[Illustration]
These trumpet-shaped Lilies are charming in appearance, quite hardy and
fragrant. They bloom in July or August, and continue in beauty for a
long time.
Longiflorum _Japonicum_ blooms in July, and is a fine dwarf bedder;
color pure white, with occasionally a greenish tinge outside. Increases
rapidly. _Eximium_ bears a longer flower, from six to nine inches in
length, and is more open at the mouth than the common Longiflorum. Pure
white and very fragrant. _Brownii_ is a native of Japan, and is a grand
Lily of rare beauty. It resembles Longiflorum in shape, but is larger
and more expanding; color white inside, exterior brownish-purple;
stamens rich chocolate, which forms a distinctive feature in this
species. It has been frequently confounded with _Japonicum_, but the
difference is very marked in the illustrations of the two, and are thus
noted in Messrs. Hallock & Thorp's "Catalogue of Lilies."
"JAPONICUM (_Odorum, Japonicum Colchesterii_). One of the most beautiful
and rarest Lilies in cultivation. It differs from Brownii and all the
forms of Longiflorum in many respects. Note the following marked
differences: Its broader, fewer and more spreading leaves, the shape of
the entire flower and broader claw of its divisions, its shorter anthers
with pollen tinged with red. The flower is solitary and large, interior
pure white, exterior of a pinkish-brown color, tubular, bell-shaped,
with spreading revolute tips; the bud shows a rich golden tint. Bulb
white, or whitish-yellow, never red or brown, broad at the base, the
scales which are somewhat narrow and acute at the tip, the outer ones
terminate at about two-thirds of the height of the inner scales, whereas
in Brownii the scales are broad, and all pass up, overlapping, and
terminate together at the apex of the bulb, thus making the base much
narrower than the apex."
It is a native of Japan, and is so exceedingly rare that it is priced at
$7.00, more than double the cost of any other in the list. Brownii was
priced, when a novelty at $4.00, but is now offered for $1.75.
[Illustration]
_Candidum_, sometimes called Easter Lily, is one of the best known and
commonly grown of all the Lilies. It has been in cultivation for about
three hundred years. Bears a profusion of pure white fragrant flowers in
a compact head.
The double _Tiger Lily_ is a very great improvement on the old single
variety. It is very double, and very showy. _Wallacei_ is a new Japanese
variety, said to be magnificent; color, buff, spotted with black.
_Chalcedonicum_ or _Scarlet Martagon_ is supposed to be the "Lily of the
field" mentioned in the Gospel. "It is magnificent, and its intense
scarlet is one of the finest shades in the whole vegetable kingdom. A
full bed is a most magnificent sight, and if suddenly looked at on a
bright day, has nearly the same effect for a moment as if looking at the
sun. It is much scarcer than it should be, and requires careful culture,
to be planted about six or eight inches deep, and watered in the summer
time. It pleases every one who is capable of being pleased."
Lilies, as well as many other bloomers, are greatly improved by
thinning out the overplus, thus concentrating the sap to fewer blossoms,
which being thus liberally nourished, greatly increase in size, and
amply repay, by their superiority, for the loss in numbers. Although
this is a demonstrated fact, yet few have the courage to prune where
flowers are not very abundant, and many will not when they are.
Those who have limited space are loth to devote much room to Lilies,
preferring plants that bloom continually throughout the season, or that
make more show. But it is not essential that the bed should be devoted
exclusively to lilies. For early spring blooming there can be the
Crocuses, Snowdrops, Hyacinths, Tulips, all of which will bloom before
the lilies, and after flowering can be taken up, i.e., the Tulips and
Hyacinths, and low bedding plants take their places. Portulaca, Pansy,
Ageratum, Mignonnette, Nemophila, Sweet Alyssum, are all suitable for
this purpose, and will not only make the bed beautiful all the season
with their blossoms, but will also be of real benefit to the Lilies by
shading their roots somewhat, and keeping the soil more cool and moist.
Lilies must never be crowded; a foot or twenty inches is about right.
The soil should be dug deep and mixed with old rotted manure and sand
liberally, unless the soil is naturally sandy; if heavy, clayey soil, it
ought to have in addition to sharp sand, leaf mold and bog muck. Plant
the bulbs from six to eight inches deep, according to the size. Last
autumn, in planting my Lily, Tulip, Hyacinth, and other bulbs, I made a
little bed for each of pure sand, and then covered well with soil, over
which was put a blanket of old dressing, then, before snow, a covering
of boughs. The bulbs never came up so grandly, nor grew so rapidly
before. October is the best month for bedding out, later will do, and
many do not plant their Lilies till the frost is out in the spring.
The two leading Lily growers of this country are John L. Child and V. H.
Hallock & Thorp, of Queens, N. Y.
[Illustration]