The book of the lily

Front matter

riANDBOOKs OP PRACTICAL GARDENING

ALBERT R. MANN LIBRARY

New York State Colleges

Contents

I. Introddctort

Geography and Histoiy

II. Synopsis of the Genus Lilidu

Chapter I Introductory

" Give me swift transportance to those fields Where I may wallow in the Lily beds." — Troilus and Cressida.

"To gild refined gold, to paint the Lily, To throw a perfume on the Violet

In many of his writings Shakespeare alludes to the Lily as the embodiment of purity and loveliness, and we to-day still echo the praises of the queenly flower which so charmed the master of song, doubtless having in his mind the White Madonna Lily, which for centuries has been a joy and a treasure of English gardens, great and small.

The Lilies share with the Irises the distinction of being written about in separate handbooks of this Series. They are worthy of it, for are they not among the most beautiful denizens of our gardens ?

To write a book all about the Lily is an undertaking that even the most experienced grower of Lilies would approach with some feeling of diffidence, knowing, as he does full well, that no man can know all about them and of their behaviour in cultivation, under the varied conditions of climate that inevitably occur even in these our small British Islands. Neither is there in any part of the world any one garden where all the kinds of Lilies thrive to perfection, as that is an ideal never to be realised, nor can it be reasonably expected. How is it possible for the wildlings from the Californian forests and mountains, from the plains of Europe, from the far-off regions of the mighty Himalayas and the wooded valleys of Japan, to find in the small area of a British garden all the subtle conditions of natural environment that for countless ages they have enjoyed ?

Such is the fact, but true though it be, let it not discourage the would-be Lily grower. On the contrary, it should encourage and stimulate him in his attempt to overcome the difficulties that beset Lily culture, and attain results which all of us who have experience among Lilies know will repay any amount of patient care.

The author of this modest treatise on the Lily approaches his subject with the feeHng that he has no right in assuming to dictate to others in a matter upon which he himself feels that he is still only a student under probation. But having been intimately associated with Lilies for thirty years, grown them in his own garden for many years, seen them growing under various conditions in gardens in all parts of these islands, and enjoyed the rare privilege of studying them growing in a wild state in Europe, California, and Japan, he offers the results of his experience in the hope that they may be helpful to others, and especially to that ever-increasing class of garden lovers who yearn after the delights of Lily culture, but hesitate to embark upon the cultivation of plants that by repute, which has wellnigh ripened into tradition, are a family, in the culture of which the disappointments far outweigh the successes. So the Lilies as a class have been maligned, and, therefore, it is the aim of the writer to state facts in regard to them as plainly as he can, withholding nothing that he knows, but conscious that he himself has yet much to learn of their vagaries and caprices when under cultivation in these islands.

INTRODUCTORY 3

The plants that are written about here are what are known as the true Lilies. These have no close relationship with other plants popularly called Lilies, such as "Water Lily, Lily of the Valley, Mariposa Lily, St Bruno's Lily, and so forth, but are a distinct family or genus differing more or less from other genera in the same natural order to which they belong — the Liliacese.

All the species are herbaceous, that is they never have woody stems. All are perennial, that is they have bulbs that produce continuous growth from year to year though the stems are of annual duration. The bulbs difFerfrom those of most other bulbous plants because they are composed of more or less fleshy scales attached to a central axis or depressed stem. This fact underlies the whole secret of Lily culture, for the bulb scales constitute the most vital parts, as they protect and sustain the bud or germ, which is the seat of active growth.

If these protecting and feeding bulb scales are maintained in a healthy condition, all is well with the plant beyond the influences which control the growth above ground.

These scaly bulbs are the reason why Lilies are more difficult to cultivate and more susceptible to injury than other classes of bulbs which, like the Onion, Daffodil, Tulip, Snowdrop, are provided with scaleless or what is technically termed tunicated (coated) bulbs. In such bulbs the parts analogous to the bulb scales in Lilies consist of fleshy tunics or coverings of the central axis which is enwrapt by them. Consequently all bulbs bearing scales instead of tunics are more difficult to deal with under culture.

