Our half-acre garden has seen many changes in the 33 years we have been working on it. When we moved out of the city, our thoughts were much the same as those of other new suburbanites—grow a lot of vegetables, have chickens, and let my wife have her little flower garden near the house. A … Read more
The Madonna lily, Lilium candidum, has been cultivated in gardens for a long time for over 3,400 years. Such popularity is richly deserved, for it is the loveliest lily in existence. Fortunately, it is also one of the easiest to raise successfully in ordinary garden soil. It is a particularly good choice for our mid-America … Read more
In many parts of the United States, the lovely, fragrant auratum lily, the goldband lily of Japan, usually lasts only one year. Why? This is one of the two finest hardy garden lilies; the other is Lilium speciosum rubrum, so the experts claim. Other lilies are touchy, such as Lilium speciosum album, Lilium marlagon, even … Read more
It is now a well-established fact that cool storage of Easter lily bulbs before planting greatly reduces the time required to bring them into bloom. Here at the Plant Industry Station, United States Department of Agriculture in Beltsville, Maryland, a recently conducted experiment demonstrated that certain garden lilies could be made to flower more quickly … Read more
It’s true—lilies have been difficult plants to grow in the average garden. But now, thanks to 20 years of research on lily diseases, growing lilies can be a very gratifying gardening experience. Success With Lilies Success with lilies requires that the grower of bulbs and the gardener fully use the present knowledge of lily diseases. … Read more
This is the tenth summer I have grown lilies by the acre. Before raising them on so large a scale, I planted lilies in a few odd corners of my gardens and some nearby trial beds. Now, 75 acres are devoted to lilies, mostly new and hybrid varieties. Rapid Expansion of Lilies The years of … Read more
Good results with most kinds of garden flowers indicate gardening skill, but there are a few kinds where good results may be largely a matter of luck. The belladonna lily ranks high on the list of capricious, temperamental kinds. The beginner is as likely to have good results as the seasoned gardener. What it will … Read more
Have you ever tried to grow lilies from scales? If you haven’t, you are missing one of the most interesting gardening experiences. Many new hybrid garden lilies produce little or no seed, so propagating them from scales (the segments of the bulb which look like sections of an artichoke) is an easy way to increase … Read more
In your garden, be it large or small, there is no reason why you may not enjoy the exquisite perfection of hardy lilies. Even in a garden filled with overflowing other flowers, lilies may be tucked in here and there to enhance the garden picture. And surprising as it may seem, lilies like just such … Read more
Horticulturist and nurseryman Fairman Furness has been on a sort of busman’s holiday since 1943, when he started breeding daylilies as a pastime. He has kept an account of every cross he has made, and since he’s recorded minute details concerning each plant he has developed, the ancestry of every one of his seedlings can … Read more