sr"% ■& %, « ('op\Tiglil A'". CKHYHKUIT DETOSIT, BY THE SAME AUTHOR FLOWER GARDENING About 200 pp., 5 X T| in. Illustrated with many photographs $1.20 net; postage 10c. MAKING A ROCK GARDEN 64 pp., 4^- X 6| in. Illustrated with photographs 50c net; postage 6c. LILIES L. candid um — uie nui donna lilv LILIES BEING ONE OF A SERIES OF FLOWER MONOGRAPHS by;. H3f4)^ADAMS Author of 'Making a Bock Garden' etc. NEW YORK McBRIDE, NAST & COMPANY 1913 Q Copyright, 1913, by * q<^ 4*' McBride, Nast & Co. \ '1 h^ Published, February, 1913 ©C1.A332819 CONTENTS i k CHAPTEB I Introduction PAGE . 1 II Sub-Genera, with Principal Species . 3 III Geographical Distribution . . . . 6 IV LniTF,s For Northern Gardens . . 11 V Tender and Capricious Lilies . , . 24 VI Planting For the Best Effects . . 30 VII Essential Cultural Points . 38 VIII Lilies Under Glass .... .. .. 47 IX Propagation . . 51 X Insect Pests and Diseases . . . 54 XI TiU-iEs AS Cut Flowers . . . 56 XII Species, Varieties and Hybrids . . 59 XIII Lilies That Are Not Lilies . . . 101 Bibliography op Lilies . . . . . 106 Index • i,i .♦; -•: ■•' .• .♦ . , . 109 THE ILLUSTEATIONS L. candidum — the madonna lily . . Frontispiece ' rACINQ PAGB L. pardalinum — the panther lily 6 ^' L. philadelphicum — the Philadelphia lily ... 6 / L. speciosum — the handsome lily — among rho- dodendrons 12 L. speciosum var. ruhrum — the red handsome lily 16 ^ L. croceum — the orange lily 20 - L. testaceum — the Nankeen lily 20 '"^ L. sidphureum — the sulphur lily 28 '*" L. tigrinum — ^the tiger lily 36*^ L. Eansoni — Hanson's lily 46*^ L. auratum — the gold-banded lily 54^ L. longiflorum — the Easter lily 58'" L. Brownii — Brown's lily 64- L. elegans — the Thunbergian lily 72^ L. Leichtlini — Leiehtlin's lily 72^ L. monadelphum — the Caucasian lily .... 82'/' L. myriophyllum in the garden 86' L. canadense — the Canada lily 96 L. tenuifolium — the coral lily 96 L. tigrinum J var. flore-pleno — the double tiger lily 100 LILIES OHAPTEE I INTRODUCTION Of all flowers, none is more beautiful than tlie lily. Nor is any more famous in song, in story and in art, or more sanctified by long garden association. Indeed, from remote an- tiquity, only the rose and the violet have been so strongly intrenched in the hearts of the peo- ple. Yet, of all flowers, the lily is among the most neglected. Especially is this true of American gardens. Lilies have been cultivated in them since early colonial days, but the pioneer ma- donna lily is far from common even in New England and Virginia, where it doubtless had its first foothold. The old orange lily is toler- ably scarce and the tiger lily has made no more than a fair amount of headway. Add the aura- tum and speciosum and the list of those that 1 2 LILIES are so much as tolerably familiar figures in the home garden stops at five. This despite the fact that there are a score or more of easy species, with numerous varieties and hybrids. And how many kinds of lilies are frequently seen in the greenhouse? Just one. Here are other glorious opportunities. In short what L. H. Bailey said in 1900 : ' ^ Dozens of magnificent lilies are practically unknown" is quite as true to-day — ^more 's the pity. In the hope of helping to bring the lily into its own here, in both garden and greenhouse, this book has been written. CHAPTEE n SUB-GENERA, WITH PRI:N'CIPAL SPECIES The species of Lilium, the typical genus of the order Liliaceae, are divided by Baker into si:s: .groups, or sub-genera. For the most part the distinction lies in the shape and the ar- rangement of the blossoms. The sixth group is important only to the collector and sometimes is omitted altogether in the classification of this flower. There are differences of opinion as to the technical correctness of this division and also as to which group some of the lilies belong. Both are far less serious differences in the gar- den than in the botanist's mind. This list is not complete ; it includes only the principal species. 1. Cardiolanum (heart-leaved). White blossoms, funnel-shaped. Leaves stalked, heart-shaped, ovate. cordifolium giganteum 3 4: LILIES 2. EuLiRiON (true lilies). Large, funnel or trum- pet-shaped blossoms, but shorter; mostly white or light tints. Lanceolate leaves. Brownii Parryi candidum philippineTise japonicum primidinum longiflorum ruhellum Lowii sidpkureum myriophyllum WalUchianum neilgherrense Washingtonianum nepalense 3. Archelirion. Blossoms large, funnel-shaped, but open, the divisions spreading -wide and turned back; pistil curved forward and stamens diverging from it. auratum speciosum Henryi tigrinum 4. IsoLiRiON (upright-flowered lilies). Blossoms erect, more or less cup-shaped and generally early expanding ; mostly orange or reddish orange. hidhiferum dauricum Cateshaei elegans concolor medeoloides coridion philadelphicum croceum Wallacei 5. Martagon. Blossoms mostly Turk's cap, or turn-cap type, the bell shape of L. canadense being an SUB-GENEEA exception. About half of the species have Schorls. avenaceum Leichtlini callosum maritimum canadense Mart agon carniolicum monadelphum chalcedonicum pardalinum columUanum parviflorum Grayi parvum Hansoni polyphyllum Heldreichi pomponmm Eumholdtii pyrenaicum Jcmkae superhum Kelloggii tenmfoUum testaceum 6. NoTHOLiRiON. Has only two species, that appear to be a link between the lily and the fritillary and are of difficult garden culture. Hookeri roseum CHAPTER III GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION" Lilies are flowers of temperate regions — ■ which is fortunate indeed, as it makes a great many of the species available for gardens that have their extremely cold months and brings all of the others within the range of climates where the winter weather is mild. The family is found only in the northern hemisphere. In North America the lily belt runs across the upper part of the United States and strays over the Canadian border; but it resolves itself