In my climate, they pretty much always do..then sit there through winter.

I think it’s more common than we usually remember at this time of year :-)

Same here.

Are they sprouting, as in elongating, or just on the tuber? I know my tubers have red spear tips now, but they are not "breaking through," or whatever the official word is for when they emerge. I've also had tubers overwinter with the red spears basically at soil level because I was far too concerned about burying them too deeply. They did have lots of fall leaves that fell on them naturally, as some protection. But, seeing healthy red spears on the tubers is normal here. Having those spears begin to grow and unfold is not!

I can't speak to the peonies specifically, but it has been SUCH an unusually warm fall. I mean, it's just not normal to be working outside in the yard in mid- to late-November in a short-sleeved t-shirt, never mind to be sweating while working in short sleeves in November. It wouldn't surprise me at all to think that plants (and animals, for that matter) might be confused! At the very least, things are staying green a lot longer; I can see them putting on new growth as well. Here we are past Thanksgiving and I've got summer annuals still in bloom and looking great on my patio. Granted, those are annuals, but still, it's just not normal to see petunias, etc, next to Christmas decorations! Not here in New England, at least.

IMO the problem, as far as our plants are concerned, comes in when that new growth does eventually get hit by some kind of real winter. Can we do something to protect them? Do we need to do something? Extra mulch? Would that work? I don't know...

:)
Dee

I have plans to install a huge fence next spring, but I’m thinking I could do it now, since our temps have hardly dropped to the low thirties. The ground hasn’t even started to freeze. And it’s been drier than it might be come spring. Definitely odd weather—and worrisome for the future.

It's just the red pointy tips poking through, not elongating/sprout yet -- like I said, never have seen that this early.

I don't really know that there's anything we can do except just leave things be...