Transplanting & Dividing Peonies

[kaycei]

I moved into my house at the end of October and only had one good weekend before it got too cold to do anything outside. Spring has finally arrived and plants are starting to come up. A walk among my flowerbeds is a lot like Christmas -- filled with many magical surprises.

One of these surprises was peonies. But they are growing in a terrible place, right next to the house, right under the outside water faucet. They need to move, and I'd really like to move them now.

I know I'm supposed to wait until the fall to divide and transplant peonies, however, how bad will it be if I move them now? Will they be more likely to bloom sooner if I move them without dividing them?

 

[aquarose]

I don't know about the timing, but make sure you plant them the right depth. Peonies won't bloom if planted too deep. They are wondrous flowers, possibly my favorite. Be prepared to support the stems. Congratulations on the new house. It is like Christmas. I moved into my house 7 years ago and I am still finding new plants. Last summer I found a mock orange. Spring bulb flowers keep popping up in new places.

 

[GardeNerd]

I'm so jealous! What a great "surprise." We can't grow Peonies here and I love them.

I would wait until the recommended time, but I am generally a rule follower. Good luck.

 

[patandchickens]

I've moved peonies in the spring but they Don't Like It and sulk for an extra year or two, for me.

If you just gotta move them now -- they're in the way of something else that has to go in, etc -- then go ahead (sooner is better than later, and once the foliage is mroe than a few inches up I would be real reluctant to mess with them til fall), but be careful and gentle with them. Remember their roots can go rather deep, and be pretty brittle.

They can be divided with care but I would not break them down into pieces with less than 5 eyes (growing points), under the circumstances.

Be very careful to plant them the right depth, as too shallow or too deep can prevent flowering and be hard to fix. IIRC you want 2" of soil over top of them; but look it up, don't trust my memory

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[kaycei]

Thanks for all the advice.
I'm going to wait on them again. I took a look at them today, and they looked to be about 4 inches tall now -- getting too big too fast. I pointed them out to my husband and now will keep my fingers crossed in that he doesn't do anything to them.

 

[aquarose]

Its probably a good idea to wait if you can, because as a new homeowner, how are you going to decide where to put them. You want to assess the situation for a full growing season (if you can stand it!). I think we spent the first growing season pulling out overgrown shrubs.

 

[kaycei]

I would love to wait, but my husband wants to clear stuff out. There are eight flower beds in our front yard. They are each a blend of English garden low maintenance plants -- lots of self seeders and perennials -- and weeds. Lots and lots of weeds. So, hubby wants to turn them all into lawn. But I'm guessing there's $200 worth of perennials he wants to take out. I have a feeling I'll be transplanting a lot of stuff way to early.

 

[CityChook]

I almost always divide peonies in the spring. Oops. Haven't had any *real* problems, though. I think they're easier when they're not all big and leafy. Just be gentle with them and you'll be fine. How lucky! When we sold our home in Minneapolis, I actually wrote it into the purchase agreement that I was going to come back in the spring and divide the peonies. They were massive, and produced flowers the size of cantelopes. I never did and 12 years later, every spring, I still regret it.

 

[vfem]

I just realized what you said... NEW property (congrats by the way, I feel your excitement at new things coming up)!

I also bought a new property last summer. Today I found an azeala bush I had never seen before until I saw it blooming way up on a hill in the back of our lot. I want to move it! I think I'm going to wait until the blooming it done though.

Now realize... you may have summer bulbs that haven't come up yet? You may just want to enjoy the season and see what pops up where. Make a little map of your property right down what you saw where, and what you want to move. Just image your husband getting his lawn, and a random bulb sprouting up right in the middle of it!!! By fall you may notice some naked spots you are trying to fill for next year. Move everything then.

I already have about 4-5 things I want to move in fall. However, if more things pop up I didn't know about in the next month or 2, I may change where I want to put it. Makes you feel like you hit the jackpot when you get all those color surprises huh!?

Happy for you!!!!

 

[Catalina]

Sorry - I just have to share a story about peonies.

My mom grew peonies for her dried flower business. She had a 40 foot row of different colors. The flowers were always sold out before they bloomed (for weddings, ect.).

Well, my dad decided to "help out" in early March, before any of the plants had sprouted, and till between the flower rows.

He tilled right down the peony row and chopped all the peonies into little chunks!

They didn't bloom that year, but they were twice as big the following year.

My mom had to go door to door asking people if she could cut their peonies. Suprisingly, a lot of people wanted her to cut them and to come back the next year and cut the peonies then too.