into two important centers, one taking in California, Oregon and Washington and the other the northeastern states. In the western group are L. pardalinum, L. Washing- tonianum, L. parvum^ L. Parryi, L. coliim- hianum, L. maritimum^ L. Humholdtii^ L. Kel- loggii and L. parviflorimt, constituting a list of admirable species in which American gardeners should take at least as much pride of cultiva- tion as do the English. Of these, L, Washing- 6 IS -4 13 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTEIBUTION 7 tonianum is tlie nearest approacli to an Ameri- can white lily that there is. In the eastern group L. superhvm and L. canadense, which range from New Brunswick to the nearer south and as far west as Minnesota and Missouri, and L, pMladelpMcum, which is found from New England to North Carolina and as far west as the other two, are the chief species. The others, L. carolinianum, L, Grayi and L. Cateshaei are, respectively, so similar to the preceding as to seem southern variations; they are not found north of Virginia. Indeed, L. carolinianum is not always classed as a species. Europe has lilies so far north as the lower part of Scandinavia, but most of the species are natives of the more southerly countries. Here, too, there is only one white lily, L. candidum, which is one of a few that recognize no geo- graphical line between Europe and nearest Asia. Other important European species are L. Martagon, which also wanders into Asia; L. croceum, L, hulbiferum, L. chalcedonicum, L, pomponium, L, carniolicum^ L, pyrenaicum and L. Jankae. These include, in L. candidum, the most beautiful of all garden lilies and several others than which none is more useful in the hardy border. 8 LILIES In j^sia the great lily center is Japan and China, but the zone extends north into Siberia, and south to the Neilgherry hills of India and takes in the extreme west as well. Here are found all of the pure white and whitish lilies save one in each class and all of the pure pink and pink-tinged ones, as well as the most glow- ing red and orange kinds. Japan has fur- nished the incomparable list of L. auratum, L. speciosum, L. longiflorum, L. japonicum, L. Hansoniy L. elegans, L. rubellum, L, Wallacei, L, LeicMlini, L. medeoloides, L, dauricum, L. cordifolium, L. coridion and L. callosum; China, L. Henryi, L. myriophyllum, L. tenuifolium and L. yunnanense, and the two countries together, L, tigrinum, L, Broivnii, L. concolor and L. avenaceum. Of these, L. tenuifolium^ L. dauri- cum and L. concolor are natives of Siberia also. In India are found L. nepalense and L. neilgher- rense; in Burmah, L. Lowii, L, sulphur eum and L. primidinum; in the Himalayas, L. giganteum, L. Wallichianum and L, polyphyllum and in Persia, extending to Caucasus, L, monadelphum. The lihes of India and Burmah, unfortunately, are among the most tender as well as among the most beautiful. There is, apparently, a certain kinship be- GEOGEAPHICAL DISTEIBUTION 9 tween lily species that are widely separated geographically. What L. philadelphicum is to America, for example, L. elegans and L. dauri- cum are to Asia and L. croceum is to Europe. Again, the L, superhum of the eastern United States differs immaterially from the western L. pardalinum, while L. Hansoni might be called an Asiatic counterpart and L. Jankae a Euro- pean one. Then there are the American L. canadense and L, maritimum, the Asiatic L. monadelphum and the European L. pomponium that in form, if not so closely matched in color, put another lily girdle around the earth. Finally, L. Washingtonianum on this side of the Pacific, must be distantly related to the white and whitish trumpet lilies of the other side. It is probable that there remain no undis- covered lilies. The only hope of any new spe- cies seems to be Cliina — now the world's great botanical reserve and the lure of the most ardent inland voyages of discovery. Just when the lily map was changed by the entry of this flower into garden cultivation it is impossible to say; doubtless the earliest movement from the wild is lost in antiquity. However, it is going far enough back into the 10 LILIES past to say that L, candidum has been grown in English gardens since 1596 and this mnst have been the first kind to cross the Atlantic. Soon after, L. Martagon, L, croceum and L. chalce- donicum probably found their way northward. Eight kinds of lilies are mentioned in Gerard's Herbal (1597), but of these it is difficult to identify any excepting L, candicum and L. hulhiferum. In 1629, '^Paradisi in Sole Paradisus Terrestris" speaks of L, pom- ponium, L. cJialcedonicum, L, carniolicum, L. Martagon and L, pyrenaicum, as well as L, canadense, which therefore appears to be the pioneer American lily in Europe. While the eighteenth century saw a few more lilies in gar- dens, it was not until the last century found Japan and China open to western commerce and California a new field of venture because of the gold craze, that the real rush of lilies into cul- tivation began. The discovery of lilies, in short, is largely coincident with the entrance of the Pacific into the world's trade. CHAPTER ly LILIES FOR NORTHERN GARDENS Att. lilies are beautiful; one could pick at random and draw a prize. But the choice, so far as American gardens that know a real win- ter is concerned, necessarily is limited to a ismaller number than the eighty or so known species. And there are some lilies that are rather too finicky for culture without extraordi- nary regard for their particular requirements. With these deductions from the list, however, there remain quite enough lilies in either the easy or the not very difficult class to constitute nothing less than an embarrassment of riches. No garden need be without at least one lily. There being nothing but want of trying to stand in the way, let that one be the madonna lily (L. candidum). This is not only the loveli- est of lilies, but the hardiest