum._ A number of Lilies are grouped under this name, being
apparently hybrid varieties between _croceum_, _davuricum_, and
_elegans_. The prevailing colours are orange, orange-red, and apricot,
with darkly-spotted and unspotted forms.
_Washingtonianum_ grows 3 to 6 feet high, and has sweet-scented,
drooping, funnel-shaped flowers of a pure white tinged with lilac or
purple. The soil should be particularly well-drained for this
Californian Lily.
II. LILIES THAT FLOURISH IN SANDY LOAM, PEAT, AND LEAF-SOIL.
_Auratum_, a well-known Lily, 2 to 6 feet high, with ivory-white
flowers, often 9 to 12 inches across, with a conspicuous yellow band
down the centre, and deep purple blotches all over the inner surface.
There are several varieties, some poor, some excellent, amongst the
latter being _platyphyllum_ with very large heavily-spotted flowers.
There is a white unspotted form of this called _virginale_, closely
related to which is _Wittei_, the flowers of which, however, are stained
with yellow down the centre.
_Browni_, 2 to 4 feet high, with bell-shaped flowers, pure white with a
central purple line.
_Concolor_, grows 1 to 3 feet high, and has bright scarlet flowers.
There are several varieties, such as _Buschianum_ and the dwarf
_pulchellum_, scarlet, spotted with black; _Coridion_, bright yellow,
spotted with red; _Partheneion_, orange-yellow, faintly spotted; and
_luteum_, yellow, spotted with purple-red.
_Elegans_ (or _Thunbergianum_), 1 to 2 feet high, with erect cup-shaped
scarlet flowers, slightly spotted with purple at the base.
_Giganteum_, a gigantic Himalayan Lily, with stems from 6 to 10, and
sometimes 14 feet high, furnished with large heart-shaped oval leaves.
The flower stem is 1 to 2 feet long and has drooping funnel-shaped
blossoms of a greenish-white, suffused with violet-purple in the throat.
Unlike other Liliums, the large conical bulbs of this species are not
buried deeply in the soil. They are sunk in the soil about one-third of
their depth, and are usually planted in April or May. In the event of
spring frosts, the bulbs should be protected with dry leaves or litter.
_Hansoni_, 3 to 4 feet high, flowers drooping, bright orange yellow, and
heavily spotted with dark purple-brown (see Plate 25, fig. 93).
_Humboldti_ (or _Bloomerianum_), 4 to 8 feet high, flowers
orange-yellow, drooping, spotted with purple at the base; more
conspicuous in the variety _ocellatum_, the yellow blossoms of which are
tipped with crimson or purple.
_Japonicum_, 1 to 3 feet high, with sweet-scented pure white flowers
faintly tinged with purple outside.
_Kewense_, a beautiful hybrid between _Henryi_ and a variety of
_Browni_; it grows about 6 feet high, and has buff-coloured flowers
about 8 inches across, fading off to creamy white at the tips.
_Krameri_ is like _japonicum_, but taller, and with pink flowers.
_Leichtlini_, 3 to 4 feet high, with drooping citron-yellow flowers
heavily spotted with purple.
_Longiflorum_, a very handsome Lily, 2 to 3 feet high, with large
tubular pure white flowers. There are many so-called varieties of this
species, including _Harrisi_, _eximium_, and _Takesima_--all very
popular for forcing in pots for greenhouses (see Plate 25, fig. 94).
_Martagon_, the "Turk's Cap," Lily, 2 to 3 feet high, with many tiers of
drooping purple-red or violet-rose flowers, spotted with carmine, but
white in the tall growing variety _album_ (see Plate 26, fig. 95).
_Monadelphum_ (or _Loddigesianum_) is a vigorous Lily, 3 to 5 feet high,
with soft bright yellow flowers, which in the variety _Szovitsianum_ (or
_colchicum_) are spotted with blackish-purple (see Plate 26, fig. 98).
_Pardalinum_, known as the "Leopard Lily," grows 3 to 8 feet high, and
has drooping orange-red flowers spotted with dark purple at the base.
There are several varieties, some being more highly coloured and spotted
than others.
_Roezli_, 2 to 3 feet high, with dark blotched orange-red flowers.
_Speciosum_, also well-known as _lancifolium_, grows 2 to 3 feet high,
and has white flowers suffused with rose, the lower portion of the
segments being deeper in colour, and covered with papillae. There are
many varieties such as _album_, white; _Kraetzeri_, white tinged with
green down the centre; _Melpomene_, deep crimson-purple, &c.
_Tenuifolium_, so called from its grass-like leaves, grows 1 to 2 feet
high, and has small drooping scarlet blossoms (see Plate 25, fig. 92).
