Home › Contents › Yellow Martagon Lily
Yellow Martagon Lily
Lilium pomponium.
DURING the last ten years or so the cultivation of lilies has expanded and intensified into a distinct floral passion, and as the prominent leaders have a considerable following, the passion is embellished with a fringe of fashion, and consequently many people dabble in lilies who have not much real enthusiasm and still less knowledge of the subject. The introduction of the noble Lilium auratum may be credited with the initiation of this new taste, and, beyond doubt, that lily of lilies is the true luminous centre around which the passion near, and the fashion far off, continually revolve. It is but a necessary circumstance that mistakes have been made in the selection and cultivation of lilies, and it is now beginning to be dimly discovered that certain members of this glorious family are not worth the serious attention of any except enlightened enthusiasts, and amongst those the best chance of success will be by fate allotted to such as have the longest purses. It was the way of Auratum, the golden-rayed lily of Japan, when the bulbs were worth from one to five guineas each, to die ignominiously instead of gladdening with its magnificent flowers the devotee who had bled for it. Now that it is cheap it lives, and the reason is that we have learned to manage it both as to the buying and the planting; for lilies have soft bulbs, and if exposed to the exhaustive action of the air for any length of time are apt to resent the ill-treatment by shuffling off their mortal coil.
Certain of the lilies are not only deserving of a place, but are very much to be desired in every garden. The best for the borders and shrubberies are the Common White (L. candidum), the Orange (L. bulbiferum), the Canadian (L. Canadense), the Scarlet Martagon (L. chalcedonicum), the Turk's-cap (L. martagon), the Tiger (L. tigrinum), the Turban, or Yellow Martagon (L. pomponium), here figured, and Thunberg's (L. Thunbergianum). All these thrive in good loamy soil; they are rather injured than benefited by the addition to the soil of strong manures, but rotted turf and leaf mould are of great service when added to a loamy staple, when the beds are prepared for them. The sorts that thrive best in peat, and, therefore, are admirably adapted for planting in the front of rhododendron beds, are the Golden-rayed (L. auratum), the Carolina (L. Carolinianum), the Japan (L. Japonicum), the American L. superbum), the Spotted (L. speciosum), and the Long-flowered (L. longiflorum). These constitute a fine collection, and all are hardy enough for open ground cultivation in the warmer parts of the British Isles, where the soil is well drained, and positions somewhat sheltered are selected for them. The best time to plant lilies of all kinds is when the flowering is over and the leaves are turning yellow, as the growth of a lily is like the movement of a pendulum--when the energies are expended above, new growth begins below, and when the season of fresh root-action returns, the bulbs may be transplanted with safety.
The second selection which it is proposed to plant in peat constitutes a suitable selection for pot culture. First-class lilies are valuable pot plants, and if only a few sorts can be grown in pots for the conservatory, the best, beyond doubt, amongst the cheaper kinds are Auratum, Speciosum, and Longiflorum, for their flowers are exquisitely beautiful, richly scented, and last as long as any lilies known to us. To succeed with these as pot plants it is necessary to keep in mind that they should never be distressed at the root, and should never suffer through drought, or be excessively stimulated by liquid manure. Liberal treatment they should have, and a certain amount of fresh soil every year. To supply this the ball of roots should be turned out carefully, and a lot of the old soil removed, without denuding the bulbs completely; then they should be replaced in the same (or larger) pots, and filled in with fresh soil, into which they will soon strike roots and grow with renewed vigour.
All lilies may be forced, but it should be done gently. The last-named three are the best for forcing, and perhaps Longiflorum, because of the pure ivory-white of its elegant flowers, is most to be desired as a forced plant. A fine companion plant to force with it is the Trumpet Lily, Calla (or Richardia) AEthiopica, which is not a lily but an arum. These two charming plants are of about equal value for decorative purposes. Of the two the Calla is the easier to force.
The Japanese cook and eat the bulbs of lilies, those of the Common White being much esteemed when served with white sauce. Tastes differ, as do sentiments; to us the eating of lily bulbs seems as foolish a proceeding as the eating of nightingale's tongues or the dissolving of pearls in vinegar to make sauce for a leg of mutton.
The place of the lily in literature would make a charming study for a lover of books, and the botanist might help sometimes to determine the meaning of delicate similes and comparisons. We cannot even touch the fringe of the subject here, but the thought has brought to our remembrance the heart-moving story of the "Lily Maid of Astolat," whom Lancelot rudely slighted-- "The dead, Steer'd by the dumb, went upward with the flood-- In her right hand the lily, in her left The letter--all her bright hair streaming down." Elaine, 1149.