Oops! I found it.. it says 1". Is that 1" from the top or bottom? LOL! The root piece is about 4" long.

Locate the eyes of your peony (they look like white buds) and make sure that the top of the eyes are facing upwards and are buried 1-2" below the soil (for your zone, 1" is probably best).

Eventhough the eyes only have to be 1" below the surface you should dig a hole at least 1'x1'x1' to loosen up the dirt and mix some fertilizer in.

Oh, & make sure you're planting it in a sunny spot!

Hope this helps :)

A bareroot peony the size of yours I would pot into a one gallon container until the fall when I would plant it in the garden. You will have a much better chance of success and will be able to properly prepare the garden location for the fall planting. Al

I did put it into a 1 gallon container and I put the whole thing in a bay window with lots of sunlight. Its freezing here at the moment (although I'm sure that won't last long) so I didn't put it outside. I'll be happy to keep it potted until fall, then I can keep a close eye on it. Thank you! :)

Peonies really need a cold cycle. The cold cycle should be under 40F at the minimum. In a pot the need is to let the root become cool but not too cold and dried out. In your zone 8a you may have some freezing temperatures but not subzero ones. Try to put the pot outside on the cooler days.

Last year was an exception as far as temperatures. We had very low temperatures clear to the gulf coast at Easter which wiped out much of the bloom and in Spring dampness some of the plants died, more I believe from rot than from the frozen wet soil.

I have lots of peonies in one gallon pots outside through the coldest winters with no problems. Peonies are not house plants and in your zone winter temperatures should be fine. Al

OK, I will put it outside tomorrow. In good news, its coming up green! I was so excited I went and bought a beautiful red bulb (Karl Rosenfield). I planted it today in its own 1 gallon pot. Thank you for the advice! I'll take pictures when they flower.

Part of growing peonies is the learning of the value of PATIENCE. Do not expect your peony to bloom this year or probably next year either. If you are starting out with a generous division it will some times bloom the first year, but should not be expected. Al

I will wait. :) I'm just happy to see green! The others I planted never came up at all. This one has gone from nothing to about 1 foot tall since my first post! Thanks again!

If they were bare root, it will probably be year 3 before you get flowers (unless the eyes you had were really large.) The biggest reason for peony failure is planting too deep (especially if you are in a not very cold zone). Mine are barely below soil surface, and I pull the mulch back in the winter so they get cold. Also helps to give them super phospate in early spring. And if you live in an area that has a wet springs, spray with fungicide when the shoots start to prevent botyris ...