Let me start out by saying I’m not a botanist or a gardening expert. I’m just sharing the steps I took to transplant my peonies from our old house to our new house.
If you’ve been around a while, you know my peonies are like my babies. And I’m not some basic chick who recently became peony obsessed. I’ve loved these flowers since I was a little girl. And since they’re my state flower, I grew up with them all around me. I started growing my own peonies on the south side of our old house in 2009. And after 8 years at that house, I had grown eight plants. So when it came time to put our house on the market, I told our realtor there was no way I was leaving them behind, and I had her write it in our contract that the peonies didn’t convey with the house. I was actually going to leave one for the buyers, but some stuff fell through on their end during negotiations so I took that peony off the table.
Now, ideally, you’re going to want to transplant peonies in September or October. But since we were moving in late June, it had to be done then. The peonies bloomed in May so at least that was over with.
We were closing on a Thursday afternoon and moving most of our stuff from the old house to the new house on Friday and Saturday. So on Tuesday we dug up all the peonies.
We tried to dig up as much of the root ball as possible so we starting digging about a foot out from the stems of the peonies. In hindsight, we probably should’ve gone out even further. And I should’ve cut the peony stems down to 3-4 inches above the ground. Learn from my mistakes.
For maximum survival rates, you’re going to want to get the peonies into the ground at their new location as soon as possible.
For easy transport, I selected two kiddie pools. They’re cheap (~$10), and they hold a fair amount of peonies.
We also used our former DIY rain barrel to transport two peonies. Brad cut the barrel in half to make two containers.
Since the roots were exposed, and it was rather warm outside, I had to make sure to water the peonies daily until we got them in the ground at the new house.
I forgot to take photos of this, but I made tags for the plants, writing the color of the peony on a piece of paper in permanent marker and securing the paper to the plant. So if you’re moving multiple plants, I suggest doing this so you know what’s what.
We transported the kiddie pools and barrels full of peonies to new house via trailer. Then, we sat them on our driveway until we could get them in the ground.
I should add that during the transplanting and relocating process, almost all of the plants broke into multiple segments. I gave a few peony sections to friends. And I gave one of my fuchsia plants to a friend. Then, I took the opportunity to turn my eight plants into eleven.
Before we dug the holes, I set out the peonies where I wanted them. This was pretty easy to do since I tagged them with their color.
When digging out the holes, we placed the dirt on a tarp so we could haul it away.
When putting peonies in the ground, you want to plant the eyes 2 inches below the soil surface in cold regions and 1 inch in warm zones. If you plant them too deep, they won’t grow or grow as well. You can read more about planting and growing peonies here.
I actually ended up planting some too close to the surface, so I’m going to dig them up in the fall and plant them deeper.
After they were in the ground, I gave all the plants a good watering. I continued to make sure they were well watered throughout the summer.
In the fall, I cut them down like I usually do.
Here’s how the peonies look now.
I planted three on the west side of the house.
I planted three on the south side of the house.
And five live on the east side of the house. It’s hard to see the one on the very far right– she’s on the struggle bus so I think I need to plant her deeper.
(Please don’t judge our grass– builders use the bare minimum seed. So it’s a work in progress.)
In conclusion, they all lived. They’re wimpier than last year but that’s to be expected considering what they went through. Almost all of them have buds on them, but I don’t think all of them will open.
But I have faith that in a 3-4 years they’ll look awesome again.
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Lexie says
Just what I needed! We’re moving soon hopefully and I want to take all of my peonies with me!
Moe says
Wondering why you didn’t dig the grass out all around them?
Suzanne Riviere says
new to the peony adventure. love them. this article takes me to the next step with transplanting. thankful for this help.
Rachel Steck says
I probably told you already but I can remember my grandmother calling them ‘pie-nees’ when I was little. I am so happy yours made it to their new home. I hope they do well this year – can’t wait to see progress pics.
tisha @ quiltytherapy says
Thank you for this. I have a peony bush near my front door I want to move to the backyard. My grandma had flower beds full of them growing up and I love this extra treasure at my house. Any tips on cutting them down in the fall?
Sonya Boetjer says
Yes, I would like to know about the fall cutting also! 🙂
Nicole says
I absolutely love peonies! My grandma had them surrounding her shed and I just recently bought myself two with Birthday money…. hoping to add a few more ?
Patricia Schroll says
You did a wonderful job with your peonies. My mother planted a peonie years ago and with her green thumb they did well. It sounds like you have a green thumb. I also love them. They have such bright colors.
It sounds like you are still enjoying decorating your home inside and outside. As always it’s enjoyable to see what’s knew with you and your family. I’m sure your little ones are getting big.
Cary says
Thanks sooo much for sharing this!!! We are in exactly the same predicament, put on market yesterday (late Spring) and realizing all articles say to do this in Fall. Appreciate so much your courage and daring do! I’m gonna try it too! Thank you!
Cassandra L Pryor says
Thanks for sharing. My Grandmother had these growing in the front of the house. When she passed my Dad took over caring for them. My Dad has now passed and I am the one to care for them which I know nothing about but long to keep the legacy going (lol). Unfortunately I live in a duplex apartment. I did manage to move the peonies and replanted them on the side of the duplex (with the help of a friend). I just hope that I can continue to keep hem alive. I actually am looking to move soon to a house setting so that I can enjoy the plants as well as the other memorabilia from my lovely Dad and Mom (Mom passed 6mos after Daddy).
Edith says
Any possibility to keep a peony alive in Arizona? It’s in a half Barrell now partly under my orange tree. It came from Ohio in late April, had 2 flowers in early May. I’ve had a bit of leaf yellowing. Any suggestions?
Thanks!