32 



TWIN-LARCHES NURSERY, WEST CHESTER, PA. 



Peonies, continued 



Few persons know the variety and richness of 

 the Peony's fragrance. It ranges from the disagree- 

 able poppy-like scent of the singles, and a few of the 

 doubles, through the cloying sweetness of Marie 

 Jacquin, and the odd, spicy perfume of Humei and 

 Lamartine, to the delicious rose-scent of such kinds 

 as Marie Lemoine and Baroness Schroeder. 



Culture. Peonies appreciate rich soil, but dislike 

 fresh manure, as this will often cause the plants to 

 rot. Therefore, if manure is used, see that it is very 

 well rotted and thoroughly mixed with the soil. 

 If such is not to be had, then bone-meal of any good 

 mixed fertilizer will give excellent results. More 

 important than the matter of fertilizer is to have 

 the ground deeply dug and mellow, and to conserve 

 the moisture by frequent surface stirrings or a thick 

 mulch, as a prolonged drought is very hard on a 

 young Peony, particularly iT it comes before it has 

 bloomed. 



Peonies arc best planted in September, so they 

 can make some root-growth before cold weather 

 and so be more likely to blossom the next season. 

 However, they may be set out as long as the ground 

 Stays open, and I would not discourage spring plant- 

 ing, by any means, providing it is clone before the 

 second week in April. Protect the plants for the first 

 winter with a covering of stable litter; after that 

 they require no winter protection whatever, — in fact 

 a heavy winter mulch sometimes results in llowerless 

 plants the next season. 



Another reason for their not flowering is deep 

 planting, — Peonies should be set so that the eyes- 

 are only 2 to 3 inches below the surface of the ground. 

 As a rule, Peonies bloom naturally in clusters, but if 

 one prefers a single large flower on a stem, the small 

 side buds can be removed as soon as they form, leav- 

 ing only the large terminal one to develop. 



Peonies may be planted in partial shade, and 

 though they usually do not bloom quite so freely, 

 the colors will be even richer, as they are always 

 bleached to a certain extent by the sun. Therefore, 

 to have them at their best, they should be picked 

 when the bud shows color and allowed to develop 

 in water in a shady room. Treated thus, the blooms 

 will be larger, the colors better, and their lifetime 

 much longer. It is better not to cut any blooms 

 until the second year, or the plants are apt to be 

 weakened. 



Peonies are troubled by no diseases, and by only 

 one insect, the rose-beetle or rose-bug, which is a 

 serious |;:sl ir. comparatively few localities. It is 

 best controlled by hand-picking. With good soil and 

 good care Peonies seldom need dividing and resetting 

 under ten years. Allow a space of at least 2 1 o feet 

 for each plant. 



List of Varieties 



My list is a comparatively small one, but I have 

 chosen it with some definite aims in view. 1 think 

 everyone who has seen a very extensive collection 

 ol Peonies will have noticed the surprisingly large 

 number ..I undesirable shades -violent nv.gcntas- 

 raw aniline pinks, and faded lilacs. Jt is only because 

 the general public still has little or no color-sense 

 tint such \ ii ii ti. : apt not immediately discarded 

 Also, unfortunately, some of the best Peonies in 

 size and form are some of the worst in color. There- 

 lore, in planning my list I have tried to steer clear 

 Ot offensive shades, and still keep a wide variety of 

 coloring; and I have also arranged the list so that 

 in every shade there are both expensive and moder- 

 ate-priced sorts of first-class quality, 



Most persons are familiar with red, pink, and 

 white Peonies, but comparatively few know the 

 lovely cream and yellow shades, and fewer still the 

 exquisite varieties in those paler shades of pink that, 

 for want of better names, we call shell, blush, or 

 flesh. My descriptions are mostly based on those of 

 the American Peony Society, with such changes as 

 I thought would render their terms more compre- 

 hensible to the average flower-gardener. 



As has been stated by other growers, it is only 

 Superficially accurate and not at all fair to the 

 retail customer for Peonies to be classified arbi- 

 trarily on the basis of their being "one" or "two 

 years" old; their growth is not uniform enough to 

 grade them thus. The plants I send out are all 

 robust and healthy, and, whatever their age, should 

 have every chance of blooming the first season if 

 planted in September. Customers are generally 

 warned not to expect much in the way of flowers 

 j for the first couple of years, but in this matter a 

 1 great deal depends on the quality of the stock. For 

 instance, last season I had fine typical blooms on 

 j two-thirds of my block of first-year plants. It is of 

 course true, however, that many kinds sometimes 

 produce single or semi-double flowers the first 

 summer. 



Peonies are classified as follows: 



Single. Those with a single row of wide guard- 

 petals, and a center of pollen-bearing stamens. 



Semi-double. Those with several rows of wide 

 petals and a center of stamens and partially trans- 

 formed petaloids. 



Anemone. The stamens are all transformed into 

 I short, narrow petals, forming a round cushion in 

 the center of the flower. 



Crown. In this type, wide petals are developed 

 in the center of the (lower, forming a high crown, 

 with the narrow short petals forming a collar around 

 [ it. Often the guards and crown are one color, and 

 the collar another, or a lighter shade. 



Bomb. The next step, in which all the center 

 j petals are uniformly wide, approaching the guards, 

 but distinctly differentiated from them, forming a 

 globe-shaped center, without collar or crown. 



Semi-rose. Petals all uniformly wide, but are 

 loosely built, with a few pollen-bearing stamens 

 visible or nearly concealed. 



Rose. The process of doubling is completed; .ill 

 stamens are fully transformed into evenly arranged 

 wide petals, similar to the guards, forming a perfect, 

 rose-shaped bloom. 



WHITE VARIETIES 



Albatre. Rose ty pe. Perhaps the finest of white 

 Peonies. Very large, full, globular rose type, of ex- 

 quisite form. Pure ivory-white, center petals edged 

 with a tiny thread-like line of crimson. Vigorous 

 grower; tall, yet compact. Fragrant. Midseason. 

 1 see no difference between this and Avalanche. SI. 75. 



Festiva maxima. Rose type. Very large, some- 

 times 7 inches across; full rose type, with very broad 

 petals. Pure milk-white, prominently decked crim- 

 son in the center. Very tall, strong grower and free 

 bloomer. The earliest white. A grand old variety, 

 j which is still the most popular of Peonies and 

 ( probably the best all-round white in existence. 

 Very fragrant. 50 cts. 



Baroness Schroeder. Rose type. An exquisite 

 tinted white, one of Kelway's finest introductions and 

 still comparatively scarce. Very large, rose type, 

 beautifully formed, with high-built center. Faintest 

 blush, fading to cream-white. Vigorous, tall grower 

 and free bloomer. Very fragrant. Midseason/ §2.50. 