_Tigrinum_, the "Tiger Lily," with woolly stems 2 to 4 feet high, and
deep orange-red flowers heavily spotted with blackish-purple. (See Plate
24, fig. 90.)
III. LILIES THAT FLOURISH IN VERY MOIST BUT WELL-DRAINED SANDY LOAM,
PEAT, AND LEAF-SOIL. THEY ARE EXCELLENT FOR PLANTING IN SHADY BORDERS,
UNDER NORTH WALLS, OR BY THE SIDE OF PONDS, &c.
_Burbanki_, a fine hybrid between _pardalinum_ and _Parryi_. Flowers,
pale orange-yellow, spotted with chocolate and flushed with crimson at
the tips. A single stem often has as many as twenty or thirty blooms
upon it.
_Canadense_, a rhizomatous "Turk's Cap" Lily, 2 to 4 feet high, with
drooping funnel-shaped flowers varying in colour from bright orange-red
to pale red, the upper portion of the segments being heavily spotted
with purple-brown. (See Plate 23, figs. 88 and 89.) There are several
forms such as _rubrum_, _flavum_, _parvum_, &c.
_Catesbaei_, an elegant species, 1 to 2 feet high, having erect
bell-shaped flowers of a bright orange-red heavily spotted with purple.
_Cordifolium_, a very distinct-looking Lily, 3 to 4 feet high, having
broadly heart-shaped ovate leaves, and tubular white flowers with
violet-brown spots at the base.
_Grayi_ is closely related to _canadense_, but has deep crimson flowers
heavily blotched with purple at the yellowish base.
_Maritimum_ is a pretty Lily, 3 to 5 feet high, with small deep red
bell-shaped flowers spotted with dark purple.
_Parryi_ is another rhizomatous Lily, 2 to 6 feet high. The more or less
drooping flowers are citron-yellow, spotted with purple-brown, and are
sweetly fragrant.
_Superbum_ is known as the "Swamp Lily" of North America. It has
creeping rhizomes which produce bulbs at intervals, and the
violet-purple stems grow 4 to 10 feet high. The drooping orange-red
flowers, sometimes as many as twenty to forty on a stem, are heavily
spotted with violet-purple. The variety _carolinianum_ (also known as
_autumnale_ and _Michauxianum_) has flowers like those of the type, but
the plants only grow about 2 feet high.
PLATE 25. LILIUM TENUIFOLIUM (92) LILIUM HANSONI (93) LILIUM
LONGIFLORUM (94)
Most of the Lilies described in these three sections may be grown in
beds by themselves on the grass, or they may be planted in clumps in
borders or shrubberies where they will have plenty of space and enough
sunshine to enable them to develop fully. The peat-loving kinds--those
in the second and third sections--are excellent for planting amongst
such plants as Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Kalmias, and other peat-loving
shrubs.
=LYCORIS squamigera.=--This distinct Japanese plant is closely related
to the Belladonna Lily (see p. 51). It has rather long-necked roundish
bulbs, 2 to 3 inches in diameter, and strap-shaped leaves about a foot
long. From July to September, after the leaves have withered, the large
sweet-scented rosy-lilac flowers (see Plate 32, fig. 116) are borne on a
stout stalk 2 to 3 feet high. This plant may be grown out of doors in
the milder parts of the kingdom in warm sheltered spots, such as against
a well on a south border. It likes rich well-drained sandy loam and
leaf-soil, but grows freely in ordinary good garden soil. There are
other species that may probably succeed in the open air in the same way,
such as _aurea_, golden-yellow; _straminea_, pale yellow with a pink
central line and red dots; and _radiata_, bright red.
=MERENDERA Bulbocodium.=--A pretty Pyrenean plant closely related to
_Bulbocodium vernum_. It grows only 3 or 4 inches high, and produces its
rosy-lilac funnel-shaped flowers in autumn at the same time as some of
the true Colchicums. The narrow sickle-shaped leaves appear after the
flowers are over and remain fresh and green till spring. There are a few
other species, but they are practically unknown in gardens. The
Merendera may be grown exactly in the same way as the Colchicums, in the
border, rock-garden, or best of all in the grass. The stock may be
increased by offsets and seeds.
=MILLA biflora.=--There is now only one Milla, the plants formerly known
under that name being now included in the genus Brodiaea (see p. 56). _M.
biflora_ has rather small bulbs with fleshy roots and narrow,
grass-like, blue-green leaves. The pretty pure white salver-shaped
blossoms appear in August and September usually two to four on stems
about 6 inches high. Being a native of Mexico, _M. biflora_ should be
grown in warm sheltered spots in the rock-garden or border, in a rich
sandy loam, the bulbs being planted about 4 inches deep. Increased by
offsets.