232 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



they will bear well. I possess but few, but they are good, and 

 flower finely ; they are in the front of a border skirting grass turf, 

 and are very much overhung by trees and shrubs, but they get a 

 little sun in all seasons. To give water or liquid manure is neither 

 possible in most gardens, nor very desirable in any ; yet if an 

 amateur made a particular feature of a great bed or border of pseonies, 

 and had little else to look after, he might help them much by giving 

 them a heavy soaking once a week from the 20th of April till the 

 1st of July, after which it would be wise to hide the water-pot. It 

 will be gathered from the above hasty notes that these showy herba- 

 ceous plants may be grown everywhere, and that if a collection is 

 to be formed the time is at hand to make preparations, for the 

 ground ought to be deeply dug and heavily manured, as for cauli- 

 flowers or turnips, before August is out, and the young plants should 

 be planted firm some time early in September. 



In the selection of varieties preference must be given to those 

 raised on the continent, for there are amongst them sorts that pro- 

 duce flowers which have no equal for size, richness, delicacy of colour, 

 and striking effect, in all the range of hardy plants, with the sole 

 exception of the rose. In gorgeousness they beat all roses, but in 

 refinement they do not ; though I would guard the reader who is 

 not really acquainted with the best of the named pseonies, against 

 entertaining for a moment the thought that any of them are coarse. 

 "We have in our gardens some that are coarse enough, but the best 

 of the named kinds are neatly finished in form and colour, though 

 of so enormous a size. And talking of size reminds me of the ex- 

 treme probability that many of our readers have no very distinct 

 idea of the sort of plant a fine herbaceous paeony should be when in 

 its prime. I will suppose therefore that you have in some part of 

 the lawn, a little removed from the highly decorated ground, space 

 for a few beds where herbaceous plants could be enjoyed when in 

 full beauty, and would not obtrude on the view when past their 

 prime. I would have such a spot laid out for them in a series of 

 detached clumps, and I w r ould have paeonies, lilies, pyrethrums, 

 Tritomas, Irises, and a few of the most beautiful of the early spring 

 flowering plants mixed together almost indiscriminately, except that 

 none should be overtopped through a bad arrangement as to respec- 

 tive heights. To every pseony I should allow a circle of not less 

 than three feet in diameter, and if planted now out of small nursery 

 pots, or from ground roots, every one would fill the three-feet circle 

 allotted it by the summer of 1871 ; and bold-habited sorts such 

 as Potsii plenissima, would appear more like a bush than a herb, and 

 would show all at once fifty flowers on stems four feet high, each 

 flower six or seven inches across, the petals neatly folded, and con- 

 cealing the centre in the fashion of Anna de Diesbach rose, and the 

 colour of them deep claret-crimson, as rich and pure as similarly 

 coloured roses, camellias, or rhododendrons. To repeat the same 

 variety frequently would not be half so delightful as to have a 

 mixture, the delicate creamy and lemon-coloured varieties would 

 have a charming freshness when contrasted with deep red, bright 

 rose, crimson, and purple. Another of the grandest named varieties 



