JAPANESE TREE PEONIES 
Tree Peonies will grow in any good garden soil which is 
not too acid. They are hardy in the latitude of Boston, 
Buffalo and Lansing, and further north with winter pro- 
tection. They thrive best in positions sheltered from heavy 
winds, away from heavy tree roots, and prefer but do not 
require partial shade. Planting is done in the fall, with 
the graft line several inches below the ground level. Pro- 
tection should be given during the first winter. In regard 
to fertilizer, some phosphate, potash and lime can be used 
after the first year, but not too much nitrogen. 
The only serious trouble experienced in growing tree 
peonies is the occasional wilting and dying back of branch- 
es. This is caused by a brownish canker-like condition 
which generally starts at a crotch either above or below 
ground, spreads quickly when weather conditions are right, 
and kills the whole branch when girdling is complete. 
If this occurs, the diseased part should be pruned back to 
healthy wood (don’t leave a stub) and this cut painted 
with a thick paste of bordeaux powder and water. If a 
plant becomes badly infected so that the new shoots die 
back as they come up from the main stem underground, it 
shouid be dug up in the fall, scrubbed thoroughly and 
freed of all diseased condition by pruning and scraping the 
affected parts. Then paint all cuts with bordeaux paste 
and reset the plant in clean soil. Some Japanese authori- 
ties recommend that all plants be dug up and cleaned 
about every four years, and that three sprayings of Bor- 
deaux be applied each year, once before the flowers open, 
twice afterwards. 
Sometimes tree peonies will grow and flourish for years 
without a bit of trouble. Sometimes not. We believe it is 
only fair to say so. But we also believe that American 
gardeners are skillful enough to grow them, and that each 
year more of us will share with the Orient the satisfaction 
of growing the “King of Flowers”. 
