Peonies That Satisfy 



PAUL V. D. HOYSRAD 



A Helping Hand in the Selection of Varieties for Immediate Planting, According to Needs 



ONE question almost certain to sug- 

 gest itself at this time when select 

 ing and ordering Peonies for plant- 

 ing in the next few weeks is "Shall 

 I plant a collection of the rare, high-priced 

 varieties, or shall I set out a large number 

 of the older, standard varieties?" 



The keener one's fondness for this popular 

 hardy flower, the more eager is one to acquire 

 the latest and very finest; but while a bed of 

 rare varieties is likely to become a widely 

 famed object of admiration in its height of 

 bloom, it does not add that striking bit of 

 color to the garden which is lent by a long row 

 or solid plot of the older varieties. 



The lover of hardy flowers will probably 

 search in vain for a flower, the names of whose 

 new varieties keep so well abreast with world 

 events as the names of the new varieties 

 of the Peony. Already Monsieur A. Des- 

 sert, the famous French culturist of 

 Chenonceaux, has introduced one 

 with the happy title of Victoire de la 

 Marne, globular flower of a velvety 

 amaranth red. 



"Rich and Rare Beyond Compare" 



AS A matter of fact, it is almost 

 impossible to buy the latest, 

 most recently introduced varieties 

 without paying several dollars for a 

 single root. But what these rarities 

 take out in money they generally 

 make up in beauty and vigorous 

 growth. Take a variety like Therese, 

 for example. Those who have seen 

 this at the height of its loveliness, its 

 immense cup-shaped flowers stand- 

 ing proudly erect, and its wonderful 

 hues, glossy flesh-color mingled with 

 light pink, have probably fancied 

 they were looking on the finest Peony 

 in existence. Marvelous as Therese 

 is, however, it is only one out of a 

 dozen or more equally beautiful 

 varieties. 



In coloring Soulange is perhaps the 

 rarest and most remarkable of all the 

 recent introductions; for its tints are 

 so unusual, indeed, that they are 

 almost indescribable. Some growers 

 describe it as having salmon shad- 

 ings, but the brown tints border 

 so closely on the red in the centre 

 that I am almost tempted to call 

 it a caramel shade. Brown or red, 

 however, Soulange is truly magnifi- 

 cent. 



The most sought after and possibly 

 the most distinct of all the introduc- 

 tions of Monsieur Victor Lemoine, 

 the great French hybridizer, is Le 

 Cygne, which surely bears out its 

 meaning of "the swan," for its 

 incurved petals first of all give the impression 

 of rare delicacy. With its cream -white 

 flowers growing in clusters and fading to 

 paper-white as time passes this variety has 

 won so many enthusiasts since its introduc- 

 tion in 1907 that to-day it is almost impos- 

 sible to obtain a small root of it for any- 

 thing less than fifteen dollars. A visitor to 

 M. Lemoine's establishment in 191 1 declares 

 that the original plant of Le Cygne, blooming 

 at the entrance of the grounds, was a sight 

 never to be forgotten, giving the impression 

 of a huge ball of snow. And it is still more 

 interesting to note that in the voting contest 

 over the newer varieties held by the American 

 Peony Society, Le Cygne received more votes 

 than others, obtaining a score of 9.9 out of a 

 possible 10. 



Some Dusky Chiefs 



"\X7"HERE love of Peonies runs high, how- 

 ™ » ever, one usually finds this queen sur- 

 rounded by a throng of other royal beauties. 

 One of these may be Monsieur Martin Ca- 

 huzac, tall, dark, and magnificent in its deep 

 maroon hues, glorying perhaps in its title of 

 the darkest Peony in the entire flower king- 

 dom. Another may be Primivere, the very 

 intimation of "spring time," its English 

 equivalent, with its deep cream-colored hues. 

 And still another may be Madame Jules Des- 

 sert, the lovely tints of which are almost be- 

 yond description. To the person who has 

 beheld this in full glory, its immense white 

 flowers shaded with pale pink and displaying 

 here and there a cluster of golden stamens, 

 the thought may perhaps have suggested itself 

 that this magnificent lady was blushing over 

 its own beauty! 



combination of fragrance and rare coloring 

 in a single flower Mont Blanc is as outstanding 

 as the mountain of geography is among Alpine 

 peaks; the slight tints of rose on its milk-white 

 blossoms give it an exquisite blush. 



