recommended reading
Peonies need cold weather to make them bloom. It is 10 degrees out and the peonies are happy, but I’m freezing. Run away! Or curl up with a favorite book. Or both!
An Annotated Bibliography
- Fearnley-Whittingstall, Jane. 1999. Peonies, New York, New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
- Beautifully designed, sections on history, garden planning, cultivar selection, and planting.
- Halda, Josef J. with Waddick, James W. 2004. The Genus Paeonia, Portland, Oregon:
Timber Press, Inc. - Illustrated by Jarmila Haldova, this book discusses 25 native species of the genus Paeonia.
- Harding, Alice. 1993. The Peony, Portland Oregon: Sagapress, Inc. & Timber Press, Inc.
- A compilation of Harding’s original works on peonies first published in 1917 &1923, which remain compulsory reading. Introduction and updates by Roy Klehm.
- Lianying, Wang, et.al. 1998. Chinese Tree Peony, Beijing China:
China Forestry Publishing House. - The best book I have yet to find on peonies.
- McGeorge, Pamela. 2006. Peonies, Buffalo, New York: Firefly Books.
- Good overview, an enjoyable read, packed full of information.
- McLewin, Will & Chen, Dezhong. 2006. Peony Rockii and Ganzu Mudan, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Wellesley-Cambridge Press.
- Best book I have found on Rockii Peonies/Gansu Mudan
- Osti, Gian Lupo. 2004. The Book of Mediterranean Peonies, Umberto Allemandi & C. New York, New York.
- Wonderfully illustrated introduction to thes lesser known peony species
- Page, Martin. 1997 & 2002. The Gardener’s Guide to Growing Peonies, Portland, Oregon:
Timber Press, Inc. - Another primer, good pictures and descriptions of well-known herbaceous cultivars.
- Rogers, Allan 1995. Peonies, Portland, Oregon: Timber Press, Inc.
Written by a grower, this book is well written and most helpful.