Took over in 1895 the peony nursery of his grandfather Etienne Méchin, who in turn, had inherited this from Guérin. Before his death, Dessert sold his peonies in 1922 to Doriat.
[From
Revue Horticole, May 1, 1901, p. 205:] Récompenses des concours temporaires de l'Exposition Universelle...premiers prix....M. Dessert, à Chenonceaux (Indre-et-Loire), récompensé pour sa Pivoines
[From
A Manual on the Cultivation and Propagation of Peonies, by C. S. Harrison (ed.), 1907, p. 20:] Dessert, one of the leading French propagators, seems to send for the most part healthy stock.
[From
The Book of the Peony by Alice Harding, 1917, p. 54:] With his grandson, Auguste Dessert, Mechin put out a number of new sorts...Mechin was succeeded by Dessert who has added many noteworthy varieties and is still actively engaged in this work at Chanonceaux [Chenonceaux]. Dessert is considered one of the greatest living experts on peonies.
[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:
M. Jacques, gardener to Louis Philippe. 1830-1848
Victor Verdier, 1848-1866.
Eugene Verdier, 1866- ?
Part of this collection was acquired by
Dessert.
[From
American Peony Society Bulletin, 1924, p. 39:] [M. Dessert's] property never has been large, and it is amazing to think what he has accomplished on such a relatively small plot of ground; but the same is true regarding Lemoine and was the case as well with our own John Richardson. M. Dessert informed me that Doriat had already taken 30,000 plants so as to have some stock with which to fill the year's orders.
