Garden Notes LOVELINESS IN LILIES

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 35, 11 February 1939, Page 14 (Supplement)

Garden Notes LOVELINESS IN LILIES

Tiger Lily

RESTRICT a gardener to 12 kinds of lilies and surely one of them would be the tiger lily. Introduced from China more than 100 years ago, it soon found its way into general cultivation, and tc-day it is probably the most popular lily in our gardens. The reason of its popularity is not far to seek, for not only is it a beautiful lily when in flower, but even if indiffereirtlv grown it produces a crop of tinv bulbils in the axils of the leaves and when these fall, or are removed and grown in beds they will form flowering bulbs in two or three years. In many gardens, especially those in which "there is much lime in the soil, L. tigrinum gradually dwindles away after it has reached maturity. Its natural method of propagation, however, is such that a continuous supply of flowering bulbs is kept in spite of these losses.

Lilium Speciosum

KNOWN to many under the name of Lancifolium, this lily is a native of Korea, and was introduced more than 100 years ago. L. speciosum in its many forms is known to all, and with L. longiflorum and L. tigrinum are the three best known lilies.

Cultivation of this lily does not lay any tax on the resources of the grower and its requirements once understood it may be relied upon to prosper, sending up its flower stems year after year in increasing numbers.

It cannot lie said that this lily will not grow in limy soil, but there is no doubt that it is more at home in ground that is free from lime.' It may be grown to perfection in a rich, open, woodland soil overlying a stiff, sandy loam; on the richness of the top soil depends the growth of the stem and flowers, and it is no exaggeration to say that you cannot mulch this lily too much.

It is probably best to plant this lily in full sun, and if the summer should prove exceptionally hot, the only effect will be that the bulbs will flower a little earlier than usual and the blooms may lose colour a little more quickly than when in the shade. That, however, holds good for all lilies, and the objection to planting late-flowering varieties in the shade is that they are more

Of late years the original variety-has been replaced to a large extent by the two varieties, L.t. fortunei, and L.t. splendens, each finer in every way than the original older plant and easily recognised —splendens by its dark almost black, smooth stems, and fortunei by the hairiness of the stout, upstanding stems and also by a mucli larger head of flowers. The double form is L.t. flore plena, and for those who appreciate double flowers it is' the l»est; <in fact, the only doubleflowered lily in general cultivation. This lily does not generally seed in this country, although this is quite unnecessary for propagation purposes, but if seed is required it can be induced to set if the small bulbils in the axils of the leaves are removed as soon as they appear. The bulbs should be planted nine to 12 inches deep, in a lime-free soil and given a position in full sun. Incidentally, bulbs of this lily are cultivated by the thousand in Japan, where it is used as a vegetable.

liable to rust, disease and often, with a wet, damp spell of weather, the buds are inclined to damp. Bulbs of L. s|K><'iosuin may be planted 10 to 12 inches deep, and if there is any doubt about the drainage the base of the bulb should be stood on a layer of scoria. Though of Japanese origin, L. speciosum lias been raised by hundreds In Holland, with the result that the character has changed somewhat, and not for the beat —Continental bulbs are not so good in colour. Of the Japanese varieties, Kraetzeri, with itw beautiful enow-white flower and golden-green stripe down the centre of each petal, plus anthers of a coppery tint, is one of the .best both in the form of its flowers and in its way of growth. Of coloured varieties there are many —all are in the range of pink and white. Two, Rubrum magnificum and Melpomene—the latter of American origin—stand out on their own, the former on account of its vigorous growth as well as the size and depth of colouring of its flowers, and the latter for the delicate beauty of the lighter-coloured blooms. L.s. rubrum magnilicum was found by collectors in a small group of islands west of where the bulbs are looked upon as a by-product and cultivated in the fields among other crops such as potatoes, the bulbs being planted between the rows. When of a suitable size the bulbs are lifted, dried in the sun and exported to China as food. There are other forms, such as rubrum, roseum and punctatum, but if those above are grown these are not wanted. Of the Continental varieties the best are album, roseum and rubrum, but they are not as good as the Japanese varieties.

Japan Lily

LAURATUM, the hill lily of • Japan or golden-rayed lily, is without doubt the queen of lilies. Grown for centuries in Japan, it is a comparatively recent introduction to Europe and to the late firm of James Veitch and Sons, of Chelsea, goes the honour of the introduction.

It is sometimes very easy of cultivation; in the western isles of Scotland it does remarkably well, flowering freely year after year almost without attention.

Here it has not done so well. It is not easy to explain the reason.

Its native habitat is at the foot of that most famous of Japanese mountain, Fujiyama. There In porous, open soil, largely composed of volcanic detritus, overlaid by the deep carpet of woodland soil, it grows in the wildest splendour. It is a woodland plant, flourishing amongst vegetation which, while screening the lower part of the stem and keeping the ground cool, leaves the blooms free to the full sun.

Bulb On Scoria Those who have difficulty should remember that perfect drainage is essential; if it cannot be attained any other way, it must be done by standing the bulb on a layer of sand or scoria. Many bulbs of anratum are planted late and without basal roots—that is, planting is left till spring. The result is bulbs throw up a spike with a few flowers and die the following autumn. The correct procedure is to pinch out the flowers as soon as they show, to give the bulbs a chance to make basal roots and become established. The size of bulbs is certainly a factor, but even more important are the basal and stem roots, and without these your lily cannot succeed. The bulbs should be at least a foot deep; if you cannot get this depth of good soil, go as near as possible and make up for lack of depth by applying a mulching in spring of four to six inches depth of leafmould, 18 to 24 inches across.

A protective covering for the stems is almost essential; for this purpose there is nothing like azaleas or rhododendrons, because these are not deep-rooting shrubs. If not convenient to have shrubs, some of the herbaceous plants, such as paeonies, perennial phlox, gaillardias, etc., or even annuals, could be used. Use of shrubs saves damage by digging, . and no doubt a lot of lilies have met their death by the misplaced

efforts of an enthusiastic gardener who considered that the spade and fork were more important than plants.

If you wish to grow auratum, first consideration is clean bulbs. Then choose the place for planting. Go to a little trouble to prepare it as well as possible, with the aim that it is to stand for at least five years. Plant vour bulbs and do not lift them for

If vonr bulbs are diseased they will probably die out without the need of von going to the trouble of if you lift them with the idea of curing them, thev will probably die just the same. Lil'iums, like paeonies and many other bulbous plants, do best when left for many years without being disturbed.

Regale and Davidii

REGALE has proved itself a hardly grower and does well in every garden.

Easily raised and grown from seed it will flower the second year, and if it is left it will improve year by year, till it goes up to six or seven feet, with 12. or more flowers. The outside of the petals are wine coloured, the inside pure white, with the tube golden yellow. It has an exquisite scent and is truly a beautiful lily.

This lily needs lime and a heavier or more holding soil than the usual run of lilies, and is more like Henryii in this respect. It is stem rooting and should not be heavily manured.

Davidii, one of the newer sorts, has cinnabar-red flowers, grows up to five feet high, and carries 10 to 12 flowers. It is an elegant and graceful variety. It sends out underground 6tems, which send up flowers and develop bulbs.

When planted this habit must be considered as it means that the stems do not come up where the bulbs are planted