white kind. It is so adaptive to ordinary garden conditions that frequently it will stay in one spot for a genera- tion or more if undisturbed. Ben Jonson 11 12 LILIES meant the madonna lily when, years ago, lie asked: **Have you seen but a whyte lillie MowT' And it is to it that Maeterlinck refers when he says : * ' The great white Lily, the old lord of the gardens, the only authentic prince among all the commonalty issuing from the kitchen-garden, the ditches, the copses, the pools and the moors, among the strangers come from none knows where, with his invariable six- petalled chalice of silver, whose nobility dates back to that of the gods themselves — the im- memorial Lily raises his ancient sceptre, august, inviolate, which creates around it a zone of chastity, silence and light." Certainly either of these quotations is appealing enough to bring to every American dooryard that knows it not, the lily of lilies — the emblem of purity, the in- spiration of poet and painter for centuries and a benediction in the garden when June is melt- ing into July. Of the two types, the one with wide petals is the better. The next best garden lily, if sheer loveliness as well as complete hardiness be considered, is L. speciosum; which has no adequate common name. Handsome lily is indefinite and the old name, Japan lily, is confusing. Though a gar- den flower in the western world since 1830, it L. speciosnm— the handsome lily— among rho- dodendrons LILIES FOR NORTHERN GARDENS 13 does not begin to be grown as much as its merits warrant. These merits include late August and early September bloom, thus extending the lily season. There are both white and colored va- rieties. The white has a faint greenish stripe down each petal and it is one of the best of cool- looking flowers for midsummer. It deserves the widest cultivation — ^with, rather than in preference to, the type ; which is white, faintly flushed and spotted with crimson. If more rosiness is desired, add the admirable variety Melpomene, which is quite a deep crimson mar^ gined with white. There are a number of other good kinds, running into somewhat confused nomenclature; but more minute distinctions than these three may well be left to Dutch, Japanese and English horticulturalists to set- tle among themselves. The so-called yellow speciosum is L. Henryi, For its like hardiness, its glowing color and its roimding out of a little lily season of three months by blooming late in July and early in August, the tiger lily (L. tigrinum) is well en- titled to third place. The particular shade of orange red, spotted with deep purple, is alto- gether unique among tall lilies and, when rightly employed, is a valuable tone in garden painting. 14 LILIES This is tlie one true lily that has so far Amer- icanized itself as to have become an ^'escape"; it is occasionally found wandering ont to the roadside from places where there was once a garden. The finest of the several varieties is L. t, splendens. The double form, though the best double lily, is not worth while. Were its bloom not virtually coincident with that of L. candidum^ third place would be given to the orange lily (L. croceum). It is ^^iron clad," having stood the cottage garden test — and there is no better recommendation for a lily — time beyond memory. The bright orange hue is wonderfully rich and glowing and the erect blossoms are set so closely together that the color is even more amenable to bold effects than that of the tiger lily. These four lilies would glorify any garden and may be called a perfectly safe, if not the safest, quartet for northern precedence. Their selection, however, is purely arbitrary. An- other, for perhaps quite as good reasons, might make a somewhat different choice ; for example, L. tigrinum splendens, L. speciosum rub rum and L. tenuifolium have been grouped as the most desirable three lilies for everyone. And there you are. In the end it is the individual LILIES FOR NORTHERN GARDENS 15 who must decide what is best for his particular garden — best after considering not only his per- sonal preferences but climate, soil, shade, shel- ter and other conditions. From this point to the end of the chapter, therefore, precedence of mention will have nothing to do with precedence of desirability. If any lily is magnificent it is the gold-banded lily (L. auratum). Its color — ^white, spotted sparsely with reddish brown and each petal banded longitudinally with yellow — is compara- tively modest, but there is a richness and ele- gance to it all that is singularly impressive in the July and August garden. Then there is the size of the blossoms — sometimes a full foot across, making this the largest of all lilies. The gold-banded lily has been in cultivation half a century, but its garden progress has been ren- dered pitiably slow by the fact that, though perfectly hardy, it is not in the easiest class. It rarely does its best in ordinary conditions and, for some reason or other, it is apt to peter out after two or three seasons, making frequent renewal necessary. The Martagon lily (L. Martagon) is one of the most graceful of border lilies, yet it is rarely seen in American gardens. The finest kind is 16 LILIES L. M, album, a pure white variety of singular cliarm and one that should be widely planted. The type, known as the purple Martagon lily, is dull purplish pink — somewhat spotted. It offers a striking garden hue, that deepens to wine color in L. M. dalmaticum and to almost black in L. M, Cattaneae, two of the best ot the colored varieties. The double form is of no value. The scarlet Martagon lily (L. cJialce- donicum) is a distinct species that is quite as worthy of wider recognition. Its bright red turbans are a real delight. There are some im- provements of the type; the best is L. c. excel- siim. The Martagon lilies bloom in June and July. One of the erect lilies, L. croceum, has been mentioned already. Some