266 POPULAR GARDEN FLOWERS 



it, also the top soil, it will grow Paeonies success- 

 fully. 



Planting. The best time to plant Paeonies is towards 

 the end of winter say February or March. But they 

 may be planted any time between October and April. 

 After a mild winter the planting had better not be 

 deferred until late spring; it should be done as soon 

 after growth starts as possible. It will be seen that 

 Paeonies have not a spreading, fibrous root-stock, but 

 form a few thick, fleshy roots, which have a tendency 

 to strike down deeply. They may be planted in clumps 

 if desired, but as the habit is spreading, the components 

 of a clump ought not to be nearer than eighteen inches. 

 Single plants will suffice for small borders, as, if the soil 

 is good, one plant will spread to anything from two 

 to five feet across. 



Propagation. Owing to the strong, fangy root-stock 

 of which I have spoken, Paeonies do not lend themselves 

 to propagation by division, the popular method of in- 

 creasing most herbaceous plants ; moreover, they do 

 not exhaust the soil nearly as much as plants with 

 spreading fibrous root-stocks. On both these counts 

 frequent propagation by division should be avoided. But 

 when the clumps have become established thoroughly, 

 and have spread so much as to encroach on the pre- 

 serves of other plants, they may be cut up while dormant 

 with a sharp spade. Florists propagate the majority of 

 their best Tree Paeonies by grafting small pieces on to 

 the roots of common herbaceous kinds. The latter 

 cannot very well be divided. They do not die down 

 to the ground every autumn like the herbaceous Paeonies. 

 They retain their stems, but not their leaves, like an 

 Apple tree. In sheltered places and rich soil they grow 

 into large shrubs, like Rhododendrons. Paeonies can 



