Evening star., 1942-10-03

give them plant food. Experience
will have to teach us the rate Of ap-
plication until the research is COM
pleted.
Early fall is the best time to plant
lilies. Some of the stronger growing
Asiatic species may be planted in
the spring with fair results, but as a
general rule fall planting is to be
preferred. The less time the bulbs
are out of the ground the less they
will deteriorate. Drying reduces
their vitality. Make every effort to
prepare the beds for them as early
as possible and then arrange for
early delivery.
Dependable Types
Listed.
The list Of lilies grown in local
gardens is fairly extensive. The va
rieties mentioned here are consid-
cred by most lily specialists as being
dependable, hence the kinds the be-
ginner should start with.
L. regale or regal lily as 1t is COM
monty called is in first rank. 1t Is
highly resistant to mosaic, is easily
grown from seed and needs no cod
ding. The flowers, normally borne
on 4-foot stems, are white with q
lavender to wine-purple flush on the
back of the trumpets, which appear
in June.
L. henryi, or Henry lily, is another
of the dependables that flowers in
July. It needs shade to prevent fad
ing (sunburn), is q tall grower, 6 to
feet, and is comparatively easily
grown from seed. The tall stalks are
oftentimes topped with large num-
bers of orange colored flowers. A
lemon yellow variety is highly rec
commended by Mr.. Slate, although
it is rather expensive as yet.
The dwarf, early Towering l..
pumilum, commonly spoken Of as
Coral lily, and formerly listed in the
trade as L. tenufolium, is probably
the best of the dependables for the
rock garden. While it may disap-
pear after a year or two Git is some
times transitory) new bulbs are
easily grown from seed. The species
have bright coral red flowers that
make a splendid showing.
Two native lilies are worth more
than a passing remark. The Can
ada lily, L. canadense, and the
Swamp lily, L. superbum, are dainty,
but tall-groWing natives that do we'll
here. The Canada lily is native of
New York and New England, but
thrives here if given a soil that is
well supplied with peat. The Swamp
lily likes the peatmoss, too, and it
does not require swampy conditions
to thrive and multiply. Both lilies
have some variation in their colors.
The Canada lily showing more of
the yellow while the Swamp lilly
runs to the reds and oranges.
The Madonna lily, L. candidum. is
beautiful pure white f1owered lily
that is much loved by gardeners.
It is more susceptible to disease
than those already listed and re-
quires better drainage. It should
be planted in August. The leaves
appear in the fall. and while this
lily should be mulched, do not cover
the leaves. The frost and freezes
do not injure them.
Other lilies to be tried are the
Tiger q. tigrinium which is best
put far away from other kinds. The
Speciosum lily q. speciosum) Git
needs a common name) is a snowy
August Towering kind that does we'll
here. The white form seems to be
more susceptible to disease than are
the pink and red forms. While it
will grow in an acid soil reports
Indicate its preference for sweet
soils. Still others are L. formos-
anum, formerly known as philip
pinese, L. Maxwill, L. hansoni and
the American Easter lily q. longi-
forum hybrids).
The American Easter lily is a
comparatively new development
produced by the Bureau of Plant
Industry. Certain strains are on trial
by the commercial trade and when
time and conditions permit others
will be introduced. They seem to be
comparatively easy to propagate and
to have considerable range in time
of bloom as well as length Of stem.
The possibility of having these love-
ly white trumpets in flower in our
garden over long period of time
is indeed gratifying.
The above are only few of the
lilies that are recommended for the
beginner. We suggest starting with
one or two, With experience gained
others may be added.