58 THE FLOWER GARDEN COMPANION. 



which are known under the name of the Chinese Paeony, as 

 the Moutan, and its variety of the Tree; and the Fragrans, 

 and Whitlejiij are also descendants from that country. There 

 are also many fine varieties from Siberia, Switzerland, and 

 the Levant, of the herbaceous Paeony, which are now becom- 

 ing numerous, and, like the rose, give many shades of color, 

 from a clear white to a deep crimson, and in some varieties 

 we have fragrance also. 



The herbaceous Paeony adapts itself to a variety of soil and 

 climate, and to this it may be said to be perfectly hardy, 

 bearing our most severe winters without the least injury; the 

 tree Paeony is not, however, quite so hardy as the herbaceous 

 kinds, although, in most parts, the plants may be secured 

 from the frost by covering the wood in the fall, in the same 

 manner as is recommended for the China rose and tender 

 shrubs. This beautiful shrub has been cultivated in the 

 green-house many years, and is at this time one of the best 

 acquisitions to that department. It has also a very pretty 

 effect planted out as a single object, in small grass plats, and, 

 indeed, the herbaceous kinds answer well for that mode of 

 ornamenting of grass plats in small places. 



Culture. The Paeony adapts itself to any soil, although a 

 rich, deep, mellow loamy soil is the best for it to flourish and 

 bloom in perfection ; when once planted, it requires but little 

 attention, only to cut off the dead leaves in the spring ; this 

 is often improperly done immediately after the flowering is 

 over, which greatly exhausts the plants, and injures the 

 flowering in the following season. 



Propagation. New varieties of both kinds are obtained 

 from seed, which may be sown early in the spring, in pots of 

 rich mellow soil, and well attended to during the summer ; 

 and in the following spring the young plants may be potted 

 off, (if the tree variety,) and treated as green-house plants, in 

 order to forward their flowering, which will probably be three 

 years after sowing the seed. The herbaceous kinds may be 

 planted into the flower borders, where they may remain until 



