THE BOOK OF THE PEONY 



kind of support to fit his taste or purse ; so long 

 as it fulfils its purpose, who shall criticise? But 

 supports the peonies must have, while in bloom, 

 and the circular design in some rigid material 

 which allows the leaves and stems freedom is best. 

 Surely no gardener will be so cruel as ta tie the 

 entire plant to a stake, where it would give a 

 pitiful resemblance to lovely Andromeda en- 

 chained and suffering. 



Cutting 

 Peonies as cut flowers are being more and 

 more appreciated. Pale pink masses of Madame 

 Lemonier in a big silver loving cup, or a crys- 

 tal vase filled with blooms of Duchesse de Ne- 

 mours with creamy chalices tinged with faint 

 sea foam green, make a bewildering burst of 

 beauty which one never forgets. In the house, 

 too, one can observe the flowers at one's leisure 

 and enjoy to the full every lovely tint or varying 

 shade. This is particularly true of the light-col- 

 oured blooms which — unless protected — are apt 

 to fade out in the strong sunlight of the garden. 

 It is not often realised that the absorption of 

 water in large quantities directly through the stem 

 greatly increases the size of the flower over what 

 it would have been if left on the plant. 



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