of the lower species are extremely valuable in the hardy garden be- cause of their dwarf or dwarfish stature as well as for running the gamut of color from lemon through all the yellows to red. Excepting for their height and less vigorous growth, the two chief species, L, dauricum and L. elegans, are enough like Jv. croceum to deceive many a flower- lover. Add to this the fact that the former is identical with L. davuricwn and L. umhellatum and the latter with L. dahuricum, L. lancifolium L. speciosiim var. ntbrnm — the red handsome lily LILIES FOR NORTHERN GARDENS 17 and L, Thunhergianum and tliat the blood of both is mixed with each other and with L. croceum, and the confusion is worse confounded. The best way is to pick out some good varieties and let the authenticity of the species go to pot. In the elegans class the variety Batemanniae, sometimes called L. Batemanniae, is an exqui- sitely beautiful late-flowering apricot variety that grows as high as four feet. Of the dwarfs, Prince of Orange is a fine early apricot variety, Orange Queen all that its name implies and Alice Wilson a good pale yellow. The type is orange and less planted than the varieties and hybrids, which are the most numerous of any lily. Orange is also the type color of L. dauri- cum, but it is flushed with red and spotted with black. Of the varieties and hybrids, Diadem, bright crimson with a yellow band down each petal; Sensation, deep orange flushed with brownish red ; incomparabile, deep crimson, and Sappho, light orange tipped with red, are all admirable. June and July are the blooming months. The bulb-bearing lily (L. hulbiferum) is similar to L, dauricum, but the type has brighter orange red blossoms and there are bul- bils in the leaf axils. It is a very old, hardy garden plant, with a blooming season extending 18 LILIES from July to August. Then, in tlie same erect class, there is the red star lily (L. concolor), a bright scarlet species, spotted red, that makes a very good Asiatic substitute for the American L, philadelphicum where the latter does not do well. It blooms in June and July and is quite dwarf. The varieties Coridion, rich yellow; Partheneion, scarlet flushed with yellow, and pulchellum, deep crimson, are all good. American lilies are grown mostly in English gardens — ^where every one of the species is treasured. The lack of home appreciation is nothing short of deplorable. One of the noblest of them, the swamp lily (L. superhum), will flourish amazingly in an ordinary border if it has only so much as a ground cover; in these circumstances, without its wonted peaty soil and moisture, it has been known to raise a cluster of nearly thirty bells full seven feet above the ground. Its orange blossoms, flushed with scarlet, spotted with brown and strongly re- curved, are excellent for heightening the gar- den skyline in July and August. The some- what similar panther lily (L. pardalinum) of the extreme West is quite as excellent for a like purpose. The blossoms, coming in July, are a rather bright red, the lower parts of the petals LILIES FOR NORTHERN GARDENS 19 being orange with red spots. There are a num- ber of varieties, some of which are occasionally listed as species. Of its hybrids, Burbank's lily (L. Burhanki) is especially good. The Carolina lily (L. carolinianum) is hardy in the North, but is less striking than L. superhum and L, pardalinum. The Canada lily (L. canaden- se) lends itself to July garden use with the same readiness and, though less showy, both the yellow and the red types are to be generally recommended. Gray's lily (L. Grayi) is so nearly like the red form of L, canadense that it is scarcely worth while to have the two ex- cepting in a lily collection. The Oregon lily (L. columhianum) grows readily in eastern gardens, but its small, golden-yellow blos- soms, spotted with red, are among the least effective of lily blooms. It flowers in June and July. The Nankeen lily {L. testaceum) , though one of the choicest of border lilies and quite hardy, is rarely seen in American gardens. The dull apricot tone that gives it its name, set off by orange anthers, puts it in a color class by itself. Few lilies are more graceful. This lily, which blooms in June and July, has never been found growing wild; but it is regarded as a natural 20 LILIES hybrid of L. candidu^n and either E. cJialcedoni- cum or L. pomponium. Among the oldest and hardiest of border lilies is the turban lily (L. pomponium). The type is vermilion red and not unlike the scarlet Marta- gon lily, but it blooms earlier — ^in June. The variety L, p, aureum is possibly the same as the yellow Turk's cap lily (L. pyrenaicum) or the similar L. JanJcae. In any event, both of these are meritorious yellow lilies. The smaller L. carnioliciim is a good vermilion red lily for July. Hanson's lily (L. Hansoni) is a Japanese va- riety that ought to be better known, as it is quite hardy and not at all difficult of culture. The color is bright orange, spotted with brown and the reflexed petals are very thick and waxen. It blooms in June and July and runs up to a height of four or five feet. The Marhan lily (L. Marhan) is a most attractive hybrid of it, the other parent being L, Martagon album. The color is a tawny orange, curiously spotted and streaked with reddish brown and the backs of the petals whitish. It has the Martagon habit and the blooming period is coincident with that of L. Hansoni. Of the white, or whitish, lily species, the only one save L. candidum that can be placed in the L. tcsfaceum — the Nankeen lily L. croceum — the orange lily LILIES FOR NORTHERN GARDENS 21 first rank of reliability is Brown's lily (L. Brownii), The sole drawback is that it re- quires replanting every few years. Tbis is in- deed a hardy garden treasure of July and August. The blossoms, usually solitary, are of the size and shape of the Easter lily; but they are suffused with reddish brown on