PLANTING AND CULTIVATION 



Gathered when in full bloom, peony flowers 

 often last well for several days; but for them to 

 keep their freshness for the longest time they 

 should be cut when in the bud and allowed to 

 begin to open in a dark, cool place. Treated in 

 this way I have had flowers retain their splendour 

 over a week. Unless one has many hours free 

 to spend in the garden, one loses much of the 

 enchanting opening of the peony — an additional 

 reason for cutting rare and delicate varieties and 

 allowing them to open in the house. 



There is a certain point in the development of 

 the bud which marks the proper time to cut it. 

 In most varieties the right time is just as the 

 outer petals unfold. If cut earlier, the buds may 

 be so checked as to refuse to open at all. But 

 peonies having tight, hard buds, naturally slow 

 to open like Mathilde de Roseneck, should be 

 allowed to expand well before cutting. As the 

 stem is cut it should be plunged instantly into a 

 pail of cool water: if this is not done, air enters 

 the stem, the sap circulation is seriously inter- 

 fered with and the bud wilts. The pail contain- 

 ing the buds should be put in a cool, dark place 

 until desired to have the buds open. As with 



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