SECTION 1

Herbaceous Hybrids

GROUPED according to their parent species and arranged roughly in order of blooming season. According to a new system for designating the season of bloom: VB (Very Early) will cover the bloom of May 12-23 in the Clinton latitude. E (Early) the bloom of May 23 to June 3, and M (Midseason) that of June 3-17. The letter L (Late) would under this system cover the race of albifloras, which bloom in Clinton until about July.

It must be remembered that seasons of bloom vary by as much as three weeks, so at best our terms are on approximate.

THE YEAR GIVEN with each plant is usually the date of its first cataloguing, actually the plant may have made its real debut some years before, at a show.

F2 and F3 refer here to 2nd and 3rd generation plants grown from the rare seed occasionally produced on the F-1 (1st genention) hybrid, but by open pollination, not handpoliination, F-1 hybrids are generally sterile- wheras F2's and F3's are generally fertile.

Tenuifolia x Woodwardi

Earlybird (1939) VE. A strain. Among the first peonies to bloom. Nice little plants with finely-cut foliage and bright crimson flowers.

Mlokosewitschi x tenuifolia

Playmate (1939) VE. A strain. Small bright rosy flowers held well above the fern-like foliage, Lovely garden plants.

Nosegay (1950) VE, An F2. Small gay flowers held like a bouquet above he tajlish plant. Salmon-rose pink Very charming spring plants.

The reciprocal cross: Tenuifolia x mlokosewitschi

Gwenda (1955) VE. An F2, Exquisite tea-rose goblets; rosy edged, fadirig to ivory. Sets seed.

Daystar (1949) VE. Gwenda's child, so an F3 Almost the first peony to bloom. Single goblets of clear pale yellow, on reddish stems with handsomely pointed leaves. Sets seed.

Mlokosewitschi x Macrophylla

Nova (1950 as Olga) VE, An F2. This strain has clear pale yellow flowers and large glossy leaves. Dwarf plants, but good growers and set seed well. Offspring too are often pale yellow.

Officinalis x decora alba

Diantha (1941) VB. Dwarf plants with delightful light pink flowers of medium size. A lovely thing.

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