128 
August, 1920 
THE PEONY. I 
Hints from a 
Practical Peony Grower. 
How a Modest Investment was Made 
to Pay a Good Annual Income- 
Valuable Suggestions for Selec- 
tion of Varieties, Planting, Cul- 
ture and Propagation. 
44T"'MVE YEARS AGO I invested $8 in 
H Peony roots, and for the past three 
years have cleared in the neighborhood 
of $100 a year from them,” said a woman 
whose Peonies are the admiration of the part 
of Long Island where she lives, speaking to an 
interviewer from the New York Times. “The 
best of it is that I not only haven’t disturbed 
my original Peony roots but have improved 
them. 
“My love for Peonies began some ten years 
ago when a neighbor who had sold her place 
told me I might have the Peonies in her front 
yard if I cared to move them. There were 
two large bunches, a pink and a red. 
“I planted them in our front yard, where 
my mother’s pet Rose bushes had always 
reigned supreme. When once those Peonies 
recovered from the transplanting and began 
to bloom nobody ever noticed the Roses. 
Having room to spread out I invested in new 
varieties. Having invested I proceeded to 
try to make the investment pay. 
“To begin with I sold only the blossoms, 
then having so many demands for roots I be- 
gan to experiment. Knowing that Peonies 
hate to have their roots divided I determined 
to try a method of propagation I had once 
seen at a florist’s. 
“Early in the spring, before the Peonies had 
begun to show any signs of growth, I placed 
a bottomless box about fourteen inches deep 
around one of my oldest plants. Then I filled 
this box with rich, porous soil and waited. 
The new growth of the Peonies pushed through 
this soil, forming foliage and flowers above it. 
“In the latter part of September I carefully 
removed this new earth and cut away the 
new stalks from the old plants. These stalks 
were cut into as many pieces as there were 
eyes provided with roots and planted immedi- 
ately. The next year they had grown into 
fine strong plants which I promised to pur- 
chasers a month before it was time to take 
them up. 
“My largest Peony bed is 20 by 42 feet. 
During the season just passed I cut and sold 
from it upward of nine hundred beautiful 
blossoms. 
“The whole bed was under an extra layer 
of soil just as the bunch I have described. 
Next week I shall take all this extra earth 
away, and cutting the new stalks from the 
old plant, set out what will be my next sea- 
son’s crop of roots. For these roots I get 
half a dollar each, and think them well worth 
it, as they grow into fine blooming stock in 
less time than a root cut from an old plant 
would require. 
“In my opinion the Peony is the best hardy 
flower that we have. It is larger than the 
Rose and has as wide a range of color. The 
blossoms last longer, the plant is much hardi- 
er and easier to cultivate. It is free from 
thorns and almost free from insect enemies 
and diseases. 
“They are remarkably long lived, and when 
once established should not be moved oftener 
than once in twenty years, so I have been 
told by experienced florists. The culture is 
very simple and the planting time is the latter 
half of September or the first week in October. 
“Dig a trench three feet deep and fill in 
with plenty of well rotted cow manure. Plant 
the tubers about four feet apart and from 
three to five inches below the surface. Pack 
Slower (Brower 
in the earth firmly but carefully so as not to 
bruise or injure the tender roots. 
In selecting a position you should be care- 
ful to avoid drips and also situations where 
the plants would be whipped by the wind. In 
the spring the large plants will tend to droop, 
and for the looks of the bed and to preserve 
the blossoms they should have a good support. 
The most satisfactory support that 1 have 
found is a hoop about two feet in diameter 
with a loop in one end and a hook in the other 
and three legs. This support is made of gal- 
vanized wire and the legs sharpened so that 
they may be easily stuck into the ground. 
“When the loop is too large for the plant 
it is a simple matter to lap and tie it. This 
gives a perfect support, and one that cannot 
be seen twenty feet away. 
“Spring planting of Peonies has never 
brought me good results. Keeping the little 
tubers over until the spring seems to make 
them faint from fasting and it requires months 
instead of weeks for them to recover. 
“Peonies planted in the autumn will give a 
few blossoms the next summer, and should 
do much better the second season. As a rule, 
however, it takes three years before a Peony 
gives a perfect flower and plenty of them. 
“During the first two years the blossoms 
are often not characteristic either in size or 
color. Unless I make a point of impressing 
this fact on my customers they are more than 
apt to come back at me the next season with 
the complaint that I did not sell them the 
variety bargained for. 
“The best way to buy Peonies is to visit a 
large nursery when Peonies are in bloom. 
Then you can pick out your varieties, and if the 
nurseryman is not already overstocked with 
orders he will promise you what you want. 
