THE CULTIVATION OF LILIES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20708, 4 May 1929, Page 7

THE CULTIVATION OF LILIES.

A correspondent who signs herself “ A Lover of Lilies,” wishes to express her thanks for the articles from Country Life republished by use in the garden page of the Daily Times on April 13 and 27, on the growing of Lilium auratum and other lilies from seed. , She draws attention to an article on the same subject in Country Life of March 2, and trusts we may find space for it, as it contains much valuable information for the growers of a genus of our showy garden plant, which is undoubtedly to be placed among the greatest attractions of our gardens. Mr G, M. Taylor, the writer of the article, as in. those previously published by us, strongly urges the raising of bulbs from seeds, and we have pleasure in reproducing portions of the article referred!, to by our correspondent :—■ Liliums, says Mr Taylor, may be divided into two classes. First, we have the stem-rooting species, and, secondly, the non-atem-rooting kinds. It is most necessary that these two distinctions be borne in mind when planting, as totally different treatment is required in each case. Growers are often advised to plant the stem-rooters deeply. The problem is, what is meant by deeply? The bulbs can be easily spoiled when deep planting is practised. Eight inches, for example, is sometimes advised as the proper depth for planting. It has been my experience that this is too much. I seldom plant a bulb any deeper than four inches, and I plant so that the crowns of the bulb is four inches below the surface of the soil. The .'non-atem-rooting lilies are_ planted so that only about a couple of inches of soil lies between the crown of the bulb and the surface. Lilium candidum is an exception, and it should be so planted that one-third of the bulb is fully exposed. There need be no fear so far as damage from frost is concerned. Healthy bulbs of L. candidum with corresponding!} healthy growth are not easily hurt by frost. All the species described in this article are thoroughly, hardy. ‘ . As regards a suitable soil for the cultivation of liliums, may own choice is a kindly, warm loam of a light character with a stony subsoil in order to ensure ample drainage. Given such conditions, success is certain. Food can be supplied as a mulch, in the case of the stem-rooters, in the form of well-decayed leaf mould or equally well decayed cow manure. It has been said that manure is fatal to liliums, but this is not the case. A mulch of decayed manure on any of the stem-rooting kinds is certainly beneficial, Liliums are really gross feeders, but their food must be rich humus. Rank or unrotted manure is poison. It is also advisable when planting to give 'the ground a dressing of bone meal, but in advising the use of this material the necessity of usin'* only that known as “steamed bone meal ” must be emphasised. Bones dissolved in sulphuric acid are dangerous to, lilium roots. The non-stem-rooting liliums should have a liberal quantity of decayed manure, supplemented by steamed bone meal, dug into the soil in which they are to be grown. At this stage I should like to quote what has been written upon the subject by Mi J. Coutts, of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kcw, one of the ablest authorities upon liliums in England, He wrote; “ 1 know of a garden in Wigtownshire where it has grown and increased freely for years. There it is growing in very stony soil, and from that we might take a lesson and mix plenty of small stones with our lily composts. Thus we may somewhat appioach the native conditions, where it grows in stony, volcanic soil, on the fringes of woods and thickets on the mountain slopes. Being a stem-rooting species, plenty of rich vegetable soil is desirable in the upper layers of the soil, and shade at the root is neccaAnother cultural point that Mr Coutts has noted and which is confirmed by my own experience is that what I call “ root ” association is a necessity in lilium cultivation. In the following quotation Mr Coutts calls it plant ’ association. He writes- “ Many cases of failure arc, I feel sure, due to the condition of the soil, as the bulbs rot during the winter, owin'* to the presence of stagnant moisture. That such is the case is not surprising when we consider that in their natural state most of them grow with other plants such as grasses and shrubs, the roots of which keep the soil in good mechanical condition; and I am convinced that our failure to grow lilies, and, indeed, many other_ bulbous plants, successfully is due to this lack of plant association, and in planting them among shrubs we to some extent try to provide this natural enndition.” It will be seen, therefore, that in dealing with such liliums as auratum and its varieties, and other stem rooters of like character, that-a well-drained loam of a sandy nature is desirable. Mr Coutts says that stem rooters should have plenty of rich vegetable matter in the upper layers of the Boil, find, of course, he is an advocate of deep planting. The point upon which he and I differ, however, is that I advocate shallow planting, and I add the rich layers of soil in the form of frequent mulches as growth develops. This method of mulching would seem to detract from the plant association already spoken of. It can be got over in

the following way. In this particular instance bulbs of Lilium regale were being treated, and as I meant to mulch somewhat heavily with leaf mould and at the same time to have the roots of the bulbs associated with those of other plants, I had to arrange accordingly. I planted a background of golden yews about three feet in height,- and set them four feet apart. The bulbs of L. regale were planted immediately in front of the yews, and ns growth began they were top-dressed. Three top-dressings were given. These top-dressings, or what was left of them, were removed in autumn after the stems had turned yellow. When the bulbs became established I had stems of this lily six feet high, and I have ■ had up to 30 flowers on a stem. lam establishing a bed of Lilium auratum platyphyllum just now in the same way, I have been very successful with another plant used for an exactly similar purpose. I wished to establish the very lovely Lilium japonicum (Krameri), and as it is also a stem rooter it was necessary to mulch it liberally. The young growths of this species are best protected by association with some other shrub or plant, and in this case I planted Bambusa pygnisea—the dwarf bamboo—in the bed of Lilium japonicum. The bamboo revelled in the top-dressing and soon grew through it, and afforded ample protection to the lilium, its roots keeping the soil in perfect mechanical condition for the bulbs. The so-called swamp lilies are regarded as kittle cattle, and so they are if one attempts to treat them as one would treat plants associated with cultivation under such conditions. Let me take Lilium Parryi as an. example of what is meant here. As in the case of Lilium auratum, I would ask how often do we see Lilium Parryi doing well in this country? And where we do see it doing well it is simply because it is grown under conditions that are absolutely remote from those necessary for a swamp or bog plant. In my own case, here, again, the bulbs of this lilium were raised from seed sown in the open ground; collected' bulbs of this species have always failed with me. Seedlings were planted in a light, gritty soil in a sunny position, and when the ground was being prepared for the bulbs it received steamed bone flour. The bulbs were planted three inches in depth, and Bambusa pygmsea was established over the bed. Lilium centifolium was a problem, as I had no guidance as to its requirements, since it is little known as yet in this country, and there was little or no experience as to how to handle it to the best advantage. I wanted to run no risks with this scarce lily, and I sowed the seed in fihrex pots—one in each pot —and in the month of May I planted the pots right into the soil without disturbing the roots. I would not use these pots again, as they are made of peat, and it is not advisable, under any circumstances, to use peat in association with lilium roots. It sours,-and makes unhealthy soil conditions. I took the little bulbs out of the fibrex pots the following spring, and treated them similarly to bulbs of Lilium regale. The results were excellent, and now Lilium centifolium is satisfactorily established. This liliunf, by the way, is' going to prove quite as easy as Lilium regale, and when it becomes more plentiful it must certainly be regarded as one of the finest garden lilies in cultivation^