PJEONIA 



THE ]3ULB BOOK 



P^EONIA 



much-divided ornamental leaves, and 

 large beautiful flowers, which in the 

 natural single varieties have five 

 sepals, five to ten petals, and two 

 to five carpels, seated on a fleshy 

 disc. 



Fio. 2?9. Pffiony, showing tuberous roots, 

 stems, and buds. (J.) 



With the exception of the woody 

 or shrubby Tree Paeony (P. Moutan), 

 and perhaps the yellow-flowered 

 P. lutea, all other kinds of Pseonies 

 are herbaceous in character ; that is 

 to say, the flower-stems are not woody 

 and persistent, but soft or herbaceous, 

 and die down each winter. 



There are several natural species 

 of Pseonia referred to below, but they 

 are quite eclipsed by the numerous 

 gorgeous garden varieties that have 

 been raised by crossing and inter- 

 crossing forms of P. albiftora and 

 P. officinalis, P. peregrina, and P. 

 tenuifolia, by British and continental 

 growers. Herbaceous Pseonies are 

 excellent plants for the borders, beds, 



shrubberies, rockeries, and are not 

 only prized for their magnificent 

 blossoms but also for their foliage, 

 which early in the year assumes 

 brilliant coppery-crimson and purple 

 hues. Some of the commoner 

 varieties are grown extensively in 

 the market-gardens round London 

 beneath the fruit-trees, and the cut 

 flowers sometimes realise good prices. 

 Herbaceous Pseonies are easily grown. 

 They like a rich and rather heavy 

 soil that has been deeply dug or 

 trenched and well enriched with 

 decayed manure. The ground should 

 be kept free from weeds by hoeing, 

 and every autumn a top-dressing of 

 well-rotted manure will be beneficial. 

 The best time to plant or trans- 

 plant herbaceous Pseonies is in early 

 autumn September or October. As 

 growth takes place early in the year, 

 that is a bad time to move the plants 

 unless they are lifted carefully and 

 with a ball of soil round the roots. 

 To secure fine clumps, 3 or 4 feet 

 should separate one plant from 

 another. Freshly moved plants are 

 benefited by having any flower-buds 

 removed the first year. Besides 

 dividing the roots, Pseonies may also 

 be increased from seeds. These 

 should be sown in rich light 

 soil, and if grown on from year to 

 year will eventually produce flowers 

 at the end of five, six, or seven years. 

 So far as varieties are concerned, 

 the reader is recommended to consult 

 current catalogues for the names. 

 These are always changing with the 

 development of new forms, and it 

 would be therefore a needless waste 

 of space to give a list here. It may, 

 however, be mentioned that all shades 

 of colour are to be found amongst 

 the Pseonies except blue. Yellow is 

 practically confined to P. lutea, P. 

 Wittmanniana, P. macrophylla, P. 

 Mlokosewitschi, and P. Delavayi, the 



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