THE TREE P/EONY. 



123 



amount of cold during the dead of winter 

 harmed them. In many parts of the coun- 

 try, indeed, they came unscathed through the 

 terrible winter of 1 837-1 838. Some bygone 

 Pasony fanciers used to plant on the north side 

 of hills, so as to retard growth, but such situa- 

 tions had a counteracting effect, inasmuch as 

 the young wood did not ripen, through want 

 of Sufficient sunshine. As to position, it is 

 generally admitted that Peonies look best 

 when isolated on a lawn, not far away from a 

 shrubbery or a group of some sort, but so 

 situated that they appear to have some con- 



that the plants do not suffer from drought. 

 At this stage they may be taken to a house 

 where the mean temperature ranges from 50 

 to 55 degrees, and in this atmosphere the buds 

 will swell quickly and the shoots lengthen, 

 until about the end of February or early in 

 March they will be showing bloom. During 

 this slight forcing period the plants should be 

 syringed daily if the atmosphere feels dry, but 

 when in bloom a dry atmosphere is best in 

 order to preserve the flowering period as long 

 as possible, which, in a cool conservatory, will 

 extend over several weeks when well flowered. 



nection with one or the other, as the case 

 may be. 



The Tree Paeony may be forced into bloom 

 in early spring with very little trouble, but in 

 order to get good bloom the forcing must be 

 gentle. The plants set aside for forcing should 

 be strong and well rooted, and the shoots 

 should be well ripened. They will, of course, 

 be in pots and in cold frames. About the 

 latter part of January or the beginning of 

 February a few plants should be taken into a 

 house slightly heated ; for a week or so they 

 will require no attention, as the buds will be 

 dormant, but as soon as the latter begin to 

 show signs of swelling care must be taken 



They make noble vase ornaments for rooms ; a 

 fair-sized plant will carry from six to a dozen 

 blooms and buds. All the sorts may be forced 

 equally well, but those which have the bright- 

 est or the most delicate colours are the best. 



The best soil for Tree Peonies is a free 

 loam enriched by manure. It is most impor- 

 tant to plant at the outset well, for no plant 

 resents root interference when once established 

 so much as the Tree Pa?ony, and that is why 

 it is so difficult to transplant it without ill 

 effects. After fixing on a spot for planting it 

 out permanently, a hole should be dug quite 

 4 feet wide and a yard in depth, removing all 

 the soil if not a good loam. Put a good layer 



