THE BONNEWITZ GARDENS, VAN WERT, OHIO 
esting story, but from now on, we are upon firm ground, for it is no longer 
hearsay but history. 
I never saw any of the letters which were written about the LONG LOST PEONY, 
but I heard about them and with the story of the letters, I was told the story of 
the peony, just about as I have told it to you; then my informant wound up the 
whole story by saying, “And do you know those eastern peony people are paying 
twenty-five dollars each, for just one little root of the plant ?” I confess that 
statement sounded interesting, and I could not drive the thought from my mind, 
that it must be a very, very fine peony that would cause anyone to give up for 
it, twenty-five dollars of good money. The more I thought about it, the more 
interested I became. 
And so I finally asked, the “first peony lover I ever met,” who owned “the 
first peony garden I ever saw” to find out for me, if possibe, the name of the 
fortunate owner of that magnificent peony. When I had secured his name and 
address, I wrote and asked him to name me a price on six divisions of it, and 
upon receipt of his reply I was foolish enough to write my check and mail it, 
though I did not have the courage to tell any of my friends of my folly. 
That check was written many years ago and the Long, Long Lost Peony, 
through its many divisions is still growing in my garden, with its own name 
prominently displayed beside it in letters large enough that even the chance 
visitor may read— lady Alexandra duff. 
[2G 1 
