238 
THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA 
THE 
GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 
OF AMERICA. 
Published by 
THE CHRONICLE PRESS, Inc. 
Office of Publication 
286 FIFTH AVE., NEW YORK 
MARTIN C. EBEL, Editor 
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Entered as second class matter Nov. 3, 1914, at the Post Office at New 
York, N. Y., under the Act of March 3, 1879. 
Published on the 15th of each month. 
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torial matter should be addressed to M. C. Ebel, Editor, Madison, N. J. 
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF 
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GARDENERS 
Treasurer, 
JAMES STUART, 
President, Vice-President, 
W. N. CRAIG, THEO. VVIRTH, 
Brookline, Mass. Minneapolis, Minn. Mamaroneck. N. V. 
Secretary, MARTIN C. EBEL, Madison, N. J. 
TRUSTEES FOR 1916. 
Peter Duff, Orange N. J.; William H. Duckham, Madison, N. J.; William 
Turner, Bernardsvillc, N. J. ; William Kleinheinz, Ogontz, Pa. ; John F. 
Huss, Hartford, Conn. 
DIRECTORS. 
To serve until 1917 — Wm, Hertrick, San Gabriel, Cal. ; Robert Angus, 
Tarrytown, N. Y. ; Robert Bottomley, New Canaan, Conn.; Alex. Fraser, 
Newport, R. I. ; Arthur Smith, Reading, Pa. ; Thomas W. Head, Lake 
Forest, 111.; L. P. Jensen, St. Louis, Mo. 
To serve until 1918— William H. Waite, Rumson, N. J.; William J. 
Kennedy, Chestnut Hill, Mass.; Edward Kirk, Bar Harbor, Me.; John W. 
Johnston, Glen Cove, N. Y.; Carl N. Fohn, Colorado Springs, Colo.; Peter 
Johnson, Dallas, Tex. ; Thomas Proctor, Lenox, Mass. 
To serve until 1919— John W. Everitt, Glen Cove, N. Y.; Thomas W. 
Logan, Jenkintown, Pa., Robert Cameron, Cambridge, Mass. ; James Mac- 
Machan, Tuxedo Park, N. Y.; A. Bauer, Deal Beach, N. J.; David Fraser, 
Pittsburgh, Pa.; George W. Hess, Washington, D. C. 
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF 
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF PARK SUPERINTENDENTS 
President, 
EMIL T. MISCHE, 
Portland, Ore. 
J. W. THOMPSON. 
Seattle, Wash. 
JOHN F. WALSH, 
New York, N. Y. 
Vice-Presidents, 
ALEX. STUART, 
Ottawa, Ont. 
E. P. GRIFFIN, 
East St. Louis, 111. 
Secretary -Treasurer, 
ROLAND W. COTTERILL, 
Seattle, Wash. 
L. P. JENSEN, 
St. Louis, Mo. 
EUG. V. GOEBEL, 
Grand Rapids, Mich. 
Vol. XX. 
May, 1916. 
No. 5. 
HERBACEOUS PEONIES 
VIGOR, indeed, is a good attribute of all the so- 
called Chinese — albiflora, by the way, is of Si- 
berian origin — and European Pa?onies, though 
not so much can be advanced in favor of the more recent 
Japanese sorts, though the best of the singles and semi- 
doubles of this set are very beautiful, the richly-colored 
guard-petals and cushions of petaloids — inner petals — 
affording striking contrasts. Fragrance, too, is a welcome 
attribute in not a few of the best herbaceous Pa?onies, and 
when wedded to the exquisite white, cream, palest sul- 
phur, or satiny-red shades in the flowers they are as sat- 
isfying as they are imposing. The color-shades men- 
tioned by no means exhaust the variety, since at the other 
extreme of the chain may be found the intense crimsons 
or purplish-crimsons of Delachei, Gloire de Douai. and 
the Pottsi set, and between the extremes an almost inex- 
haustible supply of rich rose, purple, amaranth, carmine, 
delicate pink, flesh-rose, and lilac, which, with blendings 
of salmon or other pleasing shade in the lighter flowers, 
makes an array of beaut)- of which only those who have 
close association with these flowers can possess an ade- 
quate conception. 
In the Pseony there is a nobleness of foliage which, if 
permitted, would play a part long after the flowers are 
gone, and, retained to autumn days, furnish a color- 
warmth acceptable among the low-growing forms of 
vegetable life. Too often this phase of beauty is lost to 
the garden, and where a systematic tidying-up follows 
the completion of flowering it is unknown. It is unseen, 
too, often enough — in those instances where the plants 
are tied up besom fashion in the border, which, ugh' in 
itself, robs the plant of its good form and picturesque 
effect. 
As yet, failing either to realize or appreciate the im- 
portance of the Paeonies, we have been content with soli- 
tary bits in the border. This, doubtless, to thousands is 
the only possible way. But what of the lost opportunities 
of those who garden upon a much larger scale? A veri- 
table host in itself, the Paeony might be worthily employed 
in conjunction with other things, as Daffodils and Lilies, 
to extend the beauty at the two ends of the flower season, 
the Paeonies constituting the central figure in the picture. 
Of bold Daffodils flowering at the same time as the rising- 
tufts of crimson-stemmed P;eonies appear we have seen 
something and know a little of the protective value of 
these latter, both to the young growths of Lilies in spring 
and the helpfulness of their leaf effects later in the year 
when the Lilies were in bloom. It but requires a fuller 
development of the small picture in mind to create as 
great a flower-feast as any garden could boast. 
The gardener cannot do too well by these plants. The 
fact that they are of a vigorous nature, and will send 
their thong-like roots 3 feet or more into the soil, the 
planter should never lose sight of. It should be remem- 
bered, too, that the plantation may have to stand for ten 
or a dozen years, henee a little extra preparation would 
not be in vain. Once well planted, indeed, they may re- 
main all those years and still give a good account of 
themselves annually at flowering time. Hence those who 
would have them in perfection must trench and enrich 
the soil to at least 3 feet deep. When this is done the 
stature of some sorts is surprising, the greatest I have 
seen being between 5 feet and 6 feet high. With this, 
robust vigor and flowering were pro rata. This was the 
outcome of specialization ; the 2 feet high examples — 
the commonplaces so to speak — the result of the "any 
common garden soil'' idea of liberality. The plants suc- 
ceed, however, in many classes of soils — light and sandy, 
medium, and often heavy loams — and are quite good and 
happy in strong, chalky soils. The measure of their suc- 
cess in all of these depends upon the measure of cultiva- 
tion such soils receives. 
The best planting season is September. It is at that 
time that the new basal-root action is resumed afresh 
each year, and he who would re-establish his plants most 
quickly should follow this plan. The worst possible sea- 
son for planting the Pseony is the season of the growing 
tops, the best the period of the maturing leaf. As March 
and April-planted specimens never flower in that year, 
but only suffer and become weak, it were better to wait 
till September and plant in season and in reason. Pseonies 
should never be transplanted in big, undivided clumps, 
the nursery-grown specimens, having three to six plump 
crown-buds apiece, are infinitely superior, and will soon 
make headway. In planting keep the crown buds 2 
inches or three inches below ground level. — Gardening 
Illustrated i English i. 
