THE BOOK OF THE PEONY 



sei. At the same date a Mr. Wilder of Dorches- 

 ter is recorded as the owner of several of the latest 

 seedlings which he had received from France. 



In 1862, Prince, at great trouble and expense, 

 obtained some twenty varieties of tree peonies 

 from European gardens and introduced them at 

 Flushing. He says, in that year: " I have also 

 originated from seeds during the past fifteen years 

 twenty-two most gorgeous varieties, whose flow- 

 ers are of the largest size, and comprising white, 

 roseate, crimson, lilac, purple and variegated 

 shades." 



At the present time there are a few gardens 

 in this country in which the tree peony is made 

 an important feature. It is not, however, grown 

 in the United States nearly as widely as in Eng- 

 land and France. Its charms are not well known 

 to the gardener, it does not make the same senti- 

 mental appeal that the herbaceous peony does, 

 and it is not offered so freely by the nurseries. 

 Some houses do not list it at all, others sparingly. 

 As an example two large growers of herbaceous 

 peonies each catalogue less than a dozen varieties 

 of P. moutan. As the plant has such wonderful 



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