Some of the Fritillaries have likewise scale-bearing bulbs exemplified by the Crown Imperial (F. imperialis), and similarly to the Lilies some of the species are extremely difficult to cultivate, as, for instance, the Scarlet Fritillary of California (^F. recurvd).

Bulbs without scales may be dealt with even in a careless way without much detriment to the bulb. Thus Daffodils, Tulips, and Snowdrops, and such-like common bulbs, may be kept for months and even a year or longer in a dry state out of the soil, and when planted will develop growth more or less strongly. Not so with Lilies and other scaly bulbs. Their bulbs soon perish or become irretrievably weakened if allowed to become dry. This fact cannot be too strongly impressed upon would-be cultivators of Lilies, and so important it is that it should be printed in red letters. Bulbs of some of the more delicate Lilies will suffer if left in a dry state for even a few days ; the scales shrivel, and the strength of the bulb is thereby impaired.

As to the duration of Lily bulbs there can be no definite assertion made on that point. It has long been a matter of controversy among Lily specialists, some contending that the parent bulbs are perennial if healthy, others that the parent bulb of some species is annually replaced by new bulbs developed either by division or offsets. This, however, does not greatly concern the tyro in Lily culture. Whatever may be the behaviour of bulbs under the artificial conditions of cultivation, it may be assumed that in a state of nature their increase or continuity of growth is maintained by the sphtting up of the parent bulb as well as by bulblets, seed, and stem bulbils.

These methods are nature's way of continuing the growth and increase of the species, and it is well for the cultivator to know it, as natural conditions should be his guide.

Geography of Wild Lilies. — Lilies are essentially northern world plants, and are native to a zone extending from the extreme east in Japan to the extreme west in California.

This Lily zone is comparatively narrow, as the northern

INTRODUCTORY 5

limit is Siberia and Canada and the southern the Neilgherry Hills in India. In this zone there occur three main centres, and beyond these are to be found species that have strayed from the concentrated areas. These central areas are California, Europe, and the far east Japan, China, and India, including Burmah. The Lilies beyond the central areas are few, and sometimes they have affinity with the species comprised in the crowded areas, sometimes not.

For instance, the Canadian Lily (Z,. canadense) has affinity with the extreme Western species such as pardalinum and superbum, while the species in the Eastern States of America, such as philadelphicum and Cateshmi, are related more closely to the European and Eastern species.

This wide geographical distribution of the genus gives rise therefore to Lilies of extremely diverse character, though all agreeing in the botanical characteristics of the genus.

The range of growth runs parallel with other distinguishing characters. Thus from the stately form of the Giant Lily of the Himalayas {L. giganteuni), which rises ten to fifteen feet high, there is every grade of stature to the humble growth of the dwarf Japanese varieties of L. elegans a few inches high only, but otherwise in every essential detail all are true Lilies.

Form of flower and size also have a wide range from the huge Trumpet Lilies of the Far East to the tiny flowers of the Californian L. parvum of the extreme West. Colour variation in the flower is not so remarkable ; white, yellow, and orange to brilliant scarlet is the chromatic scale ; and though there are no actual blues, the painter has to use blue on his palette to paint faithfully the subtle tints of several Lilies.

A Lily is recognised as a Lily wherever met with in any part of the world. The scaly bulbs, the erect stems.

the leaves varying from grassy narrowness of L. tenuifolium through all the widths and lengths to the massive, heart-shaped leaves of L. giganteum; the flowers with always six segments or petals, with long or short stamens with anthers balanced on them, all proclaim the Lily. The only genus with which it can be confused is the Fritillaria, but the distinguishing characters are too technical to describe here. So intimate, indeed, is the relationship of the Lilies to some of the Fritillaries, that botanists even now are undecided as to which genus some of the species belong.

From the Amaryllis family, which includes the Common Daffodil, the Lily is known by having the seed vessel above the bases of the petals, instead of below, as in the Daffodil and Snowdrop.

