Never before have the glorious accomplishments of the past, the splendid productions of the present, and the exciting prospects for the future been more effectively spotlighted or more enthusiastically received than at the Annual Exhibition of the American Peony Society.
Professionals and amateurs—from all over the country come to view the “best” in the peony world.
Old favorites, current standbys, and ultra-new varieties, hinting at “tomorrow’s look.” vied for attention in the spacious Banking Room of St. Paul, Federal Savings and Loan Association.
Among the non-professionals present, some were primarily interested in peonies for show purposes.
Those interested in their garden effect and those concentrating on their value in arrangements. Some were interested in all three objectives.
Exhibitors were eyeing those varieties that make perfect flowers, regardless of whether they stand up or lie flat on the ground. All are disbudded and bagged.
The result: a forest of bags in the garden, usually held up out of the mud by supports of some kind.
The exhibitor cares only to produce a bloom of perfect color—and often abnormal size—to be seen in the showroom.
Many of our most beautiful peonies, which fulfill these conditions to the letter, are useful only for this purpose.
Garden Flowers Growing Beauty
The true gardeners concerned with their “growing beauty” want a plant that stands up and holds its flowers erect through the sun and storm.
Because of the increasing demand for this quality, most new varieties are good garden flowers.
These semi-doubles, the Japanese and the singles best till the bill, though there are now several full doubles that are excellent subjects.
For garden purposes, a peony should not be disbudded unless we want to lose 1 or 2 weeks of splendid color.
It was gratifying to hear Marget Cochrane Cole, and Flower Arrangement Editor, emphatically state that the peony is an ideal flower for the garden and arrangements in a modern home.
Flower arrangers who have shied away from the peony because of its large size should let the side buds bloom for a smaller flower and often a perfect bouquet on one stem.
Herbaceous Hybrid Peonies
In obedience to our ever-increasing demand for something new and heavier than the old, the herbaceous hybrid peonies are appearing on our show tables in great numbers—approximately 100 different varieties were shown.
They included nearly every color, from the purest white, through all shades of pink, to the darkest black-red.
Though no true blue has yet been produced, some show a lot of that color in their make-up.
The forms of bloom vary greatly from those of the regular peony, this variation often appearing in that magnificent flower, CHOCOLATE SOLDIER, which most often displays its brilliant gold embroidered flowers of darkest chocolate-red, as a single or semi-double, occasionally almost a full double.
This year it came to a typical Japanese flower on every plant in my garden, a rare occurrence in hybrids.
Currently, the number of growers who offer roots of these hybrids is limited.
It is therefore advisable to write to growers and find out what varieties are available, then order accordingly. Few hybrids offered for sale are not worth the price asked.
They lengthen the season by two or more weeks, the color range is far wider, and the height and habit of growth are more varied than the regular peonies.
History Of Peonies
The once widely-planted tree peony, introduced into Europe before the herbaceous peonies from China and into this country nearly 150 years ago, soon disappeared from the lists of growers, probably because of the difficulty of propagation and getting bloom from the varieties then available.
With the introduction of the yellow hybrids, interest was again revived and spread to the other tree peonies that had temporarily disappeared and to those hybrids.
Several firms currently offer tree peonies, though the Saunders’ hybrid is offered only in rare instances except in the originator’s garden. Generally, the older varieties are from Europe.
Although excellent flowers have proven hard to flower, those originating in Japan over the past 1500 years are better bloomers.
The hybrids from the yellow Paeonia Iowa, the red Paeonia delavayi and some Paeonia uffruticosa do well in almost all localities where tree peonies can be grown.
Exercise Caution When Buying
Many of the roots offered by importers at low prices are one-year grafts, requiring extra good care if you succeed with them.
The larger—two or more years from the graft—are far less likely to die. It is important to insist on own-root plants or those grafted on herbaceous roots.
Those grafted on the wild Paeonia moutan or suffruticosa root will invariably send up shoots from the root and eventually smother out the graft, leaving you a single red peony instead of the gorgeous beauty you thought you would have.
Almost all the tree peonies exhibited in Chicago were hybrids. Only three or four of the suffruticosa group—the group most widely grown at present—were shown because they bloom two or more weeks before the shows are held, and it is hard to keep them in good condition in storage.
Regardless Of Peonies Preferences
All of us who were present for the exhibition found our “cup of tea.” We saw LE CYGNE, a product of fifty years ago and long considered the epitome of perfection, winning first place over 18 others in a class for specimen blooms or double whites.
FLORENCE Sellittous, an all-purpose peony of the present, won as best blush in the show; a fourth-generation hybrid white double (yet unnamed) of the late Lyman D. Glasscock took top honors in the seedling classes; and ORIENTAL GOLD.
A wanderer from Japan and the first-known double yellow herbaceous peony pointed the way to a future that may surpass anything now even dreamed of.
The latter was exhibited by Louis Smirnow, who finally succeeded in obtaining roots from Japan after long years of effort. Its originator and species are unknown.
A clear lemon-yellow, it has stamens and carpels (few) in the center.
It is hoped it will be valuable as a parent and seed bearer.
Of medium height and size and opening in midseason, this plant is distinctive in every way:
- Roots
- Golden yellow
- Leaves rather small (light, yellow-green at first and darkening with age)
- Stems light green
44659 by George W. Peyton