Miss Salway is another variety that one 

 reasonably expects to find among the royal 

 paragons of the family, introduced by the 

 Kelways; but the flower is perhaps less im- 

 pressive for its coloring than for its striking 

 form — a high crown surrounding a centre of 

 shell pink. 



N ( 



Peonies take their place in the garden either alone or in combination 

 perennials and flowering shrubs 



English 

 wax-like 



Compared with sombre Martin Cahuzac, 

 Karl Rosenfield is the most gorgeous of dan- 

 dies; for its flaming crimson would turn any 

 rival pale with envy. Mignon, on the other 

 hand, exhibits a beautiful variation of tints 

 with the advance of the blooming season. 

 At first it is a blush-white, but gradually this 

 shade passes into a rich cream color, subtle 

 tints and fragrance together combining to 

 make it a truly superlative variety even for 

 this day of marvelous introductions. 



Lightsome and Fair to Look Upon 



' I N HERE is such a wide range of varieties, 

 ■*■ the colors of which border on a delicate 

 flesh-pink and yet possess small individual 

 marks of distinction that with nothing to fall 

 back on but an English dictionary one is at a 

 loss to describe each variety in detail and al- 

 ways give it the honor due its beauty. For a 



14 



O LOVER of Peonies would dare forget 

 Tourangelle. This high-priced beauty 

 has already excited "Ah's!" and "Oh's!" 

 quite beyond number; but our mother-tongue 

 offers so few terms for descriptive purposes 

 that one can only say it is a delicate flesh- 

 color tinged with rose and salmon, knowing 

 all the time that so matter-of-fact a 

 description will not carry one tenth 

 of the flower's loveliness to the mind 

 of the reader. There is food for 

 thought, however, in the fact that 

 one large grower has declared "one 

 cannot speak in temperate tones of 

 this variety." 



The Tried and True 



HpURNING from the rare, high- 

 *■ priced, kinds to the older, longer- 

 established varieties, one is con- 

 fronted by a bewildering list, the task 

 of selecting the standard, best all- 

 around varieties appears to be hope- 

 lessly confusing. One must neces- 

 sarily go to a reliable grower or else 

 carefully study the catalogue of a de- 

 pendable specialist before one can 

 earn which varieties have stood the 

 test of time and are now considered 

 the standards and most beautiful of 

 their class. 



. For more than half a century 

 Festiva Maxima has been a standby 

 of growers all over the world, with its 

 vigorous, erect growth and its enor- 

 mous white flowers, flecked with red 

 like drops of blood. Felix Crousse is 

 another favorite, a brilliant crimson, 

 without which no collection is com- 

 plete. Still another famous variety is 

 Monsieur Jules Elie, that proud gal- 

 lant, adding glory to the humblest 

 garden with its enormous globular 

 flowers of silvery pink. 



BUT for the flower-lover who enjoys 

 ,,;,, :....,.. no acquaintance with varieties 



and yet has a lurking desire to set out 

 Peonies and watch his plants increase 

 in loveliness from year to year, a generous list 

 of standard varieties may not be out of the way 

 as a concluding word. I am not so foolish as to 

 claim that the following is a list of the forty or 

 fifty absolutely "best" Peonies for the reason 

 that no two growers could ever agree on the 

 same number. But I venture to say that this 

 list probably includes a majority of the stand- 

 ard low-priced varieties which have received 

 the highest recommendations from reliable 

 growers and authorities: 



Festiva Maxima, La Tulipe, Achille, Armandine Mechin, 

 Umbellata Rosea, Marie Lemoine, Madame Calot, Triomphe 

 de l'Exposition de Lille, Virgo Maria, Madame Bucquet, 

 Madame de Galhau, Eugenie Verdier, Edulis Superba, Felix 

 Crousse, Alice de Julvecourt, Modele de Perfection. Baroness 

 Schroeder, Marguerite Gerard, Monsieur Jules Elie, Madame 

 Emile Lemoine, Avalanche, Livingstone, Marie Jacquin, 

 Madame Crousse, Couronne d'Or, Lamartine, Gloire de Charles 

 Gombault, Boule de Neige, Duchesse de Nemours, Madame 

 de Vernevile.Octavie Demay, General Bertrand, Jeanne d'Arc, 

 La Roziere, Louis Van Houtte, Dclachei, Delicatissima, Mod- 

 este Guerin, Madame Forel, Marechal Vaillant, Due do 

 Wellington. 



