CHAPTER V 



PURCHASING 



UNLESS the admirer of peonies, who longs 

 impatiently for exquisite flowers of his own, 

 has the good fortune to be tutored by a disin- 

 terested authority, he is on the road to enroll- 

 ment in the expensive school of experience — ex- 

 pensive to a varying degree in money, and ex- 

 pensive to a certain degree in time and results. 

 Many varieties of the peonies take two to four 

 or even in some cases five years to become so 

 well established as to give the most typical blooms. 

 The owner inevitably feels resentment on ulti- 

 mately finding, after an extended period of care 

 and anticipation, that the flower is of inferior 

 quality, that it is difl*erent from what was ordered, 

 or that possibly the plant is a shy bloomer 

 or does not bloom at all. For months and years 

 to slip by without bringing the development one 

 has a right to expect is both disappointing and 

 disheartening. As I look back to my early un- 

 guided efforts to have " lots of lovely peonies," 

 the memory of time-consuming mistakes I made, 

 which might have been avoided had I but had 

 advice, encourages me to try to help others. 



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