Why naturally choose a Peony
According to Mrs. Alice Harding, The book of the Peony (1917), Peonies are the best choice of all time for the garden for the following reasons:
- The sightly appeareance of its blooms: the elegance of the flower, its diferent forms, the satiny texture of the petals and the numerous tints and shades of white, pink and red as well as the fragrance.
- Its worth for both landscape and cutting: the substantial size of the plant and of the individual flowers makes it a useful and striking subject for the garden architect. The brightness, sweetness and lasting qualities of the blooms make it an ideal cut flower.
- The freshness of its foliage throughout the summer: A number of perennials lose the freshness of their foliage after blooming, the shining foliage of the peonies on the contrary attracts attention "from the time of its appearance above ground until it succumbs to the late frosts"
- The ease of its culture: anyone can raise peonies successfully "with far less trouble than it takes to grow roses"
- Its practical freedom from insects and disease: despite the fact that a number of diseases have been classified and described, "it is not likely to be troubled with diseased plants"
- Its extreme hardiness: It thrives in very severe climates, and endures a degree of cold that is often fatal to many other perennials.
- Its permanence: Lifting and dividing the roots are not necessary for many many years.
The only drawbacks the author finds, are just two:
- it grows slowly
- the stems of some varieties are not strong enough to bear the weight of the large flowers
