where the best-looking peonies grow. They both 

 agreed that it was in the cemeteries. The question 

 then was how the peonies in the cemetery were fer- 

 tilized. The answer is not what you think, but that 

 they aren't. 



Peonies can be grouped into four categories: her- 

 baceous, tree, inter- 

 sectional or Itoh hy- 

 brids, and species. 

 Herbaceous types are 

 your standard gar- 

 den type that every- 

 one is familiar with. 

 They are in the 

 Paeon section of the 

 genus Paeonia. There 

 are thousands of cul- 

 tivars of these. Most 

 are selections of the 

 species Paeonia offici- 

 nalis and P. lactiflora 

 and hybrids of these 

 two as well as with 

 other species. 



Tree peonies are 

 grafted woody shrubs 

 that usually overwin- 

 ter without dying 

 back. They are in the 

 Moutan section of the 

 genus Paeonia. They 

 usually flower earlier 

 than the herbaceous 

 types because they 

 often have a shorter 

 chilling requirement. 

 They are known for 

 their large showy 

 flowers. 



The next group is 

 the intersectional, or 

 Itoh, hybrids. Mr. 



Toichi Itoh was the first person to successfully 

 produce an intersectional hybrid between the 

 Moutan (tree) type and Paeon (herbaceous) type. 

 The roots look like tree peony roots, but the top of 

 the plant looks like an herbaceous plant, with the 

 flowers having the rich true reds and yellows of 

 the tree peonies. 



The last group is the species. These are in all the 

 section of the genus Paeonia including Moutan, Paeon 

 and Onaepia.This is usually the realm of the true 

 peony connoisseur. These are often rare and sources 

 are hard to find. Since the Iron Curtain came down, 

 many new species are being introduced in the West. 

 Some have ornamental value but others may only of- 

 fer germplasm for developing new hybrids. 

 For commercial plant growers, herbaceous peonies 



As with any perennial, 

 the planting site and soil bed preparation 



are of utmost importance — 



especially since they may be in the ground 



undisturbed for many years. 



The ones at my grandparents' grave 

 are more than sixty years old. 



are a plant in demand as both a landscape plant and 

 as cut flowers. The question is how are you going to 

 sell them. Traditionally, peonies are usually sold as 

 bare roots in the fall or spring. Now many are sold 

 as containerized plants in the spring. This creates an 

 instant landscape and provides the gardener a guide 

 on how deep to 

 plant. These are of- 

 ten sold by color 

 rather than cultivar. 

 If sold by cultivar, 

 they often command 

 a higher price. 



The tree, Itoh, 

 intersectional, and 

 species peonies are 

 for a very special- 

 ized upscale market. 

 The plants are hard 

 to come by and ex- 

 pensive to propa- 

 gate. Most are sold 

 mail-order by the 

 hybridizer or collec- 

 tor. I see them as a 

 specialty crop pro- 

 duced as a sideline. 



In the past five 

 years, three new 

 books have been 

 published on peo- 

 nies. The American 

 Peony Society also 

 has a wealth of 

 knowledge and con- 

 tacts. It is nice that 

 gardeners are redis- 

 covering the carefree 

 versatility of a plant 

 with such beautiful 

 fragrant blooms. 



Peony resources include The Peony, by Alice Harding, 

 updated by Roy G. Klehm; The Gardener's Guide to 

 Growing Peonies (with listing of peony sources), by 

 Martin Page; and Peonies (also with a listing of 

 sources), by Allan Rogers. All are published by Timber 

 Press, 133 SW Second Avenue, Suite 450, Portland, OR 

 97204 (telephone: 503-227-2878). 



The American Peony Society can be contacted by writ- 

 ing to Mrs. Greta Kessenich, 250 Interlachen, Hopkins, 

 MN 55343. 



Karen L.B. Gast, associate professor and extension horti- 

 culturist, postharvest and marketing at Kansas State 

 University, has been conducting postharvest research on 

 several herbaceous peony cultivars the past four years. 

 Her e-mail address is kgast@oz.oznet.ksu.edu. 



AUGUST. SEPTEMBER. 1998 