the outside and the anthers are brown. There is a variety, Chloraster, that is sutfused with green and the varieties leucanthum and odorum are creamy yellow. A somewhat similar newcomer, from China, that appears to be both hardy and vigorous in American gardens is L. myriophyllum. Its funnel-shaped white blossoms, flushed with yel- low in the center and the outside of the petals streaked with brown and tipped with pink, and its fine, narrow foliage commend it to general culture. It bears some resemblance to L, Broivnii leucanthum, but has more refinement and it blooms a little earlier — in July. Although neither Brown's lily nor L. myri- ophyllum has the purity of the species best known as Easter lily (L. longiflorum) , the last- named is less to be preferred in the colder gar- den zone. It is hardy enough to have endured the winter so far north as Ottawa ; but, unless 22 LILIES^ given Tinusiial care, responds indifferently and must be renewed with frequency. The type, from Japan, is the best for planting out in the North; bulbs from Bermuda (L. Harrisii) might prove too tender. The variety Wilsoni is a fine one. For a rather pale yellow color nothing is bet- ter than the Caucasian lily (L. monadelphum) . The yellow is slightly tinged with purple and the anthers are a rich orange. It blooms in July and the stalks may run up as high as six feet. The variety Szovitzianum, sometimes called L. Szovitzianum, is straw color, spotted with black and has brown anthers. It is rather to be preferred to the type, but either makes a fine display. The littlest of all, the coral lily (L. tenuifo- lium), is far too charming to have its present slight recognition. Coming as it does from Si- beria and northern China, it is quite at home in gardens where the winter is severe; but, as it is a fairy among lilies, it is apt to be choked to death by neighboring giants. While it has a way of being at its best in its fourth year and then perishing, it is readily renewed by seed. The coral lily's little waxen, and strongly re- curved, bells are deep scarlet and with from six LILIES FOR NORTHERN GARDENS 23 to ten of them on a stalk the contrast with the dark green foliage is charming. The average height is about a foot and a half and the blos- soms appear in June and July. The variety pumilum is taller and stouter and there is a very beautiful clear apricot kind called Golden Gleam. Here then are no less than twenty-eight lily species and two hybrids, with a great many varieties more or less distinctive, from which to choose without going outside of the range of hardy garden safety. Surely it is a generous enough list in point of numbers and it draws upon all the five important sub-genera, save only the heart-leaved lilies. CHAPTER V TENDER AND CAPRICIOUS LILIES Fortunate indeed are the gardens that may open their gates to all the lilies. Such there are, lingering somewhere between northern and sub-tropical climes — with winters not too cold, nor yet too hot. For them are the glorious company of the tender and capricious lilies — those that will live in northern gardens only at the expense of overmuch coddling, if at all. In this class, reluctantly, is placed the won- derful giant lily of the Himalayas (L. gigan- teum). This is a hardy lily and in some parts of England has been naturalized in woods ; but it is not quite hardy enough to stand a very cold winter without an uncommon amount of protec- tion. Even then there is a vast ditference be- tween merely blooming and attaining to perfec- tion — ^which means throwing up a stalk ten to fourteen feet tall, with very fine heart-shaped foliage and crowned in July and August with from a dozen to a score of trumpet-shaped blos- 24 rTENDER AND CAPEICIOUS LILIES 25 soms, nine inclies long and five inches wide across the month. These blossoms pass as white, bnt actually they are tinged with purple inside and green outside. In the evening air their fragrance, though powerful, is very de- lightful. The heart-leaved lily (L. cordifolium) is a similar, but smaller and generally inferior, Japanese species of like tenderness and bloom- ing about a month later. The variety Giehnii is the hardiest form of it. It is no less trying to put the only two clear pink lilies into the tender class; but they, too, do not quite belong outside of it. These are Kramer's lily (L. japoniciim) and the reddish lily (L, ruhelhim), both Japanese species and with such points of resem.blance that the latter has been thought by some to be a smaller form of the other. They differ also in the point that L, ruhellum has less open blossoms, broader leaves and shorter stems. Both are among the loveliest of lilies, their rose color and general refinement being hard to match. Kramer's lily is sometimes sold as L. Krameri, The very "choice whitish variety, Alexandrae, is not hardy also ; another variety, Colchesterense, which re- sembles L. Broivnii, is rather more so. In mild parts of England L. ruhellum is fairly hardy 26 LILIES and on the whole is more reliable outdoors than Kramer's lily. It is one of the earliest of lilies, May and June. Kramer's lily follows in July and August. While Henry's lily (L. Eenryi) is called a hardy and vigorous border subject, it is difficult when it has to contend with extremely cold weather conditions. Still it well deserves its place among the preferred lilies for American gardens and the hope is that in them it will eventually attain to the superb luxuriance of bloom and foliage that it displays in England. There, where it rarely fails, it has been known to run up to twelve feet in height and to bear as many as thirty of its deep salmon orange blossoms on a stalk. It used to be called the yellow speciosum, as it is quite like L. speciosum in both form and habit. The blooming season is the same — July and August. Several of the American lilies are either rather tender or capricious, or both. These include, unfortunately, three