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In our area of the world this is the time of year when many of use turn into armchair gardeners. It's time for some serious reading!
Each of the last few years seems to have brought the arrival of a new book about peonies. There are several excellent peony books in print at the moment but in the age of the Internet there is no need to limit your choice to only those books that are still in print.
Numerous used book dealers list their catalogues on the Internet these days and a quick search will usually lead to several copies of a particular out of print book. My favourite site by far is the Advanced Book Exchange (www.abebooks.com) with access to over 8,000 independent book dealers world-wide.
The out of print peony books are particularly interesting when it comes to learning more about the peonies we consider today as classic peonies. These are mostly old varieties of Paeonia lactiflora or the so-called Chinese peonies.
The newer peony books have a distinct advantage over the older books because of the numerous colour pictures they include. The old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words…. More recent books also provide the reader the most information about newer hybrid peonies.
My personal collection of peony books includes the following:
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Peonies - Manual of the American Peony Society, Though out of print, it is well worth tracking down a copy. It's really a collection of articles authored by a veritable who's who of the American peony world. The articles about both herbaceous and tree peonies are fascinating and still relevant today. __________________________________________
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The Book of the Peony, Peonies in the Little Garden, Alice Harding was a well-known and well-respected peony enthusiast who wrote in a style that was both engaging and informative. Though also out of print, in 1993 the best of each of these books was combined and published as one book The Peony. This book is well worth reading if only for the chapter about the mythology and history of the peony. __________________________________________
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Peonies - Outdoors and in, Also out of print but easily found in used bookstores. This is the peony book of lists! Numerous lists covering everything from the most fragrant to the most spectacular peonies are included. The reader may not always agree with the peonies chosen but they do represent a starting point for anyone having trouble deciding which peonies to try. The book also has excellent sections on using peonies indoors in floral arrangements. __________________________________________
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The Moutan or Tree Peony, Yet another out of print but easily obtainable book. This is a small book but an excellent introduction to tree peonies. There are only a few black and white photos but I particularly liked the lengthy check list of mostly Japanese tree peony varieties in Chapter 4. Though the descriptions are quite short, the list includes many Japanese tree peonies and I found it to be a useful reference. __________________________________________
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A Study of the Genus Paeonia, This book is concerned with the classification of peonies and is not so much a gardener's reference but more a scientific work. It would however be a lovely addition to any serious collection of garden books. The book is perhaps best known for the fifteen wonderful colour plates and numerous line drawings. __________________________________________
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Garden Peonies, A book of only 64 pages and a quick read. The book's best feature is the list of "Best June-Flowering Paeonies". This is a valuable list because it is the list of James Kelway. Mr. Kelway was the third generation of the Kelway family to work with peonies at Kelways Nursery in the UK and the list stems from over 60 years of observing and working with peonies. The list also gives good descriptions of some older, rarely seen peonies. __________________________________________
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Peonies, Another little book full of information! Though a few peony lists are included to help in selecting which varieties to grow, the book's strength is the excellent discussion on growing peonies for fun and exhibition. Of all the discussions I've read about growing peonies the ones presented in this little book are most like my own philosophy. __________________________________________
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The Paeony, Though I would disagree with some of the cultural information given in this book it has a very interesting chapter about the history of peonies. I also like the recipes for peony water and potpourri! Like most peony books there are a number of peony lists and plant descriptions that I always find useful when planning a peony planting. __________________________________________
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le Monde fabuleux des pivoines, A French language book written by the French peony nurseryman, Michel Rivière. The book covers all the basics of growing both herbaceous and tree peonies. The remarkable aspects of this book however are the presentation and the insight into peony growing in Europe. Included are numerous water-colours and photos of peonies all compiled into a beautiful book. And, if you ever wanted to learn more about the great French nurserymen who introduced so many of the peonies we still grow to today, this book tells at least a little of their story! __________________________________________
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Peonies, This is a book I thumb through frequently when deciding what peonies to add to my collection. The book covers the peony from A to Z with discussions on history, classification, culture and propagation. It also includes several appendices covering peonies in the landscape, descriptions of varieties and nursery sources. It is a very complete modern reference with loads of colour photos. __________________________________________
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The Gardener's Guide to Growing Peonies, The chapters on history & botany and peony species are informative yet infinitely readable. This is my favourite reference book when it comes to learning more about peony species. Like le Monde fabuleux des pivoines this book presents a more European view of the peony and it is in this book that the reader will find more complete descriptions and pictures of European peony introductions as well as many North American hybrids. __________________________________________
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Peonies, The book was published in North America by Harry N. Abrams Inc. of significance because Abrams is a publisher of high-quality art and illustrated books. The book is full of not only peony photos but also pictures of works of art with a peony theme. Approximately half the book is dedicated to lists of herbaceous and tree peonies that help the reader decide which peonies to try in their own gardens and information on how to grow them. The first section of the book however was my favourite. Information about peonies in the wild is woven together with cultural history and stories of plant hunters. __________________________________________
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The Book of Tree Peonies, Originally published in Italian and recently translated into English. When I first opened this book I was stunned by the truly wonderful photos. I read lots of glossy magazines and own zillions of gardening books but these were without a doubt some of the most beautiful pictures I had seen in a book. The book chronicles Osti's two expeditions to China and makes wonderful reading for both the tree peony expert and the complete novice. __________________________________________
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Pivoines, Another French language book from the Rivière family! Even if you don't read French this book is very useful. Words are few and far between but tree and herbaceous peony pictures are presented by the hundreds! This is an inexpensive pictorial reference that is very useful when deciding which peonies to grow. __________________________________________
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No look at the books about peonies would be complete without mentioning the many publications of the American Peony Society. The APS over the years has published a number of books compiling past APS Bulletin articles and listing peony varieties. These books are full of useful information and can be obtained from the APS at a reasonable cost. What they lack in pictures is made up for in authoritative words.
Peonies 1976 - 1986, Peonies 1986-1996, American Peony Society |
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History of Peonies and Their Originations, American Peony Society, 1976 |
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American Peony Society - 75 Years, Greta Kessenich Editor, 1979 |
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The Peonies, John C. Wister Editor, Second Printing 1995 |
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The American Hybrid Peony, __________________________________________
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In addition to the above books, there are also several other English language books that I have yet to add to my collection. These include :
Peonies of Greece: A Taxonomic and Historical Survey of the Genus Paeonia in Greece, William T.Stearn, Peter H. Davis, 1984 |
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Chinese Tree Peony, Wang Lianying, 1998 |
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Tree and Herbaceous Peonies in Modern Japan, Ryoshi Hashida Second Printing, 1996 |
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The American Tree Peony, __________________________________________
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So if winter has rolled into your area of the world, consider becoming an armchair gardener for awhile and pick up a book about peonies!
Lindsay D'Aoust
email: .
phone: 450.458.2759 fax: 450.458.0253
La Pivoinerie D'Aoust,
P.O. Box 220, Hudson Heights,
QC J0P 1J0, Canada