HARDY LILIES AND GLADIOLI.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCIII, Issue 10594, 1 March 1895, Page 2

HARDY LILIES AND GLADIOLI.

( Specially written for the " Canterbury Times”) To those unacquainted with the different; varieties of lilies and their culture, a few remarks will be usefnl. Apart from the true lilies, there are certain other plants to which the name is also given, such as the torch lily (Kniphofia or Tritoma), the day lily (Homerooallis and Tigridiaa), the Peruvian lily (Alstrcemeria), the African lily (Agapanthus), the belladonna lily (Amaryllis), the Cape lily (Criuum),. the plantain lily (Punkia), the wood lily, (Trillium), the Maraposa lily (Calochortus), 1 the crown imperial lily (Pritillaria), and lily of the valley (Convallaria), besides other lilies that do not come under bur present head. : The torch lilies are brilliant in and are very useful in large gardens., Planted in borders amongst shrub* they have a fine effect, especially' the larger kinds, such as T. Uvnria and Rooperi. Mcowani, a smaller kind, is also procurable here.

The day lilies are of a really hardy, race, and most of them ’ will grow any-! where. With their leaves and showy,-well-formed flowers, they may be used with,: good effect in various ways. H. fulva .fU pi., H. fulva argentia variegata and H, flavuma are all very fine, but they are not nearly so showy as Tigridia Pavonis, T. Canariensis, T. coachiflora and T. grandiflora alba, ( • The Peruvian lily is valuable and very* effective. Such varieties as auraa and Chilensis are quite hardy; A. pelegeina and pelegrina alba, which are very beau | tiful, require protection. , J The belladonnaliUes are nowmore pleati-, ful and cheaper in price, consequently, within the reach of all. Thej are very beautiful autumn flowers.

The Agapanthus is most important for its unrivalled blue, and for large gardens it is invaluable ; it also succeeds well in pots or tuba. The following are popular and good varietiesUmbeliatus, maximus, albifiorus, fiore plena, Mooreanus and bulbosa. -

The Crinum is a fine genus of bulbous plants, and some of the species are very beautiful. The flowers of moat of them are very fragrant, and are produced freely in largo umbels. They thrive in any 'good garden soil, care being taken to water them well during the flowering season. Amabile, album, capßnEo,,Nafcalonse, pallidum, pedunculatum and longiflorutn are the varieties most popular. The Trillinms are very interesting plants, but unfortunately only two varieties can be had from the nurserymen here, namely sessile and grandiflorum The Calochortus are also very showy, and quite hardy; a great many lose them through growing them in pots, they thrive best in the open border. Calochortus are also known by the name of butterfly tulips. Single bulbs bear many flowers. C. pulchellas, Yenustus and lutens are all very beautiful. Pritillaria imperials is a plant that, takes one’s notice at once when in bloom, and no garden is perfect without it. Some of the smaller fritillarias are also very, pretty, namely, Meleagris and Persica. The last-named hss only lately been introduced into Canterbury; it is a native of Mount Ararat.

We will now treat on lilies proper. One of the most beautiful families or plants is the lily. Thera is great variety of form, colour and habit in the many species and varieties. The golden-rayed lily (Lilirim auratum) and its varieties, rnbro velhitum—peculiar for its red ray, picfcum—with a brown ray, and Virginalis, all white; are certainly the most beautiful of the family. For grand foliage and noble effect gigauteum is unrivalled ; the leaves are large and glossy, and the flower spike rises to a height of ten feet. Hansoni and Leiqhtlinii are both very graceful, bright yellow spotted chocolate. Care must be taken when digging about the latter, as the bulba creep about in all directions. The speciosum (lancifiolum) family are all 1 very beautiful and quite hardy, also cheap in price. The following varieties are all fine Album, pedunculatum, melpomone, roseum and rubrum.

The common Turk’s Cap Lily (L. martagon) is not remarkable for brightness q£ colouring, as the flowers are of a dull purple shade, spotted with a deeper tint. The blooms are, however, gracefully reflexed, and disposed in such a symmetrical manner as to bo admired-by everyone. The variety dalmaticum differs from the type in the blossoms being of a deep black rich purple colour, while it is also a rather stronger grower. Chalcedonicum (scarlet Turk’s Cap) is very striking. Testacaum (oxcelsum, isabellianum) also comes under the heading of martagon. Apart from any other consideration, this is very interesting, as being the first recognised hybrid lily in cultivation, while it is a very distinct and beautiful one. It is a hybrid between L. candidum and, L. Chalcedonicum. It ia among the tallest growing lilies that we have, and the bright nankeen - yellow coloured flowers ’ are totally different from those of. any other member of the genus. Pardalinum and Humboldtii are synonymous as far as the New Zealand varieties are concerned. It is a fine, bright orange flower, with maroon spots, and in moist situations it increases with remarkable rapidity. There is a variety sold here under the name of t yellow martagon, which is also worthy of note. It is quite a dwarf variety, and the flowers are very pretty. The martagono seldom flower well the first season after planting. L. Davuricum and its varieties, several of which are grown here, are all very showy, the colour in all cases being bright orange. _ L. croceum, the true orange lily, is a light orange colour, spotted black; it has a very nice effect when, planted among evergreens. Eilium tigrinnm,—Every lover of flowers knows the beautiful tiger lily. There are several varieties; the beet of all is splendens; and Leopold! and fiore-plen».. (the double variety) are also very fine. This family are easily managed; they succeed almost anywhere. The white trumpet , lilies, Lilium loagiflorum, Harris!! and Wilson! are all very striking objects, and require very little care, as regards culture. Our object in having these articles specially written is chiefly to cultivate a taste for bulb culture. Bulbs are easily grown, and soon increase, without requiting any special attention .from, - ths cultivator, if the few hints given, in a former article are attended' to with regard to lifting, cleaning and planting again as soon as possible; not forgetting the use of soot (soot will arrest decay if used in its early stages). Aato cultivation, one cannot, of course, deal with the peculiarities of each kind, hut general hints will be given. Manure, for instance, should never be dug iu with the.; bulbs, though it is useful as a top dressing, liberally applied after . thay_ have been established a year. Some lilies thnvo exceeding well in peat, especially pardalinum and speoiosum varieties; in tact,' peat and sand, mixed with .the ordinary loam when planting, will assist the growth of lilies materially! It should be borne in mind that, however beautiful nearly nil the known lilies, are, some, of them.arefastidious; but there is a rare _ choice of * beauty among those that are easily grown. On light soils the following kinds do re* markably well All of the umhellatum, croceum and elegans type; L. candidum, longiflorum and its varieties, Chalcedomcnm, tastacenm, and the specioaum section.'; also, Tigcinum splendens and its varieties. In deep loamy soil, L. auratum and its varieties. pardalinum, the tiger family, and most of the martagon group; while in an intermediate soil of leaf mould, loam and sand* Brown! and giganteum. Propagation. —This is generally flßs most readily done by means of the separation of the bnlblets or offsets from theparent bulbs, and these, detached and grown in the same way as the parent, wily in the course of a year or two make goo* flowering plants. The scales of the bulbsjj too, afford a means of propagation, hot this is a slower method. They can also bej raised from seed, but this is a still slower) process. t Care has been taken to only eanfl)** rate varieties that can' be ~obtldaitC| in Christchurch.