Evening star., 1938-06-11

earliest history carries references to the
and the madonna. With three species
native to this section of the country,
1t cannot be said that lilies are not
adaptable. They have their insect and
disease troubles, it is true. but, for the
most part. they are not as difficult to
control as are the pests on a number
Of the more commonly grown garden
flowers.
A better guess would be that the
small gardener has not started lilies,
or If he has made a start has had an
unfortunate experience that was dis
couraging. Local flower shows have
done much to stimulate interest in
daffodils. roses. iris, dahlias, and many
other kinds of flowers. Perhaps we
need lily shows for the same reason.
The coming lily show in Fredericks-
burg may encourage that interest.
I lilies are not hard to grow. Like
many other kinds of flowers. they
require well-drained soil-something
that must be provided in many parts
of this area. Just planting them on
a handful of sand is not sufficient.
The sand is all right but some pro-
visions must be made to carry the
water away from the sand. Next to
drainage, lilies need humus, either in
the form of leaf mold or compost.
Peat moss is apt to be too acid for
most of the commonly grown lilies
except superbum Swamp lily. Most
lilies like cool surface and that
means planting among shrubs or
plants that will shade the ground. or
the use of mulching materials With
these few simple requirements, and
they are not such as to tax the in
genuity Of any gardener, there is little
reason to pass up the more standard
kinds and varieties.
In selecting varieties or species of
lilies for planting in the garden, choose
those that are most commonly grown
In this area the regal and tiger are
probably first with madonna, henryi
coral (tenufolium). Superbum Swamp
lily)-it does not require bog condi-
tions- speciosum are grown more
or less commonly. There are many,
many more that can be grown, some
Of which are just as well adapted to
the home garden.
Avoid trying varieties that are known
TO be difficult, such as the Japanese
gold banded lily (suratum). Often
the thing that makes variety difficult
to raise is its susceptibility to disease.
7 lilies, according to the variety,
bloom from early spring to late
summer. The earliest of the more
commonly grown ones is the coral lily,
while the tiger and speciosums bloom
In the late summer. Their. habit of
growth is equally diverse. from the
dwarf ones, such as the coral lily. to
henryi, which often exceeds feet.
The colors run from pure white to a
deep brownish red
One of the safest ways to start with
lilies is to grow them from seed, but
many varieties are very slow in bloom
ing from seed. Such varieties as the
regal and tiger often bloom the sec
ond year. The better way is to buy
from a reputable firm that is equipped
to grow and sell good bulbs 1t is not
necessary to resort to mass planting to
make a good show with lilies Very
few bulbs will serve the purpose. Tall
varieties should be staked when they
become topheavy.
Avoid buying bulbs that show the
least signs of disease or are badly
wilted. The best way to control dis
ease Is 10 avoid buying it. Buy bulbs
that have ample vitality. Those that
are wilted have lost part of their
strength. They deteriorate rapidly if
Improperly stored.
Most lilies should be planted deep
N ly, as they have roots above the
bulb as we'll as below. Those that
have roots only at the base of the pulb,
such as the madonna, swemp and
canadense. are planted shallowly-
not to exceed inches on the light
er soils. The others are planted 80
that the tips of the bulbs are at least
4 inches below the surface of the
ground on heavy soils and deeper on
the lighter soils.
Lilies improve with age and thus
benefit by being left undisturbed for
a number of years. The bulbs usually
increase in size, rather than divide,
and as they gain in size have more
flowers per stem. When they begin
to divide they have more stems but
fewer flowers per stem. When q
clump is producing several stems the
bulbs should be lifted Shorty after
the blooming season., the ground re-
worked and the bulbs reset.
In preparing lily bed, as with
other bulbs that remain undisturbed
for a number Of years, quantities of
humus and bone meal should be 1ncor-
porated deeply into the soil
Mark the location of each bulb
when planting, so as to avoid inad-
vertently breaking the tender shoots
during early spring work. Some lilies
20 resent disturbance that they do
not make growth above the ground
the f1rst year after moying-thi sp-
plies to the less commonly grown