Etienne Méchin (1815 - 1895). Started cultivating peonies in 1840, established his nursery in 1848. During 1840-1860 he was assisted by Dr. Bretonneau, a passionate amateur. In 1866, he inherited the collection of Modeste Guérin, which, in 1895, passed on to his grandson, Auguste Dessert.
[From
The Book of the Peony by Alice Harding, 1917, p. 53-54:] Contemporary with Guerin, Verdier, Calot and Crousse was
Etienne Mechin, an ardent Amateur who, tutored by the celebrated horticulturist, Bretonneau, began to collect peonies as early as 1840. By 1860, he had acquired a famous collection comprising importations from China and Japan, and seedlings of his own raising....With his grandson, Auguste Dessert, Mechin put out a number of new sorts...
[From
The Book of the Peony by Alice Harding, 1917, p. 54-55:] Tabulation showing successive owners of noted French collections of peonies:
Etienne Mechin (1885-1895)
collection atarted 1840
Dessert and Mechin, 1882-1893
Auguste Dessert, 1888-
now extant at Chanonceaux.
[From
The Book of the Peony by Alice Harding, 1917, p. 55:] Tabulation showing successive owners of noted French collections of peonies:
Modeste Guerin, 1835-1866
A large part of this collection was bought by
Mechin. The ground in Paris occupied by this collection and by that of Eugene Verdier was sold for building purposes, and the collections were dispersed.
