Peonies 
MO VILLA GARDENS 
purchasers. In considering the worth of a Peony, it is always well to 
note the date of introduction and the number of growers (as expressed 
by the figures in parenthesis) in connection with the rating. For 
instance, a Peony introduced thirty or forty years ago, grown now 
by only six members and rated 9.0 or better, must be a variety that is 
beautiful but does well in only certain localities or under certain 
conditions. A Peony of same age, same rating, and grown by sixty 
members must be of high excellence generally. A Peony introduced 
only five or six years, if rated high by a few members, certainly 
promises well, but you cannot be sure of its absolute worth until it is 
more widely grown. 
SELECTIONS. With the facts and figures which we present in 
this catalogue, a customer can easily make selections. Therefore, 
we offer no collections, but venture to make a few general sug¬ 
gestions. Purchasers whose gardens are located south of Philadelphia, 
Cincinnati, and St. Louis, will succeed better with the early and 
midseason varieties, the bloom reaching perfection before the extreme 
summer heat arrives. People in the northern states and Canada can 
flower the latest bloomers without any difficulty. For beautiful 
Peonies at moderate prices, let us call attention to the following: 
Asa Gray 
Albert Crousse 
Felix Crousse 
Marie Lemoine 
Octavie Demay 
Mons. Jules Elie 
Festiva Maxima 
Adolphe Rousseau 
Baroness Schroeder 
Marguerite Gerard 
Mme. Emile Galle 
Mme. Emile Lemoine 
There is a wonderful dozen, every Peony scoring 8.4 or better, and 
three scoring above 9.0. Prices range from 50 cts. to $1.50. All are 
standard, well-tested varieties, including white, light pink, dark pink, 
and red, and ranging in season from very early to very late. 
If a purchaser wishes to possess the very best—the “creme 
de la creme” of Peonies—let us call attention to the following 
twenty-one varieties: 
La Fee 
Therese 
Solange 
Le Cygne 
La France 
Longfellow 
Milton Hill 
Tourangelle 
Walter Faxon 
Martha Bullock 
Sarah Bernhardt 
Frances Willard 
Kelway’s Glorious 
Festiva Maxima 
Mons. Jules Elie 
Baroness Schroeder 
Mme. Jules Dessert 
Mons. Martin Cahuzac 
Lady Alexandra Duff 
Elizabeth Barrett Browning 
Rosa Bonlieur 
Every Peony in the above list was rated at 9.0 or better by more 
than twenty members, and every one has been introduced ten 
years or longer. 
For the best twenty-five, we should certainly add Jubilee (8.9) and 
Marie Crousse (8.9), as they miss the 9.0 class by only a fraction and 
in our opinion belong in it. Also Mme. Emile Lemoine and Georgiana 
Shaylor. La Lorraine is rated high (9.1) by nineteen members and 
has been on the market for twenty years and therefore might be 
substituted for any of the choice ones. Of course, there are many 
beautiful varieties such as Mary Woodbury Shaylor, Laura Dessert, 
Frances Shaylor, Mrs. Edward Harding, President Wilson, and others 
that are too new and have been grown by too few to justify a place in 
the highest list, although they give wonderful promise for the future. 
Philippe Rivoire and Raoul Dessert are two other beautiful Peonies 
that more than twenty members rate in the 9.0 class, but they are 
very rare and difficult to obtain although ten years have passed since 
they were introduced. We can generally supply a few of them. 
4 