of the finest of the lot, the Washington lily (L. W ashing tonianum), Humboldt's lily (L. Humholdtii) and Parry's lily (L, Parryi), The Washington lily, which flowers in June, is regarded as one of the best of western lilies for eastern gardens; but it is TENDER AND CAPRICIOUS LILIES 27 nevertheless some what difficult of culture, even in England. It is a wood lily, from three to five feet tall, and the white funnel-shaped blos- soms are tinged with pink or red and dotted with purple. A smaller variety, rubescens, is white changing to pink and the variety pur- pureum is a distinct pinkish lilac kind from the Siskiyou mountains. These varieties perhaps account for the confusing color descriptions of this lily. Humboldt's lily, a tall reddish yel- low species spotted with maroon and blooming in June and July, resembles L. superhum, but is showier. It is in the capricious class. Parry's lily (L. Parryi) grows readily in gar- dens and comes into bloom at the same time, but is not very strong in cultivation. The citron hue, shaded with light brown on the inner bases, and the brown anthers, make it one of the most beautiful of yellow lilies. Of the others, the wood lily (L. pJiiladelphicum) , though perfectly hardy, needs coddling in the garden to keep it there. Where it can be made to stay, it is a handsome little lily, erect and with scarlet blossoms, the yellow center being dotted with maroon. The season is July and August. Its near relative, the southern red lily (L. Cateshaei) is quite similar and blooms 28 LILIES in July. It is tender and therefore rather un- reliable in northern gardens. Kellogg 's lily (L. Kelloggii), pinkish purple with maroon spots and somewhat resembling the purple Martagon lily; the coast lily (L. maritimum), a slender species with reddish orange blossoms spotted with purple, and the little lily L. par- vum, light orange tipped with red, are a trio of quite delicate California lilies. All of the very beautiful lilies of India and Burmah are so sadly tender that when any of them has been made to bloom well in gardens it has been in such mild parts of England as Cornwall and Devonshire. The Nepaul lily (L. nepalense), has flowered in such circumstances. This is a large lily, greenish yellow with a deep purple base. The Neilgherry lily (L. neilgher- rense) is more funnel-shaped in form, but pale yellow. Both bloom in September, making them doubly unsafe in cold climates. The sul- phur lily (L, sulphur eum) is another September lily, and fairly hardy for its class. The trum- pet-shaped blossoms are creamy white, suffused with yellow inside and tinged with red outside. It is comparatively easily in cultivation. Of the same form, but a soft primrose yellow color, is L, primidinum. Low's lily (L. Lowii) is a L. siilphvireum — the sulphur lily TENDER AND CAPRICIOUS LILIES 29 handsome bell-shaped species, white spotted with purple, that blooms in September. Wal- lieh's lily (L. W allichianum) , white tinged with green and funnel-shaped, is a July lily that is very difficult as well as very tender. The west- ern Himalayan species, L. polyphyllum^ green- ish yellow tinged inside with purple and turban- shaped, and the Philippine form of L. longiflorum {L. philippinense) , are in the same class. With heavy protection, L. philippinense has been wintered successfully in Ohio. Of the other species the oat-scale lily (L. avenaceum), a red Japanese kind similar to L. tenui folium, is delicately constituted. The similar orange red L. medeoloides and the scar- let L. callosum, as well as Leichtlin's lily (L. Leichtlini)y pale yellow with purple spots, are three more Japanese species that are not easily cultivated. CHAPTER VI PLANTING FOR THE BEST EFFECTS NowHEEE in tlie garden can lilies be said to be out of place ; the worst of circumstances will not close the eye to their beauty. There is, nevertheless, all the difference in the world, so far as effect is concerned, between the proper and the improper planting of lilies. The ideal way to plant lilies would be in a lily garden. The lines from ^^Troilus and Cressida," * ' Give me swift transportanee to those fields. Where I may wallow in the Lily beds, ' ' suggest such a place apart. Who would not like to wallow, mentally and sentimentally, in a garden full of lilies ! To come down to earth, R. W. Wallace, the English lily expert, makes this practical suggestion: ^^An ideal spot for lilies would be an open forest glade with a small stream running through it, near the banks of which the North American peat- and moisture- loving lilies would flourish; and higher up, 30 PLANTING FOR BEST EFFECTS 31 away from the water, clumps of auratum, Washingtonianum, Humboldtii, gigantemn, and all our finest species, would readily grow.'* Many a country place, both large and small, has a spot approximating these conditions — thus easily convertible into a naturalistic lily garden. And there is no reason in the world, other than the negligible botanical one, why the planting should be confined to members of the Lilium genus. Some of the so-called lilies, not a few of which belong to the lily family, might be used for seasonal effects. But whether one has the space for a lily gar- den, and the time and disposition to maintain it, or whether it is a matter of a species or two in ordinary dooryard conditions, there is a prime rule that should not be broken. A lily's beauty does not consist wholly in color; there is beauty of form, both in the blossoms and in the plant as a whole. Unless it is properly placed, the full of esthetic delight is therefore not experienced. If a lily's normal habit is dignified and stately, it must be set forth in all its dignity and stateliness to be at its best; if graceful, in all its gracefulness ; if rather stiffly dwarfish, in its rather stiff dwarfishness, and so on. 32 LILIES Nature, as in so mucli else that concerns the disposition of plants in tlie