AN APPRECIATION OF THE PEONY 



Fondly as I esteem the rose — ^heretofore the 

 accepted standard of loveliness — I feel that the 

 peony has the advantage over it, not only in su- 

 periority of flowers, but in other important points. 

 The peony has no thorns to surprise or cause 

 dismay. After the peony blooms its foliage re- 

 mains an adornment — a contrast to the small and 

 scanty leaves of the rose, which are often dis- 

 figured and unsightly. All through the garden 

 season the peony has a landscape value which the 

 rose lacks. And, last but not least, the peony 

 requires neither spraying nor pruning: to the 

 conscientious owner, burdened with the number- 

 less details of spring garden-keeping, this is a 

 welcome relief. 



Fifty years ago the word peony meant one 

 thing: it referred to the red " piney " of unfra- 

 grant memory, which, though highly prized and 

 desirable at that date, suffers when compared 

 with the beauties of to-day. Now the word peony 

 conjures up a large variety of shapel}'^ flowers 

 packed with glossy silken petals in a hundred 

 shades, tints, and combinations of white, pink, 

 yellow and red. One who sees for the first time 

 typical specimens of the modern peony is thrilled 

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