Evening star., 1929-06-07
RECORD DISPLAY
IN PEONy EXHIBIT
Two Societies Join in Flower
Show at Willard
Hotel.

With the atmosphere pervaded by the
strange jungle fragrance of exotic or
chids, long tables laden with enormous
peony blossoms of the rarer varieties
and record display of iris, water lilies,
roses and old-fashioned perennials, the
joint annual exhibition of the American
Horticultural Society and the American
Peony Society opened at pm. today
in the Willard ballroom.
Flower lovers were in attendance
from all parts of the country, particu-
larly peony breeders and fanciers. Ap-
proximately 800 out-of-town members
of the society are in Washington
Peonies occupied the center of the stage,
with the judges seeking among the new
varieties one worthy of the 81 900 award
for new yellow peony and for the best
single bloom, to be awarded the silver
medal.
Washington gardens are well repre-
Sented in all the exhibits. Dr. Earle B.
White of Kensington, Md, chairman of
the local committee on peony exhibits,
had hundreds of blossoms entered.
Stored for Several Weeks.
Most of the peonies have been in
cold storage for several weeks. The
committee had some anxious moments
last night when the blooms were taken
from the packing cases, looking as if
they had been dead for days, and placed
in water. Florists customarily store
some OF the better known commercial
varieties in this way, but the ability
OF. the new and unfamiliar varieties
to revive was a matter of conjecture.
The result was almost miraculous as
the withered leaves became green and
fresh and the blackened buds opened
into magnificent white, pink and scar
let blossoms.
The same effect was obtained with
the roses, although these had been
stored for much shorter periods. Prof.
David LumSden, chairman of the spe-
clal exhlbits committee, has succeeded
in bringing here the most sensational
of the newly imported varieties.
Overfiows Ballroom.
AS the flowers continued to pour in
during the morning the show overf1owed
The ballroom into two adjacent rooms
Two exhibits of orchids were accorded
prominent position. due both to their
value and to the fact that they are the
ioVeliest and most delicate flowers In
the show, with the butterf1y-Wing
texture of the blossoms, which seem to
foat on air. Some individual plants
IN this collection are valued at above
$4,000. They are from the green
houses of Mrs William K. du Pont of
Wilmington, Del, and of Thomas Young
of Bound Brook, N. j., Americas
premier orchid fanciers
Special interest was being shown in
the exhibits of local garden clubs in
competition for the trophy offered by
The Evening Star. Ten groups of
Washington and the suburbs are COM
peting for this cup. The problem set
to be worked out by the exhibitors was
for planting around bird bath. The
best exhibit in this class will receive IS
points toward this grand prize. In ad-
dition, exhibits in any of the other
classes by garden club members will
count toward the trophy.
japanese iris are being shown for the
first time in an Ameriman Horticultural
Society show.
The show will remain open from to
10 pm. today and all day tomorrow.
The annual banquet of the American
Peony Society will be held tonight at
the Willard.