garden, is the best gnide. For example, when lilies grow naturally they rise from herbage or low shrubbery. There is never any overcrowding; the stalks have room to bend more or less to the breeze and not a trumpet or bell that does not stand out with individual prominence. You see in short, the lily in all its glory. There is, accord- ingly, no more effective way to plant lilies than among shrubs or, in the case of the dwarf spe- cies, in a low shrubbery foreground. More- over, this plan kills two birds with one stone, as some lilies require, and all prefer, not to rise from bare ground and also to be protected from spring frosts. Inasmuch as some of the lilies are particu- larly fond of peat too, the rhododendron bed, or a planting of any of the broad-leaved ever- green shrubs, is one of the best of places. Natural conditions are approximated and at the same time admirable use is made of unemployed ground space, and lilies that prefer not to be disturbed may follow their own sweet will. Of course, the shrubbery must not be too thickly set ; that would crowd out the lilies. Such tall- growing species as the swamp lily (L. super- PLANTING FOR BEST EFFECTS 33 hum), Hanson's lily (L. Hansoni), the Canada lily {L. canadense) and Henry's lily (L. Henry i) are seen to the very best garden ad- vantage when planted, in naturalistic groups, among rhododendrons. The gold-banded lily (L. auratum) and the madonna lily (L. candU dum) are quite as fine in their less colorful and less looming way, while in the foreground the Thunbergian lily (L. elegans) and other dwarf erect species, as well as the dainty coral lily (L. tenuifolium), may be used to decided ad- vantage with ferns or other low growth. Shrubbery may also be employed with excel- lent effect as the background of lilies and when it also breaks the force of strong winds so much the better. The taller lilies mentioned all look well against high shrubbery. To them may be added the Caucasian lily (L. monadelpJium) , the panther lily (L. pardalinum) and the pur- ple and white Martagon lilies (L. Martagon). Where the background is lower the scarlet Mar- tagon lily (L. chalcedonicum), Brown's lily (L. Brownii), the orange lily (L. croceum) and Batemann's lily (L. elegans Batemanniae) are admirably placed, or a dwarf foreground may be made with the red star lily (L. concolor) or L, elegans Orange Queen. In all cases the lilies 34 LILIES will be better, and look more at home, if there is an evergreen herbaceous ground cover, low or tall according to the flowering height of the dominant figures. Lilies really require an appropriate back- ground. A few, such as the madonna and Henry's lilies, are very, very beautiful stand- ing out against a clear blue sky ; but, generally speaking, green, and plenty of it, is the best setting, especially for the white, whitish, pink and pale yellow lilies. So, in massing in the border of hardy perennials, care should be taken that something appropriate rises higher behind them. This is no drawback when it shuts off some of the sun, for most lilies will stand a little shade and there are those that refuse to thrive well without it. Such massing is the most effective way of planting lilies where naturalistic methods are out of the question and here there may be a little more crowding. The more irregular the planting the more ef- fective, save in purely formal designs — for which lilies are not often suitable. Any lily that will survive the garden winter is excellent for this purpose — all of those already spoken of in this chapter and the Nankeen lily (L. tes- taceum), the turban lily (L. pomponium), the PLANTING FOR BEST EFFECTS 35 tiger lily {L, tigrinum) and the bnlb-bearing lily (L. bulbiferum) as well. For purity the madonna lily stands alone, though L. Martagon album is very fine for a less chaste white, while for color the Nankeen, speciosnm, gold-banded, Martagon, Hanson's, Henry's, turban and all of the hardier erect lilies, are always very useful. The most beautiful formal employment of lilies is to line a path, on one or both sides. For such planting nothing is better than the madonna lily, in a solid phalanx of purity. "Where a pergola is not densely shaded from above, the path may be lined on either side with this lily; that has been done, with most en- chanting effect. The soft apricot Nankeen lily lends itself to the same purpose. A path in sparse woodland, or through shrubbery, may be lined with either Brown's or the speciosum lily, or L. longiflorum if more pains be taken, but in this case the planting must be thinner and altogether irregular. There these lilies will incline gracefully toward the path, instead of assuming the erectness that they have in the open garden. One lily leaf, at least, may be taken from the cottage gardens. In them a self-arranged 36 LILIES clump now and then nestles up to the house by the side of the door and seems to belong to the home, as it does. This is a good way to plant the madonna, tiger, Nankeen and orange lilies, which thus placed will frequently take care of themselves for years. They need not be staked ; in fact wherever this can be avoided in the gar- den it should be done. A lily tied to a stake can never be quite its natural self. The out and out naturalization of lilies is more delightful to think about than easy to accomplish, because to most are denied the right conditions. Where these do obtain, it is far preferable to use lilies this way than in even a naturalistic garden. The swamp and Canada lilies it is cruel to place in a garden when they may be introduced to one's own bit of wild. Both are good subjects; so is the wood lily (L. philadelphicum) , which does not take very kindly to cultivation. For the rock garden any lily may be used, as the taller ones can be planted in recesses on the ground level and given the requisite setting. The dwarf, erect kinds, however, are to be pre- ferred. For cool