Such is the botany of the Lily simplified, and will be sufficient for the amateur cultivator until he gathers knowledge from experience, which invariably creates a thirst for wider knowledge ; and when this inquisitive stage is reached he will find gratification in the works on Lilies written by master pens, such as Elwes' sumptuous " Monograph on Lilies," Baker's " Review of the Order Liliace^," and the more fragmentary writings on tlie genus in the various " Floras," or the botany of Europe, Asia, and America.

In a book of this kind, however simply and devoid of technicalities an author may wish to convey his knowledge to his readers, it is impossible to avoid the use of terms and names common to botanical and horticultural writing ; and therefore no apology is asked for the use of such terms as are embodied in the following pages, which are written only with a view of rendering the text intelligible and accurate, and so few terms are given that are not in common language that the author is of the opinion that a glossary of terms is unnecessary.

The History of Lilies in English gardens is interest-

INTRODUCTORY 7

ing, as it runs parallel with the history of geographical knowledge. Before far-off countries were known and explored, Lily culture in England was naturally restricted to the species native of Europe. Among the Lilies that first found their way to our gardens from the South was the White Lily {L. candidum), and records tell us that it came northwards in 1596 ; and this fact strengthens the supposition that Shakespeare alludes to this particular Lily in his plays and poems, for he would be at manhood about the time of its introduction. It was no doubt first cultivated in the gardens of the royal and the rich, and it is quite possible that Elizabeth and her courtiers may have plucked flowers from the same stock from which has descended the common White Lily of to-day still, and always will be, cherished by rich and poor alike.

Before the introduction of the White Lily there appears to have been no Lily in English gardens, and its advent must have created as much interest as the introduction from foreign lands in later times of a new and beautiful Lily.

Following the White Lily to our gardens were the Martagon Lily, the Orange Lily, the Scarlet Turk's Cap, the Davurian Lily, and others from Central and South Europe ; and these were doubtless favourites in Tudor and Jacobean gardens.

During the eighteenth century the list of garden Lilies was added to at wide intervals, but it was not until about the middle of the last century that the great influx came, concurrent with gold discoveries in California and the opening up of China and Japan to Europeans. It is an interesting fact that wherever the Englishman goes to a foreign country or colony, he does his utmost to introduce to his new home the flowers of his native land, which to some extent compensates for exile, for with the flowers of his old home about him they recall the scenes of his youth. So also does the Englishman, with his commercial instinct, endeavour to transmit to tlie old country the flowers of other climes, and this he has been doing ever since newly discovered countries have afforded him the opportunity.

We owe much to the men of the last century, to those especially who, in the early 'forties and 'fifties down to the present time, explored the wilds of California, the garden treasures of Japan, which had existed unknown to Western peoples probably for centuries. These men, at the risk of their health and often their lives, did their utmost to enrich our gardens with the flower treasures of other countries. Not only have botanists who explored and collected for the sake of science and commerce added to our Lily treasures, but also all sorts of conditions of men, including the opposite extremes of soldiers and missionaries, devoted themselves to this interesting work.

The world has been ransacked probably of what is best among Lilies, though still we may always expect much from the unexplored regions of China and adjacent unknown tracts ; and when nature has yielded up to our garden delights all the wildlings she possesses, then art must be relied on to give us novelties in the way of seedling variations and hybrids.

Chapter II Synopsis Of The Genus Lilium

According to Mr J. G. Baker, the botanical authority of the order Liliaceae, the genus is divided into five groups or sub-genera, distinguished from each other principally by the shape and arrangement of the flowers. The names of each sub-genus, its prominent features, and the principal cultivated species grouped under it, are briefly given as follow : —

Sub-genus I. Cardiocrlnum. (Heart-leaved Lilies.) Flowers funnel-shaped, leaves stalked, heart-shaped, ovate.

Lilium coriifolium. ,, giganteum.

Sub-genus 2. Eulirion. (True Lilies.) Flowers funnel- or trumpet-shaped, large, mostly white or of light tints.

Lilium Bronvm. ,, candidum.

,, japonicum {Kramer i), ,, longijiorum. ,, Loivi. ,, neilgherrense. „ nepalense.

