PEONIES 



129 



Peonies are glorious in a massed bed, equally striking 



when brought into the home, with their long stems 



and massive flowers 



wait until the ground 

 has frozen sohd ; leave 

 the end of the row 

 uncovered. Then, 

 farther on, put on 

 mulching and in- 

 crease the depth un- 

 til, at the other end, 

 it is a foot to eighteen 

 inches deep; leave 

 this on. The cover- 

 ing keeps the frost in; 

 then the plant will 

 take some time to 

 push up through the 

 mulching. You can apply this system to the later varieties and so 

 lengthen the flowering season considerably." 



A word may be necessary to explain the method of doubling in the 

 Peony. The normal or single flower is composed of petals (we shall 

 call all the petals, guard petals in this case) ; stamens, or the male part 

 of the flower (these are yellow at the tip and bear pollen) ; and the pistil, 

 each section of which we call a carpel (this is often red and bears the 

 seed). In doubling, the stamens become wider and wider until they 

 resemble the petals; then we call them petaloids. In the same way the 

 seed-bearing power is lost by the female parts, changing to resemble 

 petals at the center of the flower. 



The following are the types recognized by the American Peony 

 Society: 



1. Single. There are a few broad petals, the center being filled with 

 stamens. 



2. Anemone-flowered. The stamens are a trifle widened, closely 

 resembles the Japanese. 



3. Japanese. In this type doubling has just begun; the filaments 

 of the stamens have widened; the anthers are also much developed. 

 The guard petals, the petals at the base of the flower, are the same as 

 in the single varieties. 



4. Bomb. The petaloids, or the transformed stamens, have be- 

 come still wider and thickly set; the petals approach the guards in 

 form, but are still distinguishable from each other. 



5. Semi-double. Several rows of large petals and some with 

 petaloids in all stages of transformation. A loose bloom. 



6. Crown. When the carpels, the parts of the pistil, transform 

 into petals they may form a diff'erent center from the guard petals 



