THE CLEMATIS, PEONY, AND ANEMONE FAMILY. 517 



Pseonia * (Peony}. A very beautiful group of large-growing 

 hardy shrubs or herbaceous plants, the latter natives of Europe, 

 while the shrubby or " tree ' ? Peonies (P. moutati), as they 

 are popularly called, were first introduced from China in 1789. 

 Numerous varieties are grown by the Chinese and Japanese 

 gardeners, it having been one of their favourite flowers, to- 

 gether with the Chrysanthemum, for ages. The varieties of 

 the herbaceous section seem to have originated from P. albifiora, 

 a very variable plant, introduced from Siberia in 1548, and P. 

 qfficinalis, also a variable European species, introduced at the 

 same time. P. tenuifolia has very finely cut leaves and rich 

 red flowers, and was introduced from Siberia in 1765. It 

 seems a pity that the numerous noble-habited, bright-coloured, 

 and deliciously-perfumed varieties of P. moutan should be so 

 little grown in our gardens, as with a little protection during 

 the winter and spring they form 

 noble bushes on the lawn or plea- 

 sure-grounds. All the herbaceous 

 species and varieties are readily 

 propagated by careful division in 

 the autumn or early spring, or 

 from seed. The Chinese tree var- 

 ieties may be propagated by layer- 

 ing, ringing, or girdling the stem 

 below each node or bud, so as to 

 facilitate the production of roots. 

 Cuttings root freely in bottom-heat 

 in the spring, or young shoots may 

 be grafted on herbaceous roots in 

 the spring or summer, in a close case 

 or frame (see engraving). It is a 

 mistaken idea that grafting is abso- 

 lutely necessary, and one that has 

 prevented many amateurs from pro- 

 pagating their own plants. New 

 varieties may be raised from seeds 

 of the semi-double-flowered kinds, 

 which should be sown in autumn 

 as soon as ripe, or in early spring, in boxes of light rich 

 earth placed on a gentle bottom-heat until they germinate, after 

 which a greenhouse temperature and light airy position near 

 the glass is best. It would be interesting to raise hybrids 



* See Parkinson's ' Paradisus in Sole,' p. 341, and figures on p. 343, 

 of kinds grown in old English gardens in 1629; and * Trans. Linn. Soc.,' 

 xii. 248, for a monograph of the species. 



Root-grafting the Tree Peony, a, 

 scion; b, stock; c, the same ready 

 for tying. 