SuB-GENUS 3. Archelirion. spreading. Included in this

Lilium Parryi.

primulinum.

philippinense.

rubellum.

sulphureum.

Wallichianum .

JVashingtonianum.

Flowers large, open, and section are some of the finest and most attractive species.

Lilium auratum. ,, Henryi.

Lilium speciosum. ,, tigrinum.

Chapter III

The Lilies known and cultivated in English gardens are enumerated below with descriptive notes on the species and varieties, and hints upon their treatment under culture. These cultural notes are given as a guide to the LUy culture under ordinary conditions of soil and climate in these islands, but under particular conditions they must obviously be modified.

For example, in an abnormally wet or dry district the treatment of Lilies varies from that advised for normal conditions.

In the naming of the species and varieties, the system adopted at Kew in the hand lists has been followed, whether considered by specialists to be right or wrong, Kew is, in the opinion of the author, the proper authority to follow in all cases of plant nomenclature in this country.

L. auratum (Golden-Rayed Lily). — When first introduced to England from Japan in 1862, this Lily excited great interest in this country, owing to its magnificent blossoms, and their distinctness from any other kind. It still remains one of the most popular Lilies. Enormous quantities of bulbs of it are sent to this country from Japan every year, as it cannot be cultivated successfully in Holland on a large scale, as so many Lilies are.

When grown to perfection, L. auratum is certainly the grandest of all Lilies, but unfortunately it is very capricious in its requirements, and failures in growing it satisfactorily are far more numerous than the successes.

It is perfectly hardy in most parts of this country, and the conditions most favourable to it are a well-drained soil consisting of peat or leaf mould and sand, and a position where partially protected from the cold winds of spring and the direct rays of the sun later on.

Owing to this they are often planted in rhododendron beds ; and if the rhododendrons do not consist of the very vigorous varieties and are not planted too closely, this Lily will often do well. Dwarf and less spreading shrubs that need the same soil as rhododendrons, such as the smaller azaleas, vacciniums, pernettyas, and kalmias, as well as the Alpine kinds of rhododendrons, agree well with this Lily, and in planting it among these there is less danger of overcrowding.

The flowering season of L. auratum out of doors extends from July till mid-autumn. Individual variations of height, foliage, contour of the flower and its markings, occur plentifully in the case of this Lily, while among them are some well-marked and very beautiful varieties.

Chief among those named are pictum, in which the petals are freely spotted with crimson, while the central stripe is suffused with the same tint ; macranthum, also called platyphyllum, is a robust growing form in which the stem is stouter and attains a greater height than the type. The leaves are much broader, and the massive flowers are more shallow. They are as a rule less spotted than in the type.

Two varieties that afford direct contrast to each other are rubro-vittatutn, which has a bright crimson band down the centre of each petal, and Wittei, also called virginale, which has a pure unspotted flower with a light yellow band.

What is known as the type, that is the wild plant, has narrow leaves and large flowers, always with a golden band down each petal, which are more or less copiously spotted with reddish brown.

L. avenaceum. — A pretty small growing Lily, a native of Japan, Manchuria, and Kamtchatka, but owing to its delicate constitution is rare in cultivation. The red, drooping flowers with their reflexed tips remind one of L. tenuifolium, but the bulbs are very different, those of L. avenaceum consisting of small oat-like scales, while in L. tenuifolium, though the bulbs are small the bulb scales are fewer in number, and comparatively large. It can only be recommended to the Lily specialist, not for general cultivation.

L. Brownii is one of the finest and most satisfactory Lilies. "What is regarded as the type of this Lily or rather that which has been cultivated by the Dutch for the last fifty years or more is of obscure origin. It reaches a height of two to three feet ; the flower stem is tinged with reddish brown and is bare of leaves for some distance from the base. The leaves are long, narrow, gracefully recurved, and of a deep green tint.

