can you give us a better idea of where you are ... big city name ...

what choice do you have?? .. just do it ...

are any of them actually growing.. or are they fully dormant???

i would just put some roots with some dirt.. in a grocery bag.. and move them ... and replant them ASAP ... before they start growing too vigorously ....

i would probably store them against the house.. in shade ....bag an all ... but dont let it fill with water ... and since it still sounds rather cold ... i suspect.. you probably have a couple of weeks to deal with them.. after the move ...

if worse come to worse... just dig a few feet of ground.. and jam them all in.. and move them later ... trying to get media.. pots.. etc only complicates the job.. when you should be concentrating on moving ...

there is litttle difference between this.. and if you received mail order plants in a few weeks ..

and keep in mind.. they are fully acclimated to local temps ... so cold really shouldnt be a problems... short of them freezing solid because they are out of the ground ...

ken

the peony might be worst set back ... and it might take a few years to recover .. but then.. maybe not ... who knows.. just do it ...

Thanks! I thought my zone was after my name- I guess not. Central mass., zone 5a/5b depending on the year. I actually already have the big pots and soil from some veggies I did last year. My soil is super clay/rocky and compact from livestock being on it for many years so I grew my peppers in pots last year and they did MUCH better.

As long you can locate the plants and dig the ground, then i think you'll have no problems moving or dividing now. They should also hold fine in containers.... And if you run out of containers, or if the plant doesn't fit, just slide the plant into an open heavy-duty plastic bag. Water as needed. I've held plants like that in light shade for many weeks until I could plant them.

Ruth, your zone is after your name for folks signed in via Gardenweb, but for those who sign in through Houzz, it doesn’t show. So I remedied that by adding it as part of my “name (publicly displayed)” on my “My Houzz” page and removing it in the line provided for zone info.

You want to protect plants from really extreme temp changes now; I might put them in a garden cart or wheelbarrow and move them into a shed or unheated garage if temperatures get really cold. Or if there are too many or you don’t have an unheated shelter, you can throw quilts over them on cold nights and perhaps set them against the north foundation. That will keep them dormant. For instance, we had a few nights in the low teens and days that didn’t get out of the low 30s after several days in the 60 or even 70s, which isn’t an issue for plants in the ground, but might be for plants in pots. When plants are in the ground, the mass of soil makes a great heat sink and so roots are protected and temperatures stay cool until it is time for plants to grow. In pots, especially in a sunny site, soil may warm enough that plants start growing before it is really warm enough, and they may experience many freeze-thaw cycles.

Edited to add that I cross posted with party music. I don’t know where s/he is but in my cold zone 5 it is still too early.

to be clear ... having moved 1750 pots .. of various sizes ... when i moved long ago ...

a bag with some dirt.. is much easier to move ... than a collection of potentially heavy pots ... unless you are going to hire a truck.. just for the pots ....

i realize i am perhaps exaggerating for affect.. but i am sure you get the idea ... work smart.. not hard ...

ken

ps: i have found grocery bags of spring gifts.. in fall .. lol ... and planted them ...