Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1915-09-25
Popularity of the
Lily Is Due to It's
Ease In Growing
Horticulturists Have Done
Nothing to improve Beau
ty of Flower.

The popularity of the lily is not
difficult to understand when we con-
slider the ease with which they may
be grown the variety of conditions
under which they thrive, their free
dom from insect pests, and the mag
nifieent beauty of their blossoms.
The wizards of horticulture have
done nothing to improve the beauty
OF this stately plant: they were per-
rect from the beginning. They also
possess hardness which enables
them to endure the rlgors of our
Northern winters with little or no
protection and when to these desira-
BILE qualities is added their exquisite
fragrance surely nothing is left to
wish for.
A flower loving friend of mine has
a bed of the choicest lilies where only
the aristocrats among this charming
family are allowed. Many other
flowers she has in her garden-some-
| times we envy her the great beds of
peonies and roses, but when we envy
the splendors Of her lily bed envy is
lost in admiration.
| Last fall seventy-five bulbs of the
speciosum variety were produced to
add to the attractiveness of her bed
The bulbs came late, arriving the oath
of December but a place for each
F.. bulb had been prepared and marked
with a stake, and a heavy mulch had
| kept the ground from freezing. So,
on Christmas Day, seVenty-one bulbs
were planted in the rich loan of the
| lily bed. The other four were sent to
two friends who had never seriously
considered the lily" I think that
when the crisp, pearly white blooms
of L. speciosum album and the dainty
| pink l.. speciosum rubrum unfurled
their fragrant petals there were at
least two converts to the charms of
! the lily.
The reliable old IL. candidum." also
called Annunciation, st. Joseph's and
Madonna lily, is the general favorite.
These bulbs may be had in August !
and should be planted at once, the
earlier the better. They will not
bloom the following season unl5ssr
planted early enough to make their
growth of leaves in the fall.
This is one of the sweetest lilies in |
existence; its beautiful snow-white |
blossoms are the emblem of purity |
the world over. 1t is the lily loved of |
poet and painter. 1t is said to be one |
of the oldest, and is supposed to have !
been brought to this country by the |
pilgrim Fathers" who loved and |
cherished it even as we do. 1t blooms |
in June with the roses and delphinium !
almost too much charm for one
short month: but we may enjoy the |
lily's bloom every month from May |
to November.
The L. auratum is considered one of
the finest and most gorgeous of the |
lily family. 1t comes to us from the
mountains of Japan, and Is called the
Golden-rayed Japanese lily. The |
flower stalk is usually about three
feet in height, although they have
been known to grow six feet high. |
The blossoms are from six to twelve
inches in diameter: each petal has a
band of golden yellow through its
center and is thickly spotted with
carmine. The flowers of this lily |
vary in color and markings. In some
the spots will be large and of deep
red; in others they are small and in
distinct but all variations are lovely.
The flower lasts long time before
fading. It's odor is very powerful, too |
much so for the house. but is de- |
lightful- in the garden. This bulb re-
quires deep planting and a light soil.
Unless the conditions are very favor
able l.. auratum will deteriorate in
our gardens entirely disappearing in
from three to five years; but the bulbs
are inexpensive and it pays to grow
them.
The funnel-shaped L. elegans are
among the class that do well in al
most any situation, sun or shade, and
are not at all particular as to SOIL. |
The p-shaped blossoms, on stems
about three feet high, appear in
June and July. They range in color
from lemon to red They require alb
solutely no care, and are snowy |
enough to satisfy anyone.
t. t. s.ff a an
boomers; it's waxy lemon -colored |
flowers. spotted with crimson, ap-
pearing In May.
L. Philadelphicum blooms in mid
summer The snowy red flowers
shade to lemon In the center, and they |
are of upright rather than dropping |
habit. 1t Is native of several OF the
Eastern States, but groWsm most abun- |
dautly in New York The small bulb |
is not set so deeply in the soil as most
lilies. I have found it growing only
three or four inches under light leaf
mold. It takes kindly to cultivation.
l.. speciosum is the most daintily col
ored of any of the family. The beau
tifully spotted waxy petals are
curved, displaying the common an
thers l.. speciosum album is pure
| white and the petals have soft
| fringe, which adds to it's beauty. The
|
| appearance. L. rubrum is shaped like
! the above. but the flower has an ex-
ouisite shading of carmine, and Is
| thickly spotted with the same color.
L. melpomene is the brightest colored
| of this class, but all are perfectly
| hardy.
: NV friends bed of lilies Is bordered
with funlxia. or white day lilly. These
are so beautiful that they should be
| included In every collection OF lilies.
This is the grabdihora variety, with
broad, veined leaves. The white
fragrant flowers are at their best in
the evening, and should be planted
| In a bed near the porch, where they
NAV m be enjoyed during the summer
twilight hours. The funkias love
shade and moist soil.
Another day lily not allowed in this
bed of exquisite beauty Is hemerocal-
lie fulva. While there Is nothing
dainty about this old, tawny- orange
| flower, and 1t is not considered worthy
of a place even in the back yard in
well-regulated border, it needs only
| the right setting to convince anyone
that It is snowy, and sometimes very
beautiful. I never realized this until
/ saw them growing on the side of
roadway on the shores OF Lake
| Champlain. The bank sloped to the
waters edge, and was covered WIN
! the orange blossoms of this day nly.
| Ningling and growing among the low
bushes and so-called roadside weeds.
| they were positively lovely. How did
| they come to be roadside tramps?
Were they thrown from some garden,
and made a home for themselves on
| this sunny slope, or did someone with
| ina magination have dreams OF the erect