It is true that fall is the only time that you should transplant peonies. If they must be moved then... I would suggest that you move them now as soon as possible unless the ground is frozen. They will have spring to get down feeder roots before flowering. I would suggest that you not divide them this time of the year but rather try to move the clumps with as much soil as possible to carry some of the feeder roots already formed in late fall/early winter.

Still would have been better to have moved them a few months ago.

Do as peonyman suggests and you will be OK. Al

I have to say that I have always moved my peonies in spring. I wait until I see just the red tips poking through and then dig them up. I have never had a problem doing this and they always bloom yet the same year. I have moved very old peonies and also young ones this way with no problem. So you should be ok. Just be sure to water them a little more than you would have otherwise. I always feel they get a better start here in zone 4. Fall planting has never worked well for me. Seem to lose many plants. I think it is because they just don't have time to set roots before the cold winters.

Mary Lu

Thanks so much for the advice. I live in NYC, and we just had some snow..I can't wait to try it, and will be careful when I do. Will update as to what happens.

Ciao!
Kappu

Kappu....the requirement of the sized root ball is utmost.
Even then, you should look forward to possibly the plants not blooming this season. Peony just do not like to be disturbed.

It would be better to wait until the fall when their foliage can be allowed to die back and you can better do the transplanting. The plant will not be under as much stress to foliate...as they do in the spring.
Even then....'06 bloom may be delayed...until '07.

You are forewarned.

I only find peonies for sale here in the spring so had no choice but to buy and plant then; have had excellant luck with all surviving anyway. Nurseries here can't explain why they don't sell them in the fall though.

Hi,
It's me. I managed to find the opportunity to transplant my peonies on a nice non-wet Saturday while yet still a bit cold. It went well; I do have experience with roses and bleeding hearts, so I am optimistic. Buutttt time will tell. I am not expecting any blooms this year. So, now I can plan out my garden which has very little space to work with which is why I needed to move it.

Thanks alot for the advice, and i will jump up and down when I see my first blooms, and then I will update y'all here..

Ciao!
Kappu

I started to transplant my peonies but gave up because it is so big. What I want to know is if it will die on me since I broke a few of the tubers (roots)lol not sure if they're called tubers.

So.....

My transplanting seems to have gone well. The plants have come up and are looking lush. I double-digged the area and put in good amendments, tried not to place the tubers too deep. I am still crossing my fingers regarding blooms.

The tip about the coolness requirements helped me greatly.

Thanks...

Ciao!
Kappu

Well Kappu, how did the spring transplanting go? Did they survive, did you get bloom the next year, or how long did you have to wait?

Mary Lu, thanks for the tip about spring planting in WI. Last year I transplanted a peony in late June, and it might have died, at least it has not yet sprouted. (I did not cut the foliage back) Just yesterday I transplanted 3 peonies which had stemmed to about 18" and have tiny 1/4 inch diameter flower buds, again did not cut foliage back...do you think they will survive?

Today I got 2 more peonies, they are at least 4 years old. This time I tried to spade outside the imagined dripline and get the whole rootball. The roots are huge! They must go down 2 or 3 feet! There are alot of shoots, most just emerging, the tallest maybe 8 inches tall. I hope to get a few blooms this summer from this spring transplant.

I married last June and moved to another city in TN. I had two very old, but small from being moved so many times, peonies which I transplanted yet again. I agree, they are tough, but don't like to be moved. They died back last summer, but came back up this spring. I'm sure I won't have blooms, but was thrilled to see that they made it yet again. This should be their last move (mine, too!)

The big thing about peonies, whether they bloom after being transplanted or otherwise disturbed, is the depth they are planted. If transplanting, be sure to put them at the exact same depth they were originally and when cultivating in the spring, do not topdress a peony because to do so puts the plant effectively deeper and may result in poorer or no-show of bloom.
Sidedress a peony only. And fresh compost, as a mulch, is a good fertilizer.

I am putting in a lawn and tearing out a flower bed and moving it to another area. I moved a whole bunch of peonies yesterday not even thinking it would be a problem then came on this site and started reading. Now I am freaking out, I really hope they don't die. I love peonies! I had no choice but to move them but fingers crossed. Yikes!

Don't freak out, Luka! While it may be ideal to move them in fall, they are really tough plants.

Four years ago I moved in July, so it was either take them then or leave them behind. Moved a dozen mature plants and they all did fine. They did better than I did - they were absolutely enormous underground...you can sure hurt yourself digging and hauling them : )

I mulched them and kept them watered the rest of the hot miserable summer. July has got to be the worst time to transplant stuff - baking and dry. All but one bloomed the next year; that one bloomed the year following, after I'd replanted it yet again (realized I'd put it in too deep).

Karina

I have a peony question! I live in the Texas panhandle. The peonies have already bloomed. My friend is going to dig them up and toss them so she can plant something else in their place. If I go rescue them, can the be safely transplanted and bloom again in years to come, or will I be wasting my time?

Grab them and most of the other plants that she is tossing. You read that they should only be planted in the fall but that is untrue. Fall is the best time of the year but they can be dug and planted any time of the year. They may limp along this year but by next should be established. I had a neighbor who was what I call an instant gratification gardener. She would buy blooming plants and when they finished blooming would put them in the trash. She spent so much money on things like roses so she could have color all the time I could have wept.

I've got to brag about my peonies; they are 4th generation. I didn't know what I was doing when my Mom gave me a clump of them. And I thought they never would bloom, but low & behold the 3rd year was great! I've had them now for 30 years in 3 different spots in the yard. Today I planted one i

purchased. They are one of the most beautiful plants I've ever seen & a + that they go way back. Thanks for all the info & input. Happy in NC!