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1622 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



May 18, 1906. 



disturbing what roots they have made. 

 Peonies may be left in the ground 

 without transplanting some eight or ten 

 years, but longer is undesirable if best 

 results are to be attained. It is some- 

 times stated that peonies may be left in 

 the ground almost indefinitely but this is 

 a mistake if good results are expected. 

 The finest flowers are to be had on mod- 

 erate sized, well grown plants. If plants 

 are left too long in the ground they some- 

 times die out in the center. 



Propagation. 



For purposes of propagation plants 

 may be! advantageously taken up more 

 frequently, every two or three years, di- 

 vided with a large, sharp knife, bo as to 

 leave at least one bud with a portion of 

 the root. Peony roots are stiff and un- 

 yielding as well as brittle, so that they 

 are very apt to be broken seriously in 

 dividing. Harrison says, "Let themlie 

 in the shade a few hours and wilt. This 

 toughens them and does not hurt them 

 a particle. You can immediately restorel 

 them to their plumpness by putting them 

 in wet moss, or keeping in or planting in 

 moist earth. This is very important. 

 I tried Harrison's method last autumn, 

 only I left them out of ground for sev- 

 eral days in cool weather. When the 

 roots become somewhat flaccid and yield- 

 ing instead of rigid and brittle, they 

 can then be easily divided without in- 

 jury, even to solid old clumps. They will 

 regain their original plumpness in a few 

 hours' exposure in a damp medium. 



The small plants after division may 

 be set out in nursery rows, two f^t 

 apart, the plants being about ten to fit- 

 teeii inches apart in the row, according 

 to size. In cutting up, some roots will 

 be broken off and these may be planted 

 with the rest as more or less will grow 

 from adventitious buds starting under 

 these conditions. Actual observations 

 of what proportion will grow from 

 adventitious buds would be desirable, but 

 do not exist as far as I am aware. 



In propagating if the plants are choice 

 and are cut veTy fine it is desirable to 

 set a frame over them the first winter. 

 As Peterson says, herbaceous peonies of 

 choice varieties may bef propagated by 

 grafting. This method is practiced to 

 some extent; but I think is most unde- 

 sirable for herbaceous plants. Grafting 

 is not expected in such plants and if 

 practiced endless confusion in varieties 

 may occur from the growth of adventi- 

 / tious buds from the stock. If this is 

 done they should be grafted on officinalis 

 stock or some other distinct species, so 

 that shoots from the stock, which are 

 likely to develop, will be strikingly dis- 

 tinct from those developed by the scion. 



F. L. Temple in 1889 suggested the 

 method of propagating herbaceous peo- 

 nies by heaping up fine rich soil over 

 the crowns; under such conditions he 

 found, by an accidental experiment, that 

 roots and buds developed on the stems, 

 which could then be cut off, leaving the 

 crown intact. Timme recommends this 

 method of deep burial as a means of 

 propagation. 



Mallett in England also recommends 

 this method of propagation, as he says, 

 "Cover the stools with eight inches of 

 light soil made firm; growths will push 

 through this in spring readily enough 

 and will flower well, but in September 

 the resting buds will be found on inde- 

 pendent stems six inches long and with 



a mass of roots at their bases. These 

 should be detached and planted forth- 

 with, and the old soil cleared from 

 the stools to admit warmth, when they 

 will develop many buds hitherto latent, 

 and which they always have in reserve. 

 These! will flower in the course of the 

 season. The flowering strength of the 

 stools is but little impaired, but a vigor- 

 ous thinning of several weakly growths 

 may be necessary in the second season. 

 Strong double peonies will often form 

 three or four resting buds on one rooting 

 axis. These may be removed individu- 

 ally with a portion of the stem and its 

 roots attached, potted, and grown on in a 

 little warmth till planting time to en- 

 courage further root action." 



If this method proves as satisfactory 

 as has been expressed, it may well be a 

 most important means of propagating 

 peonies. As Temple suggested, it would 

 probably be best to fill in thef earth 

 gradually rather than the whole depth 

 at the start, but this is a matter for 

 determination. Leaf-mold being fine, 

 light and retentive of moisture, would 

 it seems be good material for covering. 



Peonies may be transplanted or dug 

 up for division to best advantage late in 

 August or in September, rather than in 

 October or November, as the roots then 

 have a chance to become established be- 

 fore cold weather. The crowns may be 

 set about three inches below the surface ; 

 deeper planting is undesirable. For per- 

 manent planting peonies should be set 

 three feet apart, or if there is plenty*of 

 room four feet is none too much. If set 

 closer it would be difficult to get betweeti 

 the plants without injuring the blossoms. 



