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Re: Peony Tubers

Dear Coreen:
    You'll hear that you shouldn't need to divide your Paeonias.  Moving
plants that had been in the ground for twenty years gave new clarity to
the adage for me.   It was a trail of broken shovel handles and
strained backs.  But the plants needed to be rescued before a remodel.
There's a tool called a Mutt  that looks like half an ax mounted on a
very sturdy handle that really helps.
    Usually you'll purchase Peonies with 3 to 5 eyes.   But the great
plantsman, Fred McGourty holds a photo in his HP book of a division with
about 11 eyes.   My plants were replanted the same fall in generally
larger divisions.
    The late season peonies were still  in bloom  July 3rd  the
following year when a sewage line beneath them broke.  This was
absolutely the worst time to move the plants in full bloom, heat of
summer and an indifferent gardener who would have rather been sailing.
These plants did bloom the next year.
    The specialty nurseries ship bare root in the fall.  But my local
nurseries sell unnamed Peonies in the spring that are planted in 1
gallon black plastic; they say that is when their customers shop for
plants.  Although peonies are very hardy I'd maybe bury the pots so you
won't have to worry about remembering to water the pots during the
winter.   But Peonies require a chilling period; that is the reason they
don't grow well in Southern climates.
    Some of my peonies are erect and don't need staking but others
droop.  If I were to purchase more peonies I'd select peonies with a
stiffer growth habit.  It would be nice to observe peonies in bloom at
somewhere like Caprice that specializes in Peonies.
    My peonies still have the dark green foliage but peonies produce a
wonderful color show in the  fall.
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