thanks so much. Im excited to plant them and see if they grow here in zone 8b.

They grow perfectly well in my zone 8b/9a so no reason they shouldn't in yours.

Thanks for the reassurance. I debated a whole year if I should attempt to plant them in my zone since they do well in colder climates. By the way gardengal, thanks for your great advice on my camellia that was turning yellow over the winter. I have been adding acidifier to the soil little by little every month and it has now turned 70% back to dark green.

I plant bareroot peonies in the spring every year with no issues. The only time I've potted them up first is when it's too uncomfortably cold or the ground is still hard when they come in--those that start growing before I can get them in the ground stay in the pots until fall, though. Gardengal's advice on keeping them more shaded is absolutely sound--you don't want the pots to get overheated. Good luck with your new peonies!

I do not see a reason to plant them in the pots unless you are moving or in the process of major garden overhaul.

ok now I'm confused more than ever. Everywhere I read, the advice is to pot them in pots in spring if you get bared roots but put them in the ground if it is fall. I don't understand the logic either but this seems to be the consensus. They say if you put them in the ground they lag 1 year. I would like to see flowers next year if possible so I'm trying to do what is the correct method.

Many of us buy roots too weak to stick in the ground where they do not get the monitoring needed to allow them to grow roots able to support them. If I was willing to spend more on the plant to get better size, I might plant them directly in the ground and then supply them with temporary shade until they harden off in my summer climate.

Hi Calistoga, what part of California do you live where you are able to grow Peonies successfully? I live in the high desert (Mojave desert) where we get enough cold days in the winter for Peonies but the summers here are brutal, up in the 100s for 2 to 3 months. I have an area in my yard that gets morning sun and afternoon shades and I was planning to plant them there in the fall. But I was thinking of putting them in pots first to see if they survive the heat here where I can move them if necessary. If all things fail and I can't grow them sucessfully here in my area, these peonies will go to my mom who lives in Nebraska and has had her peonies garden for 20+ years.

Think about it. The digging season in the lower 48 is too late for the growers in Alaska to plant in the ground unless there is an exceptional year. They receive roots that have been kept in cold storage in the spring for planting then. If they can do it you can too. Most of the roots you see in packages have also been kept in cold storage unless they have been shipped from the Southern Hemisphere. The only thing is that the plant growth can be retarded by Spring planting but that will happen if in the ground or in a pot. The reason is that the small roots needed to absorb nutrients are not triggered to grow until the ground is cooler. Being planted close to the surface there may also be some thing about the daylight be coming shorter that can also cue the plants.

Planting in pots and waiting until fall is up to you but I would recommend placing those pots in the ground rather than exposing them to the heat of the air surrounding the pots. If you do get them established you may have a problem with some of the nematodes eating from their roots as they are more prevalent in certain types of soil. Your soil may also be too alkali for good growth but in that case I do suggest a raised bed. There are some peonies whose ancestors come from alkali areas of the world. Next year the American Peony Society is planned to have their annual meeting in Oregon again. There will be people there that have much more knowledge of the geographic areas that peonies are from than I am. If he is able to come I would suggest finding Don Hollingworth and asking him about the topic. He is either in his late 80's or may be 90 this year. Kind man and loves to answer questions.