Character of Plantation. 



For a limited number of peonies scat- 

 tered planting is desirable, as allowing 

 for the full development of each indi- 

 vidual plant without loss of space. When 

 grown close together the blossoms during 

 a heavy rain or wind are apt to be beaten 

 down and entangled with the flowers and 

 foliage of adjacent plants. Where con- 

 siderable quantities are grown beds are 

 doubtless best, thus having all together, 

 a convenience in watering and other cul- 

 tural treatment; also the effect of mass 

 in a bed is very fine. 



Plants should be set three feet apart 

 each way in a bed, or better four feet 

 between rows if there is room to spare. 

 Never having had this luxury of space, 

 I can affirm that three feet will do very 

 well. Beds six or nine feet wide and of 

 any convenient length cut in grass and 

 carrying two or three rows of peonies 

 respectively are very attractive and 

 easily got at for handling or inspec- 

 tion. Such beds are good for roses, 

 phloxes, irises or vegetables, which may 

 be grown in rotation with peonies when 

 they have to be taken up. Beds of this 

 cbaractet are used extensively in the 

 Botanic Garden of Harvard University. 



Fertilizers. 



A peony well grown, and the same va- 

 riety grown poorly or with average cul- 

 ture, are very different. Unless really 

 well grown one does not know what are 

 the possibilities of this fine flower. Dis- 

 budding distinctly improves the quality 

 of remaining flowers, especially on the 

 larger varieties. In some varieties, how- 

 ever, where profusion of bloom is a fea- 

 ture, they may be left to advantage. As 

 stated by A. H. Fewkes, in an excellent 



article on peony culture, the lateral buds 

 should be removed as soon as they are 

 large enough to handle, so as to throw all 

 the strength into the leading bud. As 

 he also says, proximity to a hose is an 

 important feature when possible in plan- 

 ning the position of a peony bed, for the 

 free use of watel: in the growing season 

 is a great aid in producing fine flowers. 

 Liquid cow manure, or other liquid ma- 

 nure used during the growing season 

 promotes a vigorous growth and corre- 

 spondingly superior flowers. Wateir from 

 a cesspool is excellent. Sheep manure 

 or other fine manure stirred into the soil 

 about the peonie's in spring works well, 

 being washed down to the roots by rain 

 or watering. In the late fall it is desir- 

 able to put four or flve inches of barn- 

 yard manure above the crown of each 

 plant. This may be done after the tops 

 are cut off and the ground freezes hard ; 

 the manure being dug in in spring. 



Delicate colored peonies lose their 

 color more or less in strong sunshine, so 

 that for very best results they may be 

 shaded to advantage. By shading I 

 have retained delicate shaded pinks in 

 flowers, which were entirely lost in flow- 

 ers of the same variety grown a few feet 

 away, but not shaded. Of course open- 

 ing flowers in the house has the same 

 effect as shading, saving the delicate 

 colors, and some of the finest blooms one 

 sees are flowers thus opened off the plant. 



Cutting. 



Peonies have a great mass of petals, at 

 least the double ones, so that when 

 picked there is a large surface for loss 

 of water. Such being the fact, it is im- 

 portant that they be put into water as 

 quickly as possible after cutting. The 

 best method is to carry a pail or can 

 of water into the garden and put the 

 flowers immediately into water, not even 

 waiting to cut a second bloom. Experi- 

 ment has demonstrated that flowers thus 

 put into water will outlast flowers kept 

 even a few minutes without water. This 

 is especially important for flowers that 

 are to be exhibited, or shipped to a dis- 

 tance. When a peony is on the plant 

 there is a continuous flow of sap to the 

 flower. On cutting, this flow being shut 

 off, from the suction thereby inaugurated 

 it is quite probable that air particles are 

 sucked in. If this is true, such air par- 

 ticles would tend to obstruct the vessels, 

 interfering with the succeeding flow of 

 water. 



If cut peonies are to be shipped they 

 had best be kept ten or twelve hours in 

 water in a cool place, when they become 

 surcharged with water and travel vastly 

 better than fresh cut blooms. The same 

 principles as regards cutting doubtless 

 would apply to most other flowers as 

 well. 



MENTION US TO ADVERTISERS. 



One cannot be anything but pleased 

 with the Review; the Special Number 

 was a "beaut." Anything I can do to 

 push a good thing along I will do with 

 pleasure. H. P. Lodino. 



I GET much pleasure and profit out of 

 the Review every week. — Fred Hatch, 

 Scranton, Pa. 



Please stop our advertisement of 

 mums and geraniums; all sold. — A. Rel- 

 TEA & Son, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. 



