WONDROUS PEONIES SEEN IN THE NORTHWEST 
A. C. ARNY 
University of Minnesota 
American Peony Society’s Successful Venture into the Western Territory is Marked 
by Displays of Cut Blooms from the East and a Record Showing of Sterling Novelties 
M INNESOTA and its twin cities, St. Paul and Minne¬ 
apolis, had always seemed to the Peony lovers of the 
East too far away to permit the holding of a really suc¬ 
cessful annual exhibit and meeting there. However, 
the invitation to come to the Northwest in 1923 was accepted, 
and the twentieth annual exhibit of the American Peony So¬ 
ciety was staged in the Hippodrome, State Fair Grounds, June 
21-23, hi conjunction with the annual meeting held in the 
evening of the first day. Considered from all angles, by Eastern 
and Western Peony lovers alike, the show was an outstanding 
success; a milestone in the history of Peony exhibits. 
Circumstances there were, to be sure, which held the final 
and complete success of the show in the balance, but each of 
these worked out satisfactorily. Deciding on a date for the 
show at which a large number of exhibitors over so wide a terri¬ 
tory might be able to stage prize-winning blooms was a problem 
in itself. Cutting Peonies two weeks or more before the date 
of the exhibit, in quantity, and shipping them halfway across 
the continent in such shape that they could be staged and could 
compete successfully with flowers grown locally was accom¬ 
plished in most instances by utlizing to the fullest extent experi¬ 
ence in time of cutting and in holding in cold storage. No 
previous Peony exhibit had been staged in a building so well 
suited to the purpose. Happily, there was available at the 
State Fair Grounds the Hippodrome with more than 29,000 square 
feet in area of tanbark covered floor space, bordered by a row of 
box seats all round, and individual seating space rising above, 
tier on tier. Landscaping the oblong oval floor space, arrang¬ 
ing the exhibit space, ample for a million blooms, low at the 
centre and rising toward the outside and providing booths in 
which exhibitors might stage flowers not in competition, visit 
and transact business, made a convenient arrangement and a 
very effective view. 
Peonies shipped from halfway across the continent, and ex¬ 
hibited for three full hot days, were still in good condition on 
Saturday night. The ability to keep the tanbark covering of 
the floor wet throughout the three hot days and nights un¬ 
doubtedly aided materially in bringing about these results. 
T HE Thurlows of West Newbury, Massachusetts, brought 
in a full refrigerator car of blooms to start and maintained 
the display by additional later shipments. T. F. Donahue of 
Newton Lower Falls, Massachusetts, brought with him prize 
winning Peonies without refrigeration. From Van Wert, Ohio, 
L. R. Bonnewitz; from Saginaw, Michigan, Will McClelland; 
from Kenosha, Wisconsin, H. S. Cooper; from Clinton, Iowa, 
W. W. Cook; and from Washington, Nebraska, H. D. Sass, 
all entered prize winning specimens in various classes. Natu¬ 
rally, the largest number of Peonies in the exhibit were from 
local growers who numbered fifty. 
On the first day, eighteen motor trucks transformed into 
floats covered with Peonies traversed the streets of the two 
cities. This was a new feature which aided in popularizing the 
Peony and bringing the crowds to the show. The two classes 
for handle baskets and one class for vases, with Peonies the 
dominating flower, were new features that attracted considerable 
attention. Ideas regarding combinations, put into concrete 
form in this way, led to observations and, in some instances, 
discussions that were helpful. 
In an exhibit room containing outstanding varieties of highest 
quality in practically every class, interest centres were numerous. 
The twenty blooms of Walter Faxon, exhibited by Thur¬ 
lows, caught and held the attention of all who saw them. The 
soft rich color of this variety leaves little room for improvement 
in that direction. A future variety, combining the color of 
Walter Faxon and all the good qualities of Le Cygne, is Mr. 
Brand’s dream, and no doubt this will be attained some day. 
May the new variety, however, have somewhat better lasting 
qualities than Le Cygne often exhibits. 
Perhaps it is yet too soon to look for Philip Revoire to domi¬ 
nate in the class for twenty blooms of red. There appears to 
be no doubt that this variety has the requisite color and form 
of flower, but blooms of sufficient size to make much of an im¬ 
pression were not much in evidence at this show. Adolph 
Roseau, as shown by Riverview Gardens, drew considerable 
attention. This variety appears to have very good qualities 
to its credit. Lora Duxheimer, from appearance in several 
exhibits at the show and from experience with it as a garden 
plant, deserves much more attention than is generally accorded 
it. 
Thirty varieties of his own origination in Mr. Brand's gold 
medal collection of not more than one hundred varieties marked 
it as unique. Scarcely less so was the Thurlow collection, both 
for the number of outstanding varieties it contained, and for 
the distance it had been brought. In these two exhibits ap¬ 
peared the cream of the varieties grown to-day, together with a 
few varieties which are voted commonplace, but occasionally, 
at least, produce blooms of considerable merit. Mrs. A. M. 
Brand and Myrtle Gentry shown for the first time, En¬ 
chantress, Milton Hill, Martha Bullock, Rosa Bon- 
heur, Tourangelle, Mary Brand, and Longfellow, The- 
rese, Le Cygne, Frances Willard, Solange, were con¬ 
spicuous for their outstanding beauty. 
Solange at its very best in the single bloom exhibited by 
D. C. Ruff was truly wonderful in depth of color, shape, and size. 
For its color, this is an outstanding variety, and it would still 
have a secure place at the top were it to appear in other good 
peony colors. Therese, always delightful, was a very close 
second. Other outstanding varieties were President Wilson, 
La France, and Enchantress. 
N EW varieties are always of the greatest interest. To the 
group of the introductions during the last two decades, 
including varieties that have already been mentioned and others 
equally well established (among which may be mentioned Kel- 
way’s Glorious, Lady Alexander Duff of Kelway; the Brand 
varieties, Frances Willard and Martha Bullock; Richard¬ 
son’s Milton Hill, and the recent introductions, prominent 
among which are Mrs. Edward Harding of Shaylor, and 
Grace Loomis by Saunders) it is rather difficult to introduce 
another equally or even approximately as good. This dif¬ 
ficult feat Mr. Brand may have accomplished in the bringing 
out of Mrs. A. M. Brand. Experience with this variety in 
various locations will be needed to properly place it among the 
illustrious group now available. Certainly Mrs. A. M. Brand 
is a gold medal Peony. The broad, evenly laid petals, the 
form of the flower, and its finish, together with its stout stem, 
augur well for the place it probably will hold in the future. 
It is not often that one originator has an introduction worthy 
of a silver medal in addition to the gold medal variety. But to 
Mr. Brand came this honor, also through the seedling Myrtle 
Gentry, a rose type flower very delicate pink in color and of 
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