OF - GARD ENING. 
2G. “GREAT CRIMSON PEONY,. 
There is not ak hire more known than this 
in the Englifo Gardens, and fcarce. one fo fpe- 
cious. It is too common to be much regarded : 
but this is a falfe Tafte: if new brought from 
America, the whole Botanic World would tefound 
with its Praife. 
_ Few of the Writers, on 1 Plants, or Flowers, 
have failed to name the Piony, its Luftre and its 
Virtues recommending it. They have, in gene- 
ral alfo, called it by the fame Name Paonia; and 
this particular Kind they call the Double and. the 
Female Piony. They defcribe a Male Piony, a 
Dwart Piony, and fome others; all which Lin- 
N ius refers to one original Plant, calling it with-" 
out Additien, Paonia, the Piony. 
He thinks the whole Differences whence thefe 
have been named by others, to. be no more than 
Variety from the Accidenits of Soil and Cul- 
ture. : - 
The reft have called this’ Kind, Pietnis fore lire 
pleno, flore pleno rubro majore, and Paonia Femina 
multiplex. 
The Root is long and tuberous, brown on ‘the 
outfide, pale em and of an unpleafing Tatte. 
' The Leaves ‘are large; and irregularly divided 
into. a Multitude of Parts, which are oblong, ) 
uncut at the Edges, obtufe, and of a firm Sub- 
ftance’; of a full green on the Upper-fide, and | 
pale underneath. The main Footftalks. are ‘of 4 | 
pale green ; and the Branches which A the 
Divifions, are often ting ‘d with red. 
The Stalk is round, green, thick, irregularly 
divided, and two Foot and a half high: The 
Leaves on this refemble thofe from the Root, 
but that they have fewer Divitions. 
Their Flowers aré numerous and extreamly 
beautiful. Their firft Appearance is in a vait 
oval Bud, of a deep crimfon Colour, placed in a 
fmall Cup form’d of five unequal Leaves; which 
are rounded, hollow? d, and naturally turn back 
at the — and Sides ; 5 this ee: remains with the 
Fruit, 8:25 204 | 
The Bud J fitch opening feveral Ways, 
--Gifclofés itfelf in fort of a vaft fpecious double | long 4 in Beauty as under fhade, and where. there 
Flower, compofed of innumerable Petals, : all 
Targe, and all deeply and finely ftain’d with crim- 
fon; but of various Size and Shape. 
The outer Petals, or thofe which rife imme- 
diately within the Cup, are ‘large and rounded. 
_ Thefe are naturally five; chey conftitute’ the | 
Flower when fingle, and they are the Bafe of | 
all this glorious Fullnefs: 
fome hollow at the Bafe, ae all the Way ; 
and not unfrequently there are fome which mi- 
_» mick the Shape of the Leaves of the Plant. 
The whole is ftain’d when the Flower is in its 
plain perfect State, with a uniform deep crim- 
fon: but there are many Varieties in this Re- 
— fpect: fome are pale, and fome ting’d with a 
this is a ereat Advantage. 
the reft which fill | 
the Body of the Flower “are of irregular and | 
uncertain Form, fome’ flatted and plas ‘others |. j 
waved, curled, and indented at the Top; fome | 
broad and fhort, others longer and narrow, apd | 
ceepet and paler oe and with white. There is 
Prettinefs in thefe feveral Appearances, but thé 
true Glory of the Flower is when the Colour iS 
rich and fimple.. ~ 
To find the Clafs of the Plant, we mutt refer 
the Student toa fingle Flower. Let him examine 
fuch a one, whether Male or Female, Dwarf, or 
by whatever other Name it is called, and he will 
find the Parts alike. 
The Cup and the five Petals here form the 
whole Flower: in its Centre rife a vaft Number 
of flender and fhort Filaments, crown d with up- 
right, oblong, {quare Buttons ; and in the Mid 
‘of théefe appear the Rudiments of the Seed-vefiels. 
They are upright, of a greyifh green, and hairy: 
their Number: is properly ‘two, but in this Re- 
fpect Nature wantons extreamly under the various 
Circumftances of Culture: they will be fometimes 
three, four, or five. There rife -no Styles from 
thofe, but each is crown’d with a flatted, oblong, 
~obtufe, colour’d Head. . 
The Filaments bei: traced to their Origin, 
are found to rife from the Receptacle: this 
makes the Plant one of the Polyandria of Lin- 
N#us: and as the natural Number of the Ru- 
diments, with their Styles is two, - it ‘muft be 
placed among the Digynia. 
Culture of this Pron oe 
The practical Gardener needs not be told ie 
| Piony is a Plant that ‘needs little of his Care to - 
raife “it: but as we have faid on many other 
Occafions, there is a Way by allowing it a little 
more than the common Attention; to bring it to 
a great deal more than the common Beauty. 
‘It is a Native of many Parts of Europe and 
the Haft; and naturally loves a deep, light Mould, 
and Shelter. It is found in greateft Perfeétion, 
toward the Edges of Fotefts, and on the Sides of 
Hills near Springs. 
This mutt be the judicious 
Gardener’ s Rule for i its Culture. + 
‘Tt will no where flower fo well, Or continue fo 
is fore Moifture. This it has from N ature, and 
There are fuch Places 
in all Gardens; and fe Things will grow in 
them : therefore let the firft Care be to fix upon 
fuch a Spot. No Compoft is requited, only let. 
the common Mould of the Border be well dug 
up two Spades Depth. - 
* Plant fo of thele j in the Bed at a Yard Dif. 
‘tance from one another. 
As foon as this is done, fow on the fame Spot 
_fome Seeds faved from a fine {trong Plant, with 
large fingle Flowers. 
Thefe will thoot the fucceeding Spring ; and 
may be kept upon the Bed till they are of 4 
Growth to tranfplant. Thefe fhould then be re- 
moved — 
451 
June. 
