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transplanting peonys
tina laxton
Posts: 33
in Plants
Hi all , can anyone tell me the best time to transplant peonys and how to go about it please
0
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is it a tree peony or the other type & how long has it been planted?. I have moved mine after it had been planted four weeks but in wrong spot and it's fine but probably not the right time to move stuff but if things need moving i move them whatever the time of year, just make sure you water it well for a few weeks after moving
Hi sanjy67 my peonys are the regular type and have been in position for about six or seven years but now the shrubs and trees around them have grown so much that they dont get any sun and are now strugling to flower,should I wait untill after the flowering period.
yes i would think that would be sensible but my experience of them is as above. when you come to do it prepare the new hole in advance and don't plant them any deeper than they are at present (presuming they flower ok'd before) as i have read they won't flower if planted below the crown. I'm sure someone will answer this all for you tomorrow that has more experience than me
Yes - don't plant too deeply. As sanjy says - prepare the new site thoroughly - a bit of Blood, fish and bone in the planting hole, water the peony well before lifting, and when you lift it, get as large a rootball as possible. Water in well and keep an eye on it till established
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
tina - I've moved (and split) several herbaceous peonies around in my garden for the same reason as you, but have always done so in the autumn, sometime in mid to late September if I remember correctly as the stems are usually dying back by then and there is still time for the plant to re-establish itself before winter.
I just followed the usual routine for moving...
- water your peony well the day before you want to move it so that the soil doesn't drop off the roots and cut back the stems fairly hard.
- as sanjy67 says, prepare your new hole in advance: dig it well removing any roots, weeds and large stones and then loosen the bottom of the planting hole with a fork. Add some compost to the bottom of the hole.
- dig all around your peony and underneath it and try to get a decent root ball with soil attached.
- lift it out (it's good to use a piece of plastic sheeting for this as you can slip it under the root ball and you can pull the four corners together which holds everything together) and then move it. Hopefully it's not a monster, but if it is get someone to help you move it as it could be heavy.
- replant in your new hole which is hopefully large enough, back-filling with a mix of your soil and some compost and firm it in. As sanjy67 says, don't plant the crown deeply as this will cause the peony to stop flowering.
- water it in well
and that should be it!
Cheers Paul.
thank you all for your advise, I think I will wait untill september,