A pe 
Some flowers usually are produced the first spring, with an increase in num- 
bers and quality each season for several years. The plants continue to bloom 
freely for many years if the conditions are good, and during all this time they re- 
quire little special care. Frequent cultivation is desirable, and weeds must be 
prevented from gaining a foothold. In case of drought thorough watering is need- 
ed at intervals. In good soil little fertilization is necessary for normal 
growth. A light application in the spring of a balanced commercial fertilizer or 
of bonemeal and wood ashes is recommended by some successful peony growers. Con- 
centrated plant foods must be used with great caution to avoid over-stimulation, 
with resultant lowered flower production. Each fall, as a precaution against 
harboring diseases over winter, it is advisable to remove and burn the foliage, 
cutting it off at the ground line with care to avoid disturbing the crown. 
Each stem of most peonies normally has more than one flower bud. Removing 
all but the terminal bud while the buds are small increases the size of the re- 
maining flower. This removal of lateral buds is desirable if the best double 
flowers are wanted for cutting. Single varieties, however, usually are more 
attractive with several buds on a stem. Ants often appear in numbers attracted 
by the sweet sap which exudes from the buds. They leave when the flower opens, 
doing no direct harm. If the flowers are to be cut, the best time to take them 
is while still in bud, when the petals show their color or begin to unfold. They 
open at their best indoors. Taken at this stage they can also be kept in cold 
storage for 1 to 3 weeks. 
Occasionally peonies fail to bloom for causes not easily recognized. In such 
cases an investigation is needed as to the suitability of the site and conditions 
of growth to find out whether the roots as well as the tops appear to be healthy. 
Usually it is better to replant if the site is suitable rather than spend much 
effort in trying to save inferior plants. Failure to bloom or sparse flowering 
may result from one or more of the following causes: excessive shade, especially 
in the dry soil under trees; root competition from trees or shrubs; plants set too 
deep; overstimulation by fertilizers; late frosts which kill the flower buds 
though the leaves survive; crowded clumps transplanted without dividing them; and 
diseases of the roots or tops. 
The American Peony Society has compiled lists of varieties with their rating 
of value as accorded by vote of the members throughout the country. The valuation 
is on a scale of 10 in which 10 represents the highest excellence or ideal, 9 
shows exceedingly high quality, and 8.5 to 8 denotes high quality. Some varieties 
rated between 7.5 and 8 are considered good peonies. The Society, however, 
recommends that those rated lower than 7.5 be discarded from commercial lists 
since so many excellent varieties have been introduced more recently. These rat- 
ings are usually given with the names in the descriptive lists and catalogues of 
nursery firms. They usually afford a much better criterion of merit for selection 
of varieties than do the prices or possibly exaggerated praise. A new peony of 
only moderate quality may command a higher price, because of its scarcity, than 
is asked for an older variety of better quality. 
(COPY) 
MEYER'S PEONY GARDENS 
Rts h Rox 6oek 
Homewood, I1l. 
