THE BONNEWITZ GARDENS, VAN WERT, OHIO 
The Peony With a War Story 
The story of peony Alice harding, originally named amitie americaine, as 
told me by Mr. Lemoine in his own garden in Nancy, France. 
“Every year both before and during the war I planted peony seeds and 
every summer during the blooming season I spent some time observing and 
studying the blooms on the new seedlings. Early one summer morning in 1918, 
when the war was at its worst, I went into the seedling garden and I was sur¬ 
prised and delighted to find a peony blooming for the first time which had a 
flower more beautiful than any I had ever seen. As I was gazing upon its 
beauty, I heard the sound of martial music, and I felt the reverberations of the 
tread of marching men, and as I looked, I saw my first regiment of Americans 
coming to the aid of our war-worn French veterans. 
“I was the father of three French soldiers, and instantly the hope came into 
my mind that, with the help of America, the war might be brought to a success¬ 
ful conclusion before I would lose all or perhaps even any of my three sons, 
and turning to my new-born peony I named it amitie americaine.” 
He further said, “Mr. Bonnewitz, I think it is a beautiful name. Do not you 
also think it is a beautiful name?” And when he told me that amitie ameri¬ 
caine meant “Love for America” or “Friendship for America,” I am sure you 
know that I agreed with him. 
I immediately placed an order with him for one root of this new variety with 
the beautiful name, to be shipped as soon as I could get a permit from the United 
States government for its importation. 
Before I departed he told me, that in exhibiting his new peony in the Paris 
show, it had won a prize offered by an American lady, and that she had reserved 
the right to name the peony which won her prize. He told me he hoped she 
would like the name amitie americaine, and he also told me that if she changed 
the name, he would write me, and that I should sell it under the name she 
selected. 
I always use the new name in my catalogues and price lists, for the original 
name is interesting only in a garden story such as this one I have told you. 
Gratis Plants 
When I was a boy, ten to fifteen years old, my father had a country store. 
In those days the farmers’ wives usually made only two trips to town each 
year, to procure their supply of dry goods. The smaller children usually came 
with the mother, and when the trading was completed, my father made it a 
practice to give to the smaller children, gifts of some kind; a handkerchief, a 
pair of mittens, a little book, or toy. These gifts to the children pleased the 
parent fully as much as the child, and goodwill for the store was created. The 
children to whom those gifts were given, are now men and women of sixty and 
seventy years, but even yet, some of these elderly people speak to me of the 
gifts my father gave them, and the smile of appreciation is still upon their 
countenances. 
The first peonies I imported were from Mr. Lemoine of Nancy, France, and 
in that very first shipment he included a gratis plant of the hybrid tree peony, 
l’esperance, and every time I look at that gift peony, it brings a kindly feeling 
for Mr. Lemoine. 
The garden business is today in its infancy, even as the Bonnewitz Dry 
Goods business was in its infancy fifty or sixty years ago. When I first began 
selling peonies, I adopted my father’s practice of building goodwill among my 
garden customers, by including in each shipment a gratis plant or two. I be¬ 
lieve that my customers appreciate them, even as I still appreciate the gift Mr. 
Lemoine gave me twenty years ago, and it is a pleasure to me to continue to 
follow in the steps of my father and of Mr. Lemoine. 
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