94 CROP PRODUCTION 



The flowers are held singly on the ends of erect branch- 

 ing stalks that rise a foot or more above the main foliage. 

 Some varieties are single, others semi-double, and others 

 very double. The flowers last well when cut for indoor 

 use and the plants are hardy even in the more northern 

 states. 



Peonies 



The Peony is one of the oldest, hardiest, and most 

 showy of border perennials. One form at least is be- 

 lieved to have been grown for thousands of years, and 

 more than two hundred distinct varieties are now in 

 cultivation. Most of these have been developed from a 

 wild Peony native to Siberia, either directly or through 

 hybridizing with a few other species native to Europe 

 and Asia. The flowers vary greatly in color, the tones 

 ranging from white through all possible tints and shades 

 of red, violet, lilac, and purple. They vary so in form 

 that they are arranged in eight distinct classes, thus: 



Single Crown 



Japanese Bomb 



Anemone Semi-rose 



Semi-doiible Rose or Double 



These several types represent the various stages, from 

 a single flower with a row of petals around the outside and 

 clusters of stamens and pistils inside to the fully double 

 form in which both stamens and pistils have been trans- 

 formed into petal-like bodies called petaloids. 



The color tones of Peony petals are so deHcate that 

 they soon fade when exposed to direct sunshine. Con- 

 sequently the flowers remain in good condition longer 

 when the plants are iu partial shade. A border on the 



