378 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



i.iount (although other flowers were very 

 plentiful, such as Scarlet Martagon or the 

 Lily of Byzantium, white Cyclamens and 

 scarlet Anemones). It is dedicated by the 

 church of Rome to Mary, the mother of 

 Jesus, and it is known as the Madonna lily. 

 In Ireland it is said that travelers can dis- 

 tinguish the houses of Protestants and 

 Catholics when Hires are in bloom by the 

 orange and white lilies. The Romans call 

 it Juno's rose. It seems to have a special 

 charm of its own, so chaste it is, so inviola- 

 ble in its purity, and on this account we can- 

 not behold the lily without feeling a kind of 

 reverence for the flower mixed with our ad- 

 miration for its elegance of form and purity 

 of color. To me a garden does not seem 

 complete without this flower, it is all that 

 can be imagined, desirable and perfect 'n 

 floral form. A great inducement to the 

 cultivation of this species is their ease of cul- 

 ture and their almost perfect hardiness, 



thriving vigorously in the . garden border, 

 where they can remain for years undis- 

 turbed. 



" Within the garden's ptaceful scene 

 Appear'd two lovely foes, 

 Aspiring to the rank of queen, 

 The lily and the rose. 



The rose soon reddened into rage, 



And swelling with disdain, 

 Appealed to many a poet's page 



To prove her right to reign. 



The lily's height bespoke command, 



A fair imperial flower ; 

 She seemed dtsigned for Flora's hand. 



The sceptre of her power. 



This civil bickering and debate, 

 The goddt ss chanced to hear. 



And flew to save, ere yet too late, 

 The pride of the parterre. 



'Yours is,' she said, 'the nobler hue 



And yours the statlier miea, 

 And, till a third surpasses you. 

 Let each be deemtd a queen.' " 



THE GORGEOUS PEONIES. 



I WISH to add my mite of praise to what 

 others have recently said in commen- 

 dation of these majestic flowering plants. I 

 think of all the blooming plants of our gar- 

 dens these produce the largest, most attrac- 

 tive, most gorgeous blooms and most varied 

 in pleasing colors, and easily rank, when 'n 

 bloom, as the queen of showy flowers. The 

 herbaceous peonies are perfectly hardy and 

 will endure many degrees belo'w zero when 

 properly planted. They are strong grow- 

 ers, requiring a strong, rich soil, and are 

 succeeding to perfection all over the coun- 

 try, especially in the west. 



The plant is a gross feeder and when 

 transplanted should have a liberal allowance 

 of strong rotten manure worked into the 

 soil, planting four inches deep, which will 

 settle to three inches. They should be 

 mulched with manure after planting. The 



peony will remove at any time, even in full 

 growth, which is, however, not to be en- 

 couraged. Some of our customers beg to 

 get plants even when in bud, which ?e 

 never agree to. 



The best time to plant peonies is in early 

 fall. Then they are more dormant than at 

 any other time of year. The old stems 

 should be cut off close to the roots, for 

 when left on they have a tendency to heave 

 out of the ground by action of frost. Be 

 sure and mulch them after planting. When 

 planted in fall they do much better the next 

 season than if transplanted in the spring of 

 the year. Peonies do not need frequent re- 

 moval, but "will succeed in the same spot for 

 many years after being planted, and if once 

 in several years they are well fertilized they 

 will last one's lifetime. — American Florist. 



