2432 



P^ONIA 



P^ONIA 



2719. One of the modern type of 

 herbaceous peony. 



to be worked out from living material combined with a 

 study of the historical development. It is commonly 

 understood, however, that the present race of herba- 

 ceous peonies is mostly the progeny of P. albiflora, but 

 many are from P. officinalis. The importance of the 

 shrubby or tree peonies is not now great, at least npt 



in this country. 

 The species, P. 

 suffruticosa was 

 formerly prized 

 for its bushy habit 

 and wide range of 

 flowers both sin- 

 gle and double. 

 The varieties of 

 this species were 

 once commonly 

 propagated by 

 grafting them on 

 the fleshy roots 

 of the herbaceous 

 species. Non- 

 blooming shoots 

 are chosen as 

 cions, and the 

 union is made in late summer, the tuber and its cion 

 then being handled through the winter in a frame, to 

 be ready for planting out in the spring. A yellow- 

 flowered shrub-peony is lately offered by Lemoine 

 (La Lorraine) as a cross between P. lutea and P. 

 suffruticosa. This bloomed first in 1904; it was awarded 

 a prize in Paris in 1909. The flowers are soft sulfur- 

 yellow with a salmon tinge when opening, becoming 

 lighter when fully open. 



The herbaceous peony has come into great promi- 

 nence in recent years. In this country, the merits of the 

 plant have been recognized by the organization, in 

 1903, of the American Peony Society. This Society has 

 now begun the publication of bulletins. It early under- 

 took the study of varieties in a systematic way, coopera- 

 ting in an extensive test at Cornell University, Ithaca, 

 New York. The test-grounds and the studies corollary 

 to the work, under the leadership of the late Professor 

 John Craig, have yielded four publications: "Peony 

 Check-List," by Coit, 1907; "The Peony," by Coit, 

 Bulletin No. 259, Cornell Agricultural Experiment 

 Station, 1908, in which is given an historical account 

 of the peony, description of the species, and bibliog- 

 raphy, as well as cultural advice; "Classification of the 

 Peony" [varieties], by Batchelor, Bulletins Nos. 278 

 and 306, 1910 and 1911. The reasons for the popularity 

 of the modern race of herbaceous peonies is given by 

 Coit to be the ease with which they are grown, hardi- 

 ness, permanence in the garden when once established, 

 large size and wide range in color and form of the very 

 showy flowers, fragrance of many of the varieties, 

 freedom from disease and insects, usefulness both for 

 cut-flowers and for landscape effects. As to season of 

 the stem-types, he writes that it is begun, at Ithaca, 

 "about the middle of May by P. tenuifolia, and carried 

 along by the well-known old double red peony (P. 

 officinalis var. rubra). Then come the tree peonies (P. 

 Moutan [P. suffruticosa]) and, before they are gone, 

 the earlier varieties of the Chinese peonies (P. albi- 

 flora). Somewhere near July 14, the blooming season 

 closes with the latest varieties of the albiflora group." 



The garden herbaceous peonies. (Wm. A. Peterson.) 



Herbaceous peonies (Figs. 2719-2722) are among 

 the most hardy, showy, and easily grown of all garden 

 flowers. They stand the severe cold as far north as 

 Duluth without any ground covering. In the southern 

 states their growing season is so extended that they 

 do not develop as fine blooms. 



In delicacy of tint and fragrance, the peony more 

 nearly approaches the rose than any other flower. The 



old-fashioned early red "piny," cultivated since the 

 time of Pliny, is still a favorite in our gardens. Nearly 

 all of the many hundred named varieties grown at pres- 

 ent have been obtained by crossing the various forms 

 of P. albiflora. Of the great host of double varieties, 

 nearly all have been developed since 1850. The single- 

 flowering sorts are not so popular as the doubles. They 

 do not seem to keep so long when cut, and fade more 

 rapidly when on the plant. 



Propagation of iierbaceous peonies. 



The easiest and most satisfactory method of propa- 

 gation is by division of the large, thick roots. The 

 roots may be lifted and divided any time from the 

 middle of August until the stalks appear again in the 

 spring. The best time, however, is in early autumn, 

 when the cut surfaces soon callus over and new root- 

 lets form before the frost sets in. Choose a large stool, 

 cut off the leaves and separate into as many divisions 

 as can be made with an eye to each tuber. In digging, 

 care should be taken that all of the tubers are dug up, 

 for if not they may remain dormant a season and then 

 produce a shoot, giving rise to the many stray plants fre- ' 

 quently found in old beds. Tubers divided without an 

 eye should also be planted, as they often act in a similar 

 way and make a showing above ground in two years' 

 time. Peonies, like most tuberous plants, when dor- 

 mant stand considerable exposure and can be shipped 

 long distances with safety. 



Grafting is resorted to in herbaceous peonies when 

 new and rare varieties are to be rapidly increased. An 

 eye of the desired sort is inserted into the tuber of 

 some strong-growing variety, from which all the pre- 

 vious eyes have been removed. This operation is usu- 

 ally performed in August. The grafted plants should 

 be placed in frames for the winter and transplanted the 

 next year into nursery rows. 



Propagating by seed is somewhat tedious, and is 

 employed only for increasing distinct species and for 

 obtaining new varieties. The seeds should be gathered 

 as soon as ripe and kept damp until sown in November. 

 A mulch the first season will keep the ground moist and 

 prevent weeds from growing. Usually two years are 

 required for the seed to germinate and three more 

 before a well-developed bloom can be expected. 



Soils and culture. 



Peonies grow in all kinds of soil, but do best in a 

 deep, rich, rather moist loam. A clay subsoil, if well 

 drained, is very beneficial when blooms are desired, but 

 the tubers ramify more in lighter soil if grown for 

 propagating pur- 

 poses. In pre- 

 paring the bed, 

 trench the soil 

 thoroughly 2 or 

 more feet deep, 

 working in a great 

 quantity of well- 

 rooted cow-ma- 

 nure, as the plants 

 are gross feeders. 

 The ground should 

 be kept well tilled, 

 and an annual top- 

 dressing put above 

 the plants in 

 November; this 



2720. A modern herbaceous peony of 

 good habit. 



should be forked into the earth the next spring. They 

 should have a liberal supply of water at all times, 

 and especially while in bloom. Liquid manure, when 

 applied in the growing season and at a time when the 

 ground is dry, gives good returns, both in the growth 

 of the plant and size of the bloom. 



The eyes should be set 2 inches below the surface. In 

 transplanting, it is a good plan to remove all the old 