The flowers, usually solitary, are long, trumpet-shaped, and of a thick waxy texture ; inside they are ivory white, but are so heavily suffused with chocolate on the exterior that the unopened buds are almost entirely of that tint, particularly when grown in an exposed spot. It is a good lily for planting under conditions similar to L. auratum, and also for pot culture. The Lily known as L. Brownii odorum, L. odorum and L. Colchesterense differs from the type in the leaves, being shorter, broader, much thinner in texture, and of a pale green, while the flowers are not so long. The exterior of the bloom too is not so heavily tinged as in typical L. Brownii, and when first expanded the inner faces of the petals are of a creamy tint, becoming white later. The Lily is at Kew named L. japonicum Colchesterense.

L. Brownii leucanthum reaches a height of four feet, the stem being green while the flowers are white, shaded with yellow.

L. Brownii Chloraster differs from the preceding in its brown-tinted stems, narrower leaves, as well as in greentinged flowers. The last two varieties are at present rare. All the forms of L. Brownii, except the type, are natives of Western China, and probably the type was introduced first from China also. In this country it flowers usually in June or July.

The varieties platyphyllum and viridulum have been described, but they are either very rare or do not exist in cultivation in this country.

L. bulbiferum. — This handsome Lily is one of the best for an ordinary border. It reaches a height of three to four feet, and bears a head of deep, orange-red flowers. It is among the earliest Lilies, being at its best at the end of May or early in June. It bears a resemblance to some forms of L. dauricum, but it can be readily distinguished by its less crowded head of blossoms, brighter tinted flowers, and especially by the small bulbils always produced in the axils of the leaves. From this character of producing bulbils the specific name was given to it. It is a very old plant in gardens, and is a native of Central Europe. It grows well in ordinary garden soil in an open position.

L. callosum. — A very pretty Lily of small growth, having scarlet drooping blossoms produced early in the season. It is a native of Japan, and much resembles L. tenuifolium. Though introduced in 1840, it has never become common, and, owing to the difficulty in growing it satisfactorily, it is seldom seen in gardens.

L. canadense — The Canadian Lily was one of the first to reach English gardens from America. It belongs to the group having the peculiar rhizomatous or creeping bulbs, which form a spreading mass. It needs a moist peaty soil, and a situation where partially shaded from the direct rays of the sun. It has stems from two to three feet high, with regular whorls of leaves. The flowers are broadly funnel-shaped, drooping, and about two and a half inches long, and several are borne on each stem. In flower colour there is a good deal of variation from yellow to deep red. The varieties Jlavum and rubrum are yellow and deep red respectively, and there are intermediate shades. It flowers in July and August.

L. candidum. — The common White or Madonna Lily is regarded by most Lily lovers as the most beautiful of the genus. Being one of the oldest of English garden plants and so common, it is known to every one, and many a cottage garden in country places provides from it in June and July such a floral display such as one seldom sees in mansion gardens, where it is often a failure, caused, it is generally understood, by some fungoid disease. Important advice to all who attempt to grow this Lily is to leave it alone when once established, as it much resents disturbance at the roots. Cottagers do not disturb the bulbs, and this is why they succeed where gardeners fail. If necessary to transplant, this should be done immediately the flower stems die down — that is to say, in the month of August, for in the case of L. candidum not only the roots but the leaf growth becomes active about this time. The purest whiteness of the flowers is intensified by the yellow anthers, while their delicious fragrance is not equalled by any other Lily.

The Madonna Lily is a native of Southern Europe, and was introduced as long ago as 1596. There are several varieties, v'yL.,folm aureo-marginatis, leaves deeply bordered with golden yellow; spicatum, known also as Jlore plenum and monstrosum, is a curious, but not attractive form, the petals being almost suppressed ; striatum has the flower streaked with purple ; and peregrinum has a purplish stem and narrow leaves and petals. L. candidum speciosum is the name given to an early flowering variety chiefly imported from Holland and the south of France. The imported bulbs from France are reputed to be more prone to disease than other varieties. The common kind has far the finest flowers, and sometimes reaches a height of six feet.

The soil most suitable for L. candidum is a rather stiff" loam. It should be placed in an open, fully exposed place, as it fails in shaded spots, particularly if damp.

