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In recent years, the regions in the Northwest China, especially the Gansu province has successfully cultivated and developed the ¡°Purple Speckle Peony¡± which enjoys the character of large tree type, drought-resist, large blooms, orderly arranged petals and beautiful shapes of its pistils and stamens. It is deeply appreciated by the public in the world. The Purple Speckle Peony, named as ¡°ROCKS¡± in the west, its seed was collected by Reginald Farrer from Zhuoni country in Gansu province in the year of 1914, and then it was sent to Arnold Tree Garden for planting and subsequently to be spread out to regions of America and Europe. In 1938, the Purple Speckle Peony introduced and planted in U.S.A, Canada, England and Switzerland began to blossom out successively and get fancies from the public. It was awarded the 1st Certificate of the Royal Horticulture Association in 1944. The great differences exist in the character of viewing and admiring between the Original Variety of the ¡°Purple Speckle Peony¡± introduced by Joseph Rock in those years and the Improved Variety of the Gansu ¡°Purple Speckle Peony¡± cultivated now.
There are 300 varieties of Gnasu peony after many years of cultivation; all of them enjoy the character of rich colors, various shapes, strong flexibility and simple maintenance. It becomes the new and resplendent star in the family of the peony and the shopping ¨Crush variety for introducing and planting both at home and abroad.
The Purple Speckle Peony enjoys the name for its black purple, purplish red and red brown speckles at the fetal base that is also the leading character different from Zhongyuan(referred to Luoyang and Heze) Peony. The leading features of Gansu Purple Speckle Peony is as follows:
I. Large tree type :The height of it reaches 2¡«3m, the breadth of the crown of it reaches 3¡«4m, the number of the lobule exceeds 15, the leaf type changes little and having long primary petiole, most of the varieties are suitable for fresh cut blooms because of its annually prosperous growth.
II. ¡¡Big blooms, freshness, aromatic; thick , smooth, and delicate petals, the base of it has purple or purplish red speckles, this seldom happens to Zhongyuan(referred to Luoyang and Heze) Peony. The diameter of the bloom can reach 25cm, the height of the bud is 15cm with various shapes and orderly arranged petals. The shapes of its pistils and stamens can be changeable, and enjoys high properties of viewing and admiring. The strong aromatic of it can not be reached by Zhongyuan(referred to Luoyang and Heze ) Peony.
III.¡¡JackFrost-resist, drought-resist and saline-alkali resist: It can live through the winter out of the room with the temperature of 40oC below the zero and without any artificial protections to it, it is suitable for planting in cold regions. It likes fertile soil and refuses water-logging, the survival nursery stock of it can grow and blossom out even in the serious drought conditions.
The technique for the planting of Gansu Peony is simple and little maintenance to be needed. The nursery stock growing with 3¡«10 years can meet the requirement of the ordinary planting, the spring and autumn season are just the time for its planting, but the later is the master. The insemination, graft and offshoot are just the three reproducing ways for Gansu Peony. The nursery stock inseminated will blossom out 5 years later, those planted under the graft and offshoot will do in the same years, but the best beautiful blooms will be seen 2¡«3 years later because its rejuvenation period is just the 2¡«3 years. The plant disease and insect pests seldom happen to it although the sallow leaves will appear caused by the mycosis in the hot and humid weather. Sprinkle the sterilizing agent on the leaves of the Peony will be preventive.
Lanzhou Peony & Horticulture Development Company in China is the largest company of professional researching, producing and selling the Purple Speckle Peony and Chinese Peony. Concurrently sell Gansu dahlia and other nursery stocks. The technique for standardization of the grafting ensures the purity and veracity of the nursery stocks for sale. The existing varieties are over 200, the practical technique summarized for planting the Purple Speckle Peony both in the spring and autumn plays the key role in increasing the survival rate of the Purple Speckle Peony. The Purple Speckle Peony demanded exceeds the supply in domestic markets, and it is also sold in Japan, South Korea, U.S.A, Holland, Italy, Canada, France and some others, etc, and well appreciated by their purchasers. The new varieties of it will be devoted to the public continuously.
Mr. ZHAO Qian-long, the general manager of the company, is the vice secretary- general of the Chinese Peony and Chinese Peony Association. He, cooperating with Mr. LI Jia-Jue, the expert for the peony and the general engineer of the company, has published the monograph of ¡° Chinese Peony and Chinese Peony¡±, this is the most comprehensive and important monograph concerned with the peony in China at the present time. Mr. ZHAO Qian-long devotes himself to the research and experiment of the peony, the latitude suitable for planting peony has been pushed northward from the original 43oto 53oof the north latitude, and the Jack Frost-resist temperature for the planting peony has been reduced from -30oC to -40oC. The record that peony could not be planted in the open air in the north areas of the Great Wall has been changed. This enlarges one times of the planting area greater than that of the peony in the world. It also plays active roles in beautifying the environment, protecting the biological species, and supplying fine nursery stocks to the cold regions in the world.
In recent years, there are so many foreign scholars to visit and make cooperation with the company; all of them are to be warmly entertained.
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