EXTENDING THE PERIOD OF BLOOM 



The Wittmaniana hybrids, however, are very 

 hardy. M. Lemoine, the French hybridist, by 

 making crosses of various Chinese varieties on 

 P. Wittmaniana has produced these valuable ex- 

 tra early-flowering sorts. They have large fra- 

 grant single flowers of great beauty, in delicate 

 tints of white, yellow, rose and salmon, and have 

 thick leaves of vigorous and luxuriant growth. 

 Avante Garde, palest rose; Le Printemps, yel- 

 lowish cream ; Mai Fleuri, salmon white, and Mes- 

 sagere, sulphur white, are all most attractive. 



P. Wittmaniana has also been crossed with 

 P. Russi by Lemoine, thereby producing Russi 

 major which, while very early-flowering, has a 

 mauve colouring not always acceptable. 



A seedling of P. Wittmaniana put out by 

 Barr, in England, bears a single flower of soft 

 rose and yellow tints (P. Wittmaniana rosea) . 



(3) The bloom of the Wittmaniana hybrids 

 is succeeded by that of P. officinalis, so named 

 because in the early days its roots were used for 

 medicinal purposes. The variety rubra plena 

 (double red) is the peony so common in the old- 

 time gardens: in fact, up to about 1850 this was 

 the only peony grown to any great extent in this 



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