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THE CANADIAN H () R T T O U L T H R T S T 



ScplcrnlxT, l<)i I 



The Modern Herbaceous Paeony' 



H. W. Cooper, Ottawa, Ont. 



TllOSH who have observed the im- 

 provements made by specialists in 

 the modern herbaceous paeony, 

 which is the most hardy of all the showier 

 hardy perennials, now concede to it the 

 premier position as the gayest and most 

 l)rilliant of lx)rder plants. In fact it bids 

 fair to outrival the rose as the Queen of 

 all early summer flowers. It gives its 

 wealth of bloom each and every year 

 with scarcely any attention other than to 

 maintain the fertility of the soil. It is 

 perfectly hardy, standing our winters in 

 ihe most exposed positions without injury 

 and without any protection whatever. In 

 fact it is now conceded that this plant is 

 better without winter protection, the frost 

 aerating and sweetening the soil. 



Paeonies are beautiful from the mo- 

 ment their carmine stems and leaves 

 push through the ground in early spring 

 until flowering time when they are the 

 glory of the garden. Their foliage is 

 ornamental throughout the summer, and 

 again in early autumn when their foliage 

 is changing into rich bronze and red 

 tones as the early hoar frosts begin to 

 ripen them. The fragrance of the mod- 

 ern paeony in some varieties is redolent 

 of the purest attar of roses; others re- 

 semble that of violets, and others that of 

 the carnation. 



SOIL AND LOCATION 



Any soil or situation suits the herba- 

 ceous paeony. They are indifferent as to 

 whether the soil is light or heavy, . or 

 whether they be planted in full sun or 

 half shade, in beds by themselves, in the 

 lx)rder or in the grass. To get the best 

 results the ground should be dug to at 

 least two feet in depth in plenty of well 

 rotted cow manure or other suitable fer- 

 tilizer added before planting. Great care 

 must be taken to see that the manure 

 does not come in direct contact with their 

 spindle shaped roots, or the crowns. 

 Growers now agree that this is the cause 

 which promotes the disease they are 

 .sometimes subject to. 



PLANTING 



This is best done in September after 

 the first frosts, or during October. The 

 plants have then matured their growth 

 and root action is dormant for a short 

 time. This permits them to get estab- 

 lished without losing a season's bloom. 



Propagation may be accomplished by 

 lifting large plants in the autumn and 

 dividing. Make sure that there are one 

 or more eyes to each piece, and immed- 

 iately replant in suitable soil. Place the 

 crowns not more than two inches below 

 the surface. New varieties are obtained 

 from seed, which is sown as soon as 

 conv enient after ripening. The seeds 



•Read before the Ottawa Horticultural So- 

 ciety. 



are planted in a shallow box or pot and 

 covered about half an inch. The pot or 

 box being placed in some quiet, shady 

 spot in the garden and watered occas- 

 ionally through the next summer. rhe 

 seedings appear the second spring after 

 sowing. Give them attention until iht? 

 autumn when they may be transplanted 

 into open ground and grown on to flow- 

 ering size, which is usually four years 

 from the time they germinate. If a few 

 seeds are planted each autumn after the 

 first four years you will have new varie- 

 ties coming into bloom each season, 

 some with single and some with double 

 flowers. There is a possibility of ob- 

 taining a new variety of merit worth 

 naming. 



The fragrant blooms are of extreme 

 beauty for room decoration. They should 

 be cut just as the bud is expanding. 

 Their delicate tints are not then faded 

 out by the sun's rays, and they will keep 

 in good condition for about a week. 



VARIETIES 



I will not attempt to say what are the 

 best varieties to grow, for this is largely 

 a matter of individual taste; all the 

 named varieties are good. I will, how- 

 ever name a dozen good sorts, and which 

 are easily procurable at reasonable prices 

 from dealers in this class of plants : 



Whites — Early, Festiva Maxima ; mid- 

 season, Duchesse de Nemours ; late, 

 Marie Lemoine. 



Pale Pinks — Early, Umbellata Rosa ; 

 mid-season, Eugene Verdier ; late, AI- 

 tjert Crousse. 



Deep Pinks — Early, Rosa Superba ; 

 mid-season, M. Jules Elie ; late, Living- 

 stone. 



Reds — i'^arly, Adolph 

 season, Felix Crousse; 

 lage. 



Anyone cultivating a 

 the above list will be well repaid by the 

 fragrance and the abundance of bloom 

 with which his garden will be filled. 



Rosseau ; mid- 

 late, M. Kre- 



selcction from 



Garden Notes 



R. S. Rose, Petcrboto, Osl. 



Loosen the earth around each plant. 

 ;\ good tool to use for this purpose is a 

 mason's trowel sharf>ened at the edges. 

 It gets under the weeds and through the 

 soil easily without disturbing the roots 

 of the plants. Take a section of the l)ed 

 each day and do it thoroughly. Do not 

 try to do more than you can handle. Do 

 a little at a time, and do it well. It 

 will pay better in the long run than try- 

 ing to do more and skimping it. In the 

 dry weather it would be a good plan lo 

 put around the plants that need more 

 moisture than others the grass clippings 

 before watering in the evening. This 

 will retain the moisture and the plants 

 can drink it in at their leisure. If your 

 garden is a large one it would also be a 

 good plan to water by sections and give 

 each section a good soaking. This is 

 better than watering the whole garden 

 with a light sprinkle, which is worse 

 than not watering at all. The water 

 should reach the roots, and not only ^o 

 down an inch or two. Surface watering 

 is useless. 



Paeoay Fcktiva Maxima: One of the Finest White Varietie* in Cultivation 



This plant, grown by J. E. Thompson. 53 Ontario Ave., Hamilton, had sixty four buds on it 

 at once. Several of the flowers measured eight inches acroes. 



