74 



4- The blooms are large, showy, of various forms, and of all 

 shades of color from white to purple, and even pale yellow. 



5. Many of the varieties are deliciously fragrant. 



6. They are practically free from disease and insects. No spray- 

 ing, dusting, or hand-picking of worms is necessary. 



7. They are equally successful as a cut flower and for artistiq 

 landscape effects. 



Opposed to this array of desirable qualities, we can only say 

 that the plants multiply slowly, and certain of the varieties have 

 to be supported in order to keep the heavy blooms up out of the 

 dirt. Some persons declare that peony plants are unsightly when 

 they are not in bloom, but this is very rarely the case. The clump 

 forms a compact mass of cheerful green leaves which neither rust 

 nor mildew all summer, but furnish very good foliage effects. In 

 autumn, these leaves on many of the varieties turn a reddish bronze 

 color, which is often a very lasting and valuable addition to the 

 autumnal coloration of the shrubbery. 



Some persons contend that the blooming season is very short. 

 This is indeed true for many varieties, but if a proper selection of 

 early and late varieties is made, the blooming period may be made 

 to extend over six or seven weeks, which is more than can be said 

 for many other highly prized herbaceous perennials. The season 

 may be ushered in about the middle of May by P. tenuifolia, and 

 carried along by the well known old double red peony (P. officinalis 

 var. rubra). Then come the tree peonies (P. moutan) and, before 

 they are gone, the earlier varieties of the Chinese peonies (P. albi- 

 fiora). Somewhere near July 14th the blooming season closes with 

 the latest varieties of the albiffora group. 



There is the greatest variation in color, form, and fragrance. 

 Any color may be obtained from pure white to dark purple and 

 pale yellow. Any form may be had from the ephemeral single, 

 with five or six petals and a mass of golden stamens in the center, 

 up through all the stages of doubling to the massive double with 

 all stamens and carpels replaced by petals. 



The peony thrives almost anywhere in the United States where 

 the apple will grow. It is tJie flower for the western flower gar- 

 den, for it does extremely well on the deep organic soil of the 

 prairies, and withstands hot winds and drouths. All in all, the 

 peony is an exceedingly valuable plant to mankind, and above all 



