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Posted: Sep/05/2009 5:31 AM PST
Good Morning Fellow Gardeners! I am in need of some advice and what better place to go....I'm in the start of redoing a flowerbed and i have two Peonies and I'm not sure how to go about moving them. Should I dig up the plants the way they are and move them or should i cut them back? If i need to cut them backk how far? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks |
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Posted: Sep/05/2009 6:39 AM PST
They are done for the year anyway, so it would probably be easier to cut them back and then dig. However ....... have you tried moving peonies bfore? How long have they been there? You will be amazed how deep you have to dig to get them out. Also, you may not get all of the plant so don't be too surprised next year if you still have them coming up in the original spot. |
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Posted: Sep/05/2009 7:19 AM PST
Kaylee, KeyWee is correct. Get your knee pads on, wrist pads, gloves and be ready to dig, dig, dig..lol. The same thing happened to me. I dug a good three feet or more and could of swore I got it all and low an behold I left some of it. It comes up right in the middle of my hosta. It looks kinda cool so I just let it be. Goodluck with it. I cut mine back and transfered it to another spot, you should be fine. 
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Posted: Sep/05/2009 7:49 AM PST
Thanks for backing me up! I had around 20 peonies at my old house (thanks to the previous owner) and they were planted close up against the house and had been there for 20 years. There was NO WAY I could get all of those up and out. They were down to China (and probably under the house, I suspect). Even if you leave one tiny little speck, they will come back the next year. |
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Posted: Sep/05/2009 10:12 AM PST
Thank you so much! This is a really good thing to hear. I would love to have more peonies so if they come back up i'll be super excited. and one more question if i may.... My Dad has a peonie that my Aunt sent from Wisconsin and we planted it and mulched and watered and loved and talked to... ok i talked  anyhow, it never has bloomed, budded. It is a lovely green plant, very healthy but no bloom for over 4 years. Any ideas? Thanks again
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Posted: Sep/08/2009 6:58 AM PST
Id love to answer your question...correctly but I am not 100% sure. I have seen them take a few years to establish or get blooms, i dont know the term precisely. My across the street neighbor has one of them in her corner fence line and it was just a bush for the longest (I didnt know what it was) it sure was nice, green and stout. A few years back it produced these HUGE white blooms. Geez, they were gorgeous. She will not share either..hmmm, I asked. I am sure one of these beautiful people will be along to answer your question more explainably. 
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Posted: Sep/08/2009 9:16 AM PST
It can take a while for peonies to re-establish themselves after being moved or divided. First, think about being hacked to bits and forcibly dragged from your home of 5-100 years (yes peonies can last a hundred years in the same spot). Next, there are "eyes" along the root or tuber, like potatoes, these are what grow into the stems and flowers. You want to have at least 4 eyes on each tuber, less than that, it will take longer for your peony to establish. Container peonies bought at the garden center are 2 year old plants, the tubers were planted year before last. Buying bareroot, it will take about 2-3 years before it flowers. Last is location and how you plant it. When I move or plant a new peony, I put aged manure in the bottom of the hole, plant in full (at least 6 hours) sun. If you are moving or dividing a peony fall is the best time to do it. In my zone (5) I move them between August 15th and September 15th, just because our weather on the great lake is unpredictable. It can be 80 one day and 2 days later get 6 inches of snow followed by bitter cold. I want to give the plants time to settle in before October really starts. Last year I divided a peony that was planted in a mostly shaded area, it had been there at least 15 years, I was able to get enough healthy tubers to plant in 11 different locations. This year they all sprouted well, next year I hope to get flowers.. Hope this helps Sass |
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Posted: Sep/10/2009 4:59 PM PST
wow Thank you everyone! Great information. I will leave my Dad's plant where it is as it gets plenty of sun. I do understand about the weather, being close to the Lake myself. Thanks again Gardeners |
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Posted: Sep/22/2009 5:24 AM PST
I can tell you a few things about Peonies. I have two, a pink and a white one. This was my second year with them and they were more beautiful than last year. They love sun, they love water. My neighbor called my mutant peonies because since mine had lots of sun and water, mine grew so much more and produced lots of flowers. When they are in shade, it takes them much longer to produce anything. They prefer sun to shade. I'm saying this from experience. Mine get morning to afternoon sun and a little evening sun as well. Plus if your going to dig them up, be extemely careful. Wait til they are fully done with their flowers and where the flowers used to be is completely dead. It's best done in the early to late Fall. I hope this helps. |
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Posted: Feb/17/2010 7:07 AM PST
Hope ypu have a clayey soil - so you can get a nice non-crmbly root-ball up along withthe plant itself. It's the fragility of the roots that's the point - they are kinda brittle. |
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