Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 61, Number 133, Decatur, Adams County, 6 June 1963 — Page 8

PAGE EIGHT

r Neighboring Van Wert 0., Still “Peony Citv” Os The World • J

30-Acre Fields ; In Full Color This Weekend By Michael Thoele, Staff Writer Once upon a time, said the ancient Greeks, then was a physician named Paeon who was turned into a flower by the gods to save him DRIVE IN THEATER FRI. & SAT.

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i from death at the hand of enother physician. Aesculapius. That flower ha, been called the peony ever since, has been cultii vated in! Europe and China for I 2,000 years, and today neighbori ing Van Wert, 0., is known over our entire country as “The Peony City.” The story of the development of Van Wert into a city of flowers started in the early 1890’s, when a woman named Mrs. Sarah Pleas, from Spiceland. Ind., began planting them in and around Van Wert Van Wert residents took a liking j O — O — Last Time Tonight — | 2 Technicolor Hits! DORIS DAY In “Jumbo” & “5 Weeks in a Balloon” | Fabian & Red Buttons O . O »•

to the large, fragrant blossoms and by the early 1900’s many of them were cultivating the flowers in earnest. Wassenberg k Leader Foremost among these was Charles Wassenberg, co-proprietor of Balyeat and Wassenberg, a Van Wert haberdashery. Other Van Wert citizens who raised peonies on a large scale were Louise Germann, Harry Beckman and Dr. A. B. Himes, all originally city businessmen who finally specialized in flowers. As they passed away, their commercial gardens i closed. Eventually peonies became more interesting and more time-consum-ing than men’s wear and, consequently, Wassenberg left the clothing business to take up peony-grow-ing on a full-time basis. He founded Wassenberg Gardens, a thirtyacre farm devoted entirely to the , growing of peonies, iris, daylilies 1 and poppies. - I Wassenberg died in 1954 at the age of eighty. By that time he had put Van Wert on the map as “The Peony City.” From the early 30'; until 1911 it was the scene of the “peony festival,” an , annual celebration which attracted up to 100,000 people. The festivals were revived in 1955, but discontinued again in 1960 because of the difficulties involved in staging such ■ a large event. Miller Carries On Today the work at Wassenberg Gardens is being carried on by Richard Miller, who first went to work for Wassenberg in 1938. The gardens now ships peony root stocks, iris rhizomes and daylily and poppy roots to flower growers in every state in the union. Work at Wassenberg Gardens is, of course, seasonal; at this time of year, when ordering is usually done, Miller is assisted by four

