But with the lily the blight comes from above, and the only remedy is to
plant in half shade.
On the other hand the whims of the flower require that this be done
carefully, for if the scorching sun is an evil, a soaking, sopping rain,
coming at the height of the blooming season and dripping from
overhanging boughs, is equally so. The gold-and-copper pollen turns to
rusty tears that mar the petals of satin ivory or inlaid enamel, and a
sickly transparency that bodes death comes to the crisp, translucent
flower!
"What a pother for a bed of flowers!" I hear you say, "draining,
subsoiling, sulphuring, sanding, covering, humouring, and then sunstroke
or consumption at the end!" So be it, but when success does come, it is
something worth while, for to be successful with these lilies is "aiming
the star" in garden experience.
The plantain lilies and hemerocallis seem free from all of these whims
and diseases, but it is when we come to the lily-of-the-valley that we
have the compensation for our tribulations with the royal lilies of pure
blood.
The lily-of-the-valley asks deep, very rich soil in the open sun; if a
wall or hedge protects it from the north, so much the better.
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