A PORTION OF THE GROUNDS PROTECTED BY SHRUBBERY IS THE PLACE FOR THE LILY-BED
A heavy mulch of old manure and rough litter should be given in the winter, and the bed protected with leaves and evergreen boughs, or anything that will shed water.
Spring-planted bulbs rarely do well. It is better to plant after severe cold weather sets in than to wait until spring. As long as the ground can be worked they may be planted safely, but they should be set eight or ten inches deep. I have planted them late in December—when the ground had to be broken with an axe—and have had excellent success.
The planting of hardy Lilies should be done on a scale limited only by one’s means and the ground at command. A few new and rare sorts should be added every year. In this way a magnificent collection will, in time, be acquired, as they increase very rapidly under favourable conditions, and the larger the clumps of one kind the finer the effect, so that each variety should be given abundant room to spread and develop.
It is often stated that Lilies left to themselves place their bulbs near the surface. Such bulbs are the small ones that form on the blossom stalk above the main bulb, and lie near the surface from force of circumstances. The main bulb sends its offshoots deep in the ground, as in the case of our native Lilies, which are almost impossible to dig. Especially is this the case with the native Flame Lily, the bulb of which I have never been able to reach with a trowel. Travellers in Japan report various native Lilies growing in forests among the interlacing roots of the trees, quite out of the reach of any small tools. There the auratum Lily grows on wooded hillsides where the drainage is perfect, and the falling leaves give a deep mulch at all times, and supply the best of nourishment, leaf-mould, and the roots of the trees absorb all superfluous moisture.
Chapter SEVENTEEN
Care of Cannas, Caladiums, Dahlias, and Other Bulbs during Winter
Fall Bulbs, Tulips, Hyacinths, Crocus, Scillas, and the Like
The first hard frost in September—about the 20th inst. at the North—is usually followed by a few weeks of mellow fall weather. If one has been so fortunate as to have saved Cannas, Caladiums, and other tender bulbous plants by night protection or by turning the hose on very early in the morning before the sun reaches them, they will grow and ripen well in these last warm days. These sudden falls of temperature usually find the gardener unprepared, and unless water is at hand plants will be cut down by frost. When this happens remove, with a sharp knife, the frozen portions, and consign to the compost heap. If allowed to remain, these not only give the yard a most untidy appearance, but the decay is likely to extend to the bulbs. The plants may then be left to ripen in the ground for several days, according to the weather, or the necessity of preparing the ground for other plants.
Dig all roots to be saved on a warm, sunny day, and dry in the sun for several days if the weather is fair and warm. Cover with blankets at night or leave them on the floor of a sunny room until the earth about their roots is dry, pack in boxes of dry earth or sand, and store in a dry, frost-proof cellar.
Dahlias and the common tall Canna are easily wintered in a warm, dry cellar. The large Orchid-flowered Cannas are much more difficult to winter, and are very apt to dry-rot under the most favourable circumstances. I have found laying on the ground (under the steam-pipes where they are run outside the cellar) and covering with dry earth a very good way of handling them. They should be examined occasionally, and if they seem too dry sprinkle with water. If the Caladium bulbs show any decay of the centre-shoot all the decayed parts should be pulled off down to sound tissue. Parts of Cannas broken in digging should be removed with a sharp knife. Where there is but a small quantity of roots, shave off the dirt and wrap the tuber in tissue-paper. Store on a shelf in a closet, or other convenient frost-proof place. There is no more uncertain root to carry through the winter. Florists often lose their entire stock by decay or dry-rot, and were it not for this the Canna would soon become a drug on the market, and only novelties have a sale.