L. carniolkum. — One of the Turk's Cap Lilies, growing about three feet high. It bears a number of small red flowers early in June. It grows well in ordinary garden soil, but is not commonly cultivated, probably because it is difficult to obtain, and because the flowers are not nearly so bright as those of h. pomponium, which it resembles. It grows wild in Lombardy, Dalmatia, and Bosnia.

L. Catesbai. — A rare Lily, nearly related to L. philadelphicum, and like it is difficult to keep in health for long. It has a small globular bulb with loose scales, and the slender stem rises about eighteen inches. The flowers are generally solitary and from three to four inches across. The colour is red spotted with purple, and is one of the most beautiful of the smaller Lilies.

It is not only capricious in behaviour under culture, but somewhat tender, as it is a native of South Carolina.

A cool, fairly moist, and partially shaded spot, and a soil of sandy peat suits it best in parts where it thrives.

L. chalcedonicum (Scarlet Martagon or Turk's Cap). — One of the oldest Lilies in English gardens, and among the most brilliant in colour. It grows to a height of three to four feet, the stem being thickly beset with pale narrow leaves. Its flowers expand towards the end of July and are borne in loose clusters. They are small but symmetrical in shape with recurved petals, which are bright red and waxlike, but the odour is not pleasant.

The variety mdjor or excelsum, known sometimes as maculatum, is a particularly large growing form. It succeeds best in what is termed a good kitchen garden soil, but it thrives in a heavy soil, and even clay, if it is properly drained.

Like many others of the Martagon group it resents being disturbed when once well established. When transplanted, the first season's display of flowers is generally a poor one.

When removal of the bulbs is necessary, it should be done by the middle of October at the latest, for the roots start early into growth, and as they are few, root injury should be avoided.

This old Lily and L. candidum are often seen best in old-fashioned country gardens, not worried by cultivation, and where the disease has not reached the locality. The Scarlet Martagon is a native of Greece, and has been grown in English gardens for over a century.

L. columbianum (the Oregon Lily). — Though not very rare is not a common Lily in gardens. It grows wild in the elevated plains of Oregon and British Columbia. The flower stem grows about two feet, and bears pendulous flowers with recurved petals on a bright golden yellow, usually towards the end of July. It needs a soil with a good proportion of peat and sand, and thrives best in a sheltered position.

It is, by some writers, regarded as a miniature form of L. Humboldti, but it differs from that Lily in many well-marked characters. It is also known as L. nitidum.

L. concolor. — A charming little Lily known also as L. slnicum, and there are several forms of it in cultivation. The bulbs in all the forms are small, and from each one two or three flower stems are generally produced. These grow a foot to eighteen inches high, and bear several erect, open, star-like flowers about two inches across, waxlike in texture, and bright scarlet. It is at its best in July. The varieties vary in colour ; the most distinct are Coridion, in which the flowers are of a clear rich yellow tint, and pulchellum, a deep crimson with narrower petals. Buschianum and Partheneion are names given to varieties that differ more or less strongly from the type.

Until within the last few years, L. concolor and its varieties were considered difficult to grow, but now no particular difficulty is experienced in growing them well. A loamy soil lightened by peat, leaf mould, and sand in a fairly moist but well-drained spot will suit it well, while partial shade is also beneficial. For cool parts of rock gardens it is a charming Lily. It is a widely distributed Lily in a wild state, occurring in Siberia, China, and Japan.

L. cordifolium. — This is a near relative of L. giganteum, but a much inferior plant in flower beauty. It differs from its Indian relative in being a much smaller plant. Instead of having very large bulbs, they do not exceed the size of a hen's egg, and the leaves are more distinctly heart-shaped, and of a deeper green, frequently tinged with red. The flower stem grows two and three feet high, and bears in July several tubular-shaped flowers of a greenish white hue. L. cordifolium requires a cool, sheltered spot such as suits L. giganteum. As it is a rare species, it is best to treat it as a pot plant and wintered in a cold frame. It is a native of the Japanese and Kurile Islands.