pockets the red star lily is a good subject. Very likely the reddish lily (L, ruhellum) and the coast lily (L. maritimum) L. tigrimim — the tiger lily PLANTING FOE BEST EFFECTS 37 wonld be more amenable to culture in rock gar- den pockets than in other conditions. Each lily species shows off to better advan- tage by itself. If mixing is done, it is wiser to place varieties together; the purple and white Martagon lilies, for example. Though a com- mon enough practice, it is also a wiser plan not to mix lilies with other flowers. This as a rule; no one could possibly take exception to the garden juxtaposition of the madonna lily and tall blue larkspur or the swamp lily and black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa), and the low erect yellow, orange and red lilies may be used in a few combinations. The point is, as with entirely segregated planting, that there shall be neither detracting nor distracting in- fluence. Finally, unless one is collecting, the planting of many lilies of one or a few kinds, rather than a few lilies of many kinds, is to be strongly advised. In the first place, all lilies are not for all gardens. The selection in the average in- stance must narrow down to the most suitable kinds for individual conditions and of these a small choice should be made. Better two or three kinds in perfection than ten. times as many in both imperfection and ineffectiveness. CHAPTER VII ESSENTIAL, CULTURAL POINTS A FEW of the lilies have become so domesti- cated that they will do well in any ordinarily good garden conditions; the tiger lily even re- fuses to let grass choke it to death. But most of them are not sufficiently remote from the wild to make it safe to deny them an approach to what they have been accustomed to in life, and there is not one that does not thrive better if its particular likes are catered to. It goes without saying, therefore, that the culture of lilies should begin before the buying of the bulbs, so to speak. Their hardiness, their ease of culture, their soil preference and their shelter and shade requirements having been thoroughly digested, a straight start is easily made. Soil preference is of the greatest importance and, fortunately, it is possible, with a little care, to supply almost any local deficiency. tThe majority of lilies grow naturally in yerj^ 38 ESSENTIAL CULTURAL POINTS 39 good soil. It is usually rich in peat or veg- etable mold, there is generous depth and though the degree of moisture required varies, this is tolerably uniform as to any species in the grow- ing season. Garden loam, lightened with sand if too heavy and mixed with peat or leaf-mold, makes a good soil for lilies. Manure should not be used unless it is extremely well rotted. The better way is to employ it as a top dressing and trust to the rain to do the mixing. No lily tolerates fresh manure next to the bulb. Spad- ing should be to a depth of at least three feet, and deeper still where, in chalk or clay condi- tions, it is necessary to excavate a trench and fill it with entirely new soil. Partial shade from the sun, which scorches L. Hansoni and L. Henryi, and partial shelter from winds, are urgent demands of some of the lilies. To others they are grateful, but not necessary. Shade must not shut off light and air, however, and while the branches of trees may overhang the planting, care must be taken that the tree roots do not absorb all the lily food from the soil. Where this danger may not be dodged, lilies can be planted in a tub of soil sunk in the ground. As for moisture, all lilies need it when growing. Few of them stand 40 LILIES drought well and if once given a serious set- back by it the bulbs rarely recover. It is impossible to make a hard-and-fast plant- ing rule in all these matters, for the reason that lilies have a way of following their own devices. In one garden a species will sometimes adapt itself to circumstances with the best of grace whereas in another it refuses to be comforted unless humored. For this reason lily cultural observations vary quite widely and now and then are absolutely contradictory. The only real solution is for each grower to create his own experience and then forget that of others. As an approximate guide in the making of such experience the following differentiations of the hardiest lilies may be used. CULTUEAL CHAEACTEEISTICS Thrive in good light garden loam and in full sun. All are the better for some peat or leaf- mold in the soil and can stand partial shade. A ground cover is preferable, but not necessary; L. candidum makes its own. These are the easiest lilies to grow. huThifernm carnioUcum canadense ^' chalcedoniciim candidum concolor ESSENTIAL CULTURAL POINTS 41 croceum Martagon dauricum pomponium 'elegans ' pyrenaicum / Ransoni speciosum -^ Jankae tenuifolium '" longiflorum • testaceum MarJian tigrinum / May be gro\^n in ordinary garden conditions, but are best off in soil with plenty of peat and leaf-mold, and should be planted out among shrubs where their roots can be shaded and a fair degree of moisture maintained. auratum ^ monadelpJium Brownii y myriophyllum columbianum Prefer shade, moisture and shelter from wind, with plenty of peat or leaf-mold in the soil and a well-drained root-run. y BurhanJci Grayi '' carolinianum pardalinvM superhum ^ The rule to plant lily bulbs three times their depth is not to be taken literally. The two lilies in the heart-leaved group are planted with the top of the bulb about on a level with the surface of the ground. With these exceptions^ the 42 LILIES 'depth of soil above the top of the bulb should be from three to seven inches. The normal size of the bulb — some are quite small — and the vigor of the species are determining factors. But there is a -third highly important point to bear in mind. Some lilies root from the base of the bulb only, while others throw out later a second set of roots from the stem a little way above