I always advise against buying a great variety. 
The same amount of money invested in two 
or three varieties, buying as many and as 
large roots as can be had, will give much 
more satisfaction. 
“The most important distinction among 
Peonies is between the double and the single. 
In making selections it is well to remember 
that a single Peony lasts only three days while 
a double flower will last a week. The best 
of Peony bushes remain in bloom only three 
or four weeks, but there are so many varie- 
ties blooming at different times that where 
one has the space one can have blossoms 
most of the season. 
“After deciding between the double and 
single varieties the next most important point 
for the amateur to consider is the size and 
color. While there is not much chance for 
color discord in Peonies a mixed bed planted 
in a prominent position will give a spotted 
effect, while one or two colors in the same 
situation will be a thing of beauty and a joy 
to all who see it. 
“Peonies look best when planted in long, 
broad lines with a background of shrubbery. 
Where one cannot have a long line the bed 
should be deep enough to make a solid mass 
of color. 
“As Peonies are naturally a large flower 
and do not lose by being made large, there 
seems hardly any reason for raising a flower 
under six inches in diameter. I try always to 
force my blossoms to eight inches, and for 
that reason get a good sale for the cut flowers. 
“As a Peony bed is bound to look bare the 
first year I am strongly in favor of putting in 
other plants, for that season at least. Pansies 
or any other shallow rooted plants set in be- 
tween the Peonies give a good result. 
“In my own beds I have both yellow trum- 
pet Daffodils and Lilies. This gives three 
crops of blooms from the same beds and the 
insignificant foliage of both Daffodils and 
Lilies is completely hidden by that of the 
Peonies. 
“It should be remembered that while shade 
is not necessary for the perfection of Peonies 
the hot noonday sun will fade the blossoms. 
For that reason I cut the flowers intended for 
use every morning before the rays of the sun 
become intense. I put them in water, being 
careful not to pack them too closely, and then 
they are ready for use at any hour of the 
day ordered.” 
Hints on Seedling Peonies. 
With good culture, and good room, 
seedlings may make bloom the fourth 
year, possibly the third ; mine did not. I 
had sown seeds like radish seed, then 
had to go over and drill in more to get 
all in the rows allotted me, not dream- 
ing what troubles and pleasures I was 
getting into, “ As ye sow, so shall ye 
reap.” I think every seed grew, their 
seed leaves near touching. 
Soon as ground was in condition to 
work, I began thinning them, and kept 
it up annually because they increased 
in size faster than I could find room 
for them, until I left the home in 
March, 1914. First were transplanted 
by the trowelful without disturbing 
their roots. The third year a new row 
was made. When they began to bloom 
the least desirable were lifted out, and 
that weeding out was kept up to give 
the better ones better room without 
being disturbed. The best named were 
never moved, until lifted to ship them 
to California. As the clumps became 
too crowded I divided off and planted 
where others had been removed. But 
even that in time had to be discon- 
tinued, and it was then I gave to 
friends and neighbors liberally. That, 
too, comes to an end, and ’twas then I 
appealed to florists to relieve me of 
my large surplus. I no more thought 
of destroying any than of throwing 
away my pennies when my purse would 
hold no more dollars. 
It seems I have said : “ Any boy or 
girl can do as well.” I will change 
that, any one can do immensely better: 
First, by not planting until danger of 
a hard freeze is past, and plant seed a 
few inches apart, as for beans, then 
give good culture. They must have 
every other one taken out the next 
spring. Fall would do as well, but the 
little tops are dead, and most folks do 
not garden in the fall, and spring does 
just as well. Then never let them 
crowd. 
Sarah A. Pleas. 
Peonies — Good Sorts the 
Only Ones to Grow. 
With us that grand variety, Festiva maxima, 
is just at its best, and we have no other of 
which we think more, or which brings us 
better returns. The one thing hard to under- 
stand is why so many growers carry along, 
from year to year, a lot of undesirable colors, 
sorts which are absolutely worthless. We see 
them dumped Spring after Spring on the 
market, and the grower does not realize any- 
thing for them, so long as there are better 
ones to be had ; yet he keeps on propagating 
and growing them when there are so many 
beautiful ones to be had at reasonable prices; 
varieties such as Festiva maxima, which is a 
favorite with every lover of Peonies. While 
we may differ as to the extent of damage 
done to a Peony plant when you cut the stems 
of the flowers down near the ground, the 
plants surely cannot be benefited by such 
treatment ; therefore, use all the care possible 
in doing this work; let as much of the stem 
remain on the plant as you can without depre- 
ciating the value of the flowers. Of course, 
