For years there was a peony nursery down the hill from me. If I remember correctly they did any lifting and dividing that was going to be done each year in September, when the winter buds had become visible near the bases of the stems. The foliage was still present and green at this time but was cut off during the operation, apparently without ill effect.

with a new pot of any kind of plant .. if you want to enjoy the bloom.. then enjoy it in the pot.. and as soon as it starts to fade ... cut them off and plant them .. unless its close to the heat of summer and you wont be able to keep it properly watered.. [somewhat location specific]

and if that is the case.. hold the pot until fall ..

if close to last easy planting date ... just as the flowers start to open .. cut them and enjoy them in the house in a vase .. but get the plant planted a weeks sooner ...

and with peony... make sure the ants arent on the plant .. before taking them in the house ... just hang them upside down.. and give them a good shaking ...

ken

I have a lot of peonies. You're supposed to transplant them in the fall, but I have done it spring, summer and fall without any problems. They are tough plants. I once brutally yanked out 4 or 5 huge peonies in the blazing sun in midsummer from a neighbor's yard (they were replacing their septic system, so all the garden plants were going to be destroyed.) I had to put them in trash bags because they wouldn't fit in any pots. I planted them, and the next spring every single one of them bloomed beautifully. Especially where yours is in a pot now, you don't have to worry about it. Just plant it, or wait until it blooms if you want, but then plant it and let it grow for the rest of the season. Don't cut the foliage down until late fall when you put your gardens to bed or it will have no way to photosynthesize, but you should cut off the dead flowers.

Well, it finished its flowering ... of course it downpoured the best blooms.

Here it is:

(Ignore the dying pineapple sage in the background ... it overwintered the basement, but it's playing its annual card and ready to be terminated.)

A not soggied bloom:

New question, though ... is it better off in its pot through a week plus of heatwave or risking transplant in the heat? To make matters worse there's no rain in the forecast for at least a week.

We still have a bit more weeding to finish before it's spot will be fully ready for planting and mulch, but only about one weeding session, and if it's going in, it would go in pre mulch. (We think we finally know where the bed is going, haha.)

Reasons to transplant now:

The pot will dry out faster than mulched ground

Black pot might heat up root ball more

Plant may not even realize it's been transplanted (we're cutting the pot off)

Reasons to wait:

Peonies prefer to be transplanted in fall

Heavy watering will be necessary either way

Transplant is more stressful in heat (on plant and people)

So what should one do in regards to a week of heatwave and no rain?

Keep it in shaded spot and water regularly until fall. But it looks healthy enough to survive transplant. The only problem with it you won't be able to see if you planted it at the right depth.

I was planning to go with whatever depth it's at now, since it seems happy ... with its size, just cut the pot off and get the rootball in the ground, dirt and all, so it sits at its current height.

Why shaded? Dont I want it to be acclimating to its future environment?

You don't have to wait until fall to plant a potted plant. Dig a hole wider than the pot, and deep enough to that the peony is at the same depth it is now, set the plant in the hole, fill in around it with loose soil and water well. Obviously, if your peony is growing and blooming ,it's already at the right depth. Plant it where you intend for it to stay and water well. If it's in the sun now, then planting it in the sun is not going to hurt it. A spot with a little afternoon shade would be good, but not necessary. I like plant in the late afternoon or early evening, so the plant gets a chance to settle in a bit before the sun hits it in the morning.

I like your peony ; the color is beautiful.

Update on my peony:

It went in the ground when it finished blooming (I dont remember what I did in regards to the heat), and it has been there almost a year now, and it is a very happy plant and putting on a show!