THE DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT, DECATUR, INDIANA

emoloyees his wife, and four children. The 30-acre Wassenberg Gardens will be in full bloom this Saturday and Sunday, just four miles east of Van Wert, 0., on highway 30, and Decatur' area residents are cordially invited to visit the gardens and see for them_selves the beauty of 400 varieties of peonies, plus iris, day lillies, and poppies, in bloom. Driving through Van Wert, you may see many unusual varieties, such as the one mone, single, bomb, rosepetaled, Japanese, and double Chinese, blooming in the front yards of nearly every home. More Employes But later, when the roots, rhizomes, and blubs must be dug, packed, and shipped, as many as 15 people are employed. When I shipping is completed in December, it’s time for-Miller to sit back, and get caught up on his “bookwork.” Raising hundreds of thousands of peony plants is more than just gardening. Imagine how you would feel if you ordered a big red double peony, and after carefully planting it in a permanent position, and after waiting a year or two for it to bloom, you discovered that it was a white single, completely out of harmony with its location in your garden. To prevent this, Miller uses a complicated accounting system, numbering or lettering each field, then each row, and finally each group of plants in a row. Cull Out “Strangers” This week, while the plants are blooming, he must carefully inspect each row of plants in the entire gardens, looking for “unwanted” plants — those which have been mistakenly identified, and placed in the wrong rows. — If you would happen to get the wrong kind of peony, Wassenberg Gardens will replace it with the correct kind, but this seldom happens because of the accurate system, and check on the workers, most of whom are “old hands” at . peony. work..When each plant is dug for shipment, only the mature, but not too old plants are used. Miller explained that single or double eye roots only produce leaves for one or two or more years, and these small divisions he saves for stock, and grows up to blooming size before selling them. 409 Varieties Three-year-old plants are just right, with good blooming size roots, and several eyes. But six, seven, or eight-year-old plants, while they still bloom beautifully, have huge rootstocks, and when broken up often do not again bloom for many years. Wassenberg Gardens stocks 400 varieties of peonies, 330 varieties of iris, 150 varieties of daylilies and thirty varieties of poppies. Peonies are shipped from Van Wert to. every- state- except Florida and Hawaii, where they are almost impossible to grow. Blooming Right Now This week is the high point of the peony blooming season and the fields at Wassenberg Gardens are now a vivid rainbow of pink, white, red and yellow. Though the peony festivals have been discontinued, hundreds of visitors still flock to Van Wert and to Wassenberg Gardens during the blooming season. Miller explained that the coming weekend should be the best time for visiting the gardens this year, as nearly all of the flowers, except for a few whose growth was slowed by May frosts, should be in full bloom. He said that Wassenberg Gardens are always open to the public and that visitors are more than welcome. Visitors who tour the gardens may see a prepared display of many of the flower varieties grown at the gardens and they may view the fields in which the peonies and other flowers are neatly grouped according to variety and color. To facilitate filling orders each row in each field is numbered on charts kept by Miller. The charts also listed the exact number of each variety, of. plant in. each row. Digging and Shipping Peony root stock, comprised of roots and 3 to 5 eyes, is shipped . from September to December each year. Once the roots are dug from the ground they must be kept moist until they are replanted. To accomplish this they are shipped in sphagnum moss, which holds moisture well. During the shipping season Wassenberg Gardens employes as many as 15 in digging and packaging. Iris rhizomes and daylily roots are shipped from July to December of each year. Poppy roots are usually sold between August 15 and October. Cures Attributed Probably from their namesake,

Probably from their namesake, (Continued on Page Seven)

Lt''*’ w '■fcs' JSßSbP™ ■< If"’ ■ j? 1 --"™ KEEPER OF THE PEONlES— Richard Miller, proprietor of Wassenberg Gardens peony farrn in Van Wert, surveys one of the several fields of peonies which are just coming into full bloom this week. Miller has worked on the farm since 1938 and has managed it since the death of Charles Wassenberg in 1954. — (Photo by Mac Lean) AjJpO ’'l ; ww* m. He Xi YOUTH AND FLOWERS— Laurie and Ricky Miller, age 10 and 9 respectively, hold two samples of the several hundred varieties of peonies grown at Wassenberg Gardens. Laurie is holding a Japanese ' white peony variety called Shiro-Sangai. Ricky is holding a double pink type blossom called Walter ..... Faxon. — (Photo by MaeLeant 1 “

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THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 1963

Lutheran School To Close Friday Night Closing services of this year’s vacation Bible school will be held in Zion Lutheran church, 11th and Monroe, Friday at 7 p.m. The program will be led by children from each of the school’s departments. Pupils, their parents, and friends are invited. “Walking With God” has been the theme of this year’s school. An enrollment high of 293 was reached. This included 222 children and 71 staff members. Smith F. Snively was the superintendent. Department leaders were Miss Barbara Rutter, Richard Riemer, Mrs. Louis Jacobs, Mrs. Smith Snively, Mrs. Richard Ludwig, and Mrs. William Justice. SKIN ITCH DON'T SCRATCH ITI Scratching spreads Infection, causing’ MORE pain. Apply quick-dry-ing ITCH-ME-NOT instead. Itching quiets down in minutes and antiseptic action helps speed healing. Fine for ecsema, insect bites, foot Itch, other surface rashes. If not pleased, your 48c back at any drug store. TODAY at Kohns Drug Store. NOW FEATURING From World Leading DELICATESSENS i BAKED BEANS POTATO SALAD MACARONI SALAD KIDNEY BEAN SALAD CREAMED SLAW HAM SALAD Also A Complete Line {of Bulk Style Cold Cuts and Picnic Supplies. _. .._ (Reasonably Priced)