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Learn Why Fall is the Best Time to Move and Divide Peonies
Is your peony overcrowded, shaded, or just refusing to bloom? Fall is the perfect time to divide and transplant herbaceous peonies to give them a fresh start. With the right location, proper depth, and a little care, your peonies can thrive and reward you with stunning blooms for years to come. In this guide, we’ll walk you step by step through the best methods for moving, dividing, and planting peonies so your garden flourishes next spring.
Signs Your Peony Needs Dividing or Moving
I have a pair of old-fashioned ‘Festiva Maxima’ peonies planted on either side of the entrance to a small fenced-in garden. One blooms happily every year, but the other one hasn’t produced any blossoms for quite a while!
Each spring, I scrape away some excess soil from its base, thinking that it may be buried too deeply, but still, no flower buds are formed. Over the years, a tree planted nearby has grown up enough to cast shade on it for a good part of the day. The only way to know what the problem might be is to dig it up.
It does not seem to be overcrowded, and the buds were not buried too deeply, so that just leaves a lack of sunlight as the problem. It needs a new home.
When to Transplant Peonies
September and the fall are the best times to transplant peonies. By then, the peony plants have died back and stored enough food reserves in their roots for the following year. Additionally, moving a peony in early fall allows the new divisions to establish themselves before winter’s cold arrives.
Many folks ask if they can move the peony in the spring. Technically, you can transplant the peony in the spring just as new growth occurs, but it may not bloom well that season.
Quick Steps to Transplant Peonies
- Choose a sunny, well-draining location
- Dig up the peony carefully, keeping roots intact
- Divide roots if desired, ensuring 3 to 5 buds per section
- Plant with buds 1½ to 2 inches below soil
- Water well and mulch after planting
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Transplant Peonies
We found a better place for our beloved peony where it will get direct sunshine in the morning and early afternoon, and dappled sun later in the day.
We cleared a 3x3-foot spot that had been taken over by creeping thyme, dug a 2-foot-wide and -deep hole, and amended the soil with compost.
The roots could have been easily separated into three smaller plants, but I kept them as one, hoping it would recover and resume blossoming sooner. If you are separating your plant, just make sure that each section has three to five buds or eyes on it. Peony roots are brittle, so take care when digging them up and handling them.
Carefully shake off the excess soil or hose it off to make locating the buds easier. Our plant had about ten buds that we could see.
Place the rootball over a mound of soil in the center of the hole and make sure the base of the buds is only 1 ½ to 2 inches below the soil. That small a depth can be hard to determine ,so lay a stick across the hole and measure down from it to just under the buds to check. Once it is at the right depth, spread out the roots evenly and fill in the hole. Carefully tamp down the soil and water well to settle the roots in and eliminate any air pockets.
Next spring, remove any flower buds to encourage your plant to put its energy into root growth rather than making blossoms.
It can take up to 3 years for a newly planted peony to reach its full flowering potential, so I know it will take a while for mine to adjust to its new home, but I am already looking forward to its fragrant flowers!
Learn more about planting, growing, and caring for peonies in the Almanac Peony Growing Guide.
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