Fall plant in part sun or full sun. Choose early blooming varieties (bloom before the real heat sets in). Take a look at Adelman's Peony Gardens website under herbaceous peonies. You want one which says good landscape peony with strong stems so it won't flop face down in the mud after a spring thunderstorm. Seriously, just look at the Adelman's website, it's a great resource.

looks like they are a thing in NC: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=peony+gardens+in+NC&t=ffcm&ia=web

call some of these places.. and see if you can visit ASAP ... it might be show time ...

but as noted.. it might not be the best planting time ... but if you are with the local experts.. ask them ..

take pix and report back if you go ...

ken

There is shade and then there is shade. Planting in shade where you can look up and see the sky and planting where you cannot. In warmer areas plants will burn when planted in direct sunlight. Petal drop is also quicker in direct sunlight.

@ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5 peonies are already past showtime in central NC as far as I can tell .... they don't last long but oh so pretty!!!

My volunteer peony in the almost full shade area is still growing strong. I was thinking that I will move in the fall to a sunny location ?

My fingers are crossed for my own peonies and yours. I live in the SC Piedmont, Zone 8a. I have two "Scrumdiddlyumptious" Itoh peonies in their second season now. No blooms yet but I'm happy with the way their foliage has filled out so far. They are in mostly dappled sunlight with an occasional touch of direct sun.

I've also got several Coral Sunset peonies which are all get significantly more direct sun. They are only in their first season now, so it's hard to tell, but my early guess is that the sun is tough on them! Good luck to you!

I love peonies but they are not for the impatient. Be sure to get mature and large roots if you're planting bare root. My first time out, I got relatively small roots and it took 3 years before I saw the first bloom. I then bought end-of-season potted peonies and planted them in the fall. Those bloomed great the following Spring. I just bought my first Itoh on clearance; even on clearance, it was a splurge. But it is a huge healthy plant that I'll get in the ground this Fall. Best of luck finding peonies that you will love (my fave right now is the very common Sarah Bernhardt; Stunning!)