Evening star., 1953-10-11
Remember the Lilies 4
Varieties May Be Selected That viii Bloom
From Spring Until Early Fall in the Garden
By w. n. Younem0n
Cordsn Editor

SOIoOn
It seems q bit unreasonable
to discuss lily planting now be-
cause the Madonna lilies have
new leaves s to 8 inches
high in spite of the drought.
Then there is the Easter lily in
another bed putting on a sec
ond bloom for the season-it
has two lovely white trumpetS.
OF course, it was forced for Eas-
ter and then the drought gave
it forced rest period. It is
the third Easter lily to bloom
this fall for me.
This variation in performance
as well as the legends, poetry
and the love of stately beauty
Vnd fragrance makes the lily a
u.uSt for gardeners. No doubt |
tne chaSte beauty Of the Ma
donna and the Easter lily is
most desired, but the beauty and
form Of others make lily grow
ing a fascinating hobby, espe-
Gially since the advent of many
new hybridS.
Mid-October is the normal
season for bulb planting, but
as indicated above, the Madonna
lilies should go into the ground
in August because of their early
fall growth. All of the others
are planted as soon as the bulbs
are obtainable. However, the
new crop of lily bulbs are not
being shipped until the digging
season is over, and this may de-
lay arrival until late fall or early
winter. Beds should be prepared
before freezing weather for the
late arrivals. Protect them from
freezing with a thick mulch of
leaves so that the bulbs may be
planted promptly.
Bulbs Planted Deeply.
The first step in preparing a
bed for lilies is to make pro-
vision for drainage should it be
necessary. Lily bulbs are planted
deeply, some as much as 10 to
IL inches below the surface of
the ground They cannot thrive
If the soil is wet-a water-logged
soil is fatal. If natural subSur-
face drainage is lacking then
the gardener should provide for
artificial drainage, even when
that requires the placing OF a
tile drain below the bed. To
determine the necessity for tile
drainage, dig a hole 18 inches
deep and pour in pail OF water.
If the water is still evident |
after IL hours the bed needs
subSurface drainage.
Most of the commonly grown
lilies are deeply planted because
they have two root systems
along the stem above the bulb,
and at the base of the bulb. The
exceptions are those that have
roots only at the base OF the bulb.
The Madonna is one, the Turks
Cap or Swamp lily is another.
Lilies that have only basal roots |
are planted very shallow, seldom |
need more than two inches OF
soil cover.
Because most of the lilies are
deeply planted the bed should be
dug to a depth of Is to 18 inches.
Add generous quantities of COM
post to the soil and some super
phosphate. This should be well
mixed into the soil. The addition
= of sand is often recommended
but 1t is not safe unless the sub
surface drainage is perfect. A
loose or open soil readily admits
rainfall and unless it can drain
away may keep the soil water
logged.
Use Sand in Planting.
In planting lily bulbs it is good
practice to place handful OF
sand in the bottom Of the plant
ing hole to facilitate water
draining away from the base OF
the bulb. If the lily bulb scales
are open and loose so that water
can readily stand between them,
then it is a good practice to lay
the bulbs on their sides.
The choice of lilies for the
garden should be guided by the
site and care to be given them.
Most lilies do not do their best in
q windswept situation. They also
thrive best if we'll mulched or are
growing in a shaded soil. Where
shrub and tree roots do not in
terfere they may be planted near
them.
A second factor in selecting
lilies is the problem of protecting
them from a serious disease
mosaic. Mosaic is virus dis
ease that is quickly fatal to
many kinds. The Regal lily and
many of the Regal hybridS are
immune The Tigerlily is i'm
mune although it may carry the
mosaic and will give it to others.
Because mosaic is spread by
aphids, the lily grower usually
goes to considerable length to
secure diseaSe-free bulbs and the
control of aphids is practiced
faithfully so that the disease
should it appear, is confined to a
single plant or group. Tulips are
often a source of this destructive
virus disease. Tulips showing
streaking of bloom or foliage
should be destroyed before the
disease can be spread to the
lilies.
Many Varieties Suitable.
With good drainage, a mulch