Peonies do not like being transplanted, so they are not going to do much until the second or third year. Do you best to determine the optimum spot before planting and add the requisite fertilizer/compost needed. Peonies like full sun, but Texas summers are hot. Look for a spot that gets 6 hours of sun but will be shaded in the late afternoon. Drought is extremely stressful, and even well-established plants may succumb. Additionally, peonies like a cold winter, so if winter is mild you will have fewer flower buds. Do not mulch peonies over winter in Texas.

Gardening is an on-going effort. Some years success is easy and other years all your hard work won't prevent failure. If you truly love peonies then you should try one plant at least. HERE is a link to more info.

Last year, an Oklahoma Gardening member recommended Gilbert H. Wild's annual peony sale. I inherited a Sarah Bernhardt that does fairly well in my sandy soil, but I was leery of trying anything tender in our hot climate, I purchased a President Roosevelt and Duchess de Nemours on sale without much expectation of them surviving. Lo and behold, they're coming up well this year. I don't expect blooms this year, but they may surprise me next year. Maybe there's something available on sale you'd like on the link above. ETA, there's a 5 for $25 on one of the last pages. If I had more room and time, I'd purchase that.

Make sure to check your soil Ph. Peonies like acidic soil. Even if you provide commercial acidic soil, if you have alkaline soil, chances are that your water will be alkaline too, so your commercial acidic soil will eventually become alkaline.

Omar

I bought 2 of those large containers and the peonies bloomed the same year, in the pot. I had picked them based on them having definite buds, so I didn't want to mess up the bloom during the first year by transplanting. I transferred them out in the fall for their permanent spot in the garden. They have continued to bloom since.

Based on that experience, I wouldn't hesitate to buy them at the $40 price, even though some of the nurseries do have 25-50% off sales on them at some point.