THE PEONY 75 



the American Peony Show in Philadelphia last June, and was 

 given a special Award of Merit. Its blooms, six inches in diameter, 

 are fully double and are a deep yellow. A new Lutea hybrid soon 

 to be introduced to the trade is Souvenir du Maxime Cornu, a 

 deeper color with a shading similar to that in the Mme. Edward 

 Herriot Rose. Lutea and its hybrids bloom later than the other 

 Tree Peonies. 



The dainty fennel-leafed Peony, P. tenuifolia, follows the Tree 

 Peonies, and its dazzlingly brilliant scarlet flowers always attract 

 attention. It requires careful cultivation and only grows about 

 a foot high. Next in point of interest and season of bloom are 

 Lemoine's Wittmanniana hybrids, produced by crossing the pale 

 yellow Peony Wittmanniana, itself a rather difficult species to 

 grow, with P. Chinensis, resulting in types of strong, vigorous 

 growths, with handsome decorative foliage and large single flowers. 

 There are four of them: Avante Garde, pale rose; Le Printemps, 

 creamy yellow; Mai Fleuri, white shaded salmon; and Messagere, 

 sulphur white. 



The Officinalis types begin to bloom almost invariably ten days 

 before the Chinensis varieties. Officinalis rubra, the brilliant 

 early red of our grandmothers' gardens belongs to this species, 

 which is a native of Europe. There is a white one. Officinalis 

 alba plena, and a very beautiful large flowered pink one. Rosea 

 Superba, besides a number of named single and double ones not 

 commonly seen. Sabina, L'Oriflamme, Ourika, and La Brilliant 

 are very attractive. Most of the other species are of little interest 

 to the average grower, but I have cut blooms of Triternata and 

 Arietina in April, and of Rubra Superba the 27th of June, a season 

 of quite two months. 



Cultivation. 



The cultivation of Peonies is so simple that lengthy instructions 

 seem unnecessary and confusing. They will grow in any situation 

 and in any soil, where one would attempt to raise corn or potatoes. 

 In a light sandy soil they bloom earlier, mature more quickly, the 

 colors are lighter and the season of bloom shorter than when they 

 are planted in a heavy clay loam, where it takes the young plants 



