Hey everyone! I'm in a bit of a tough spot. My mom is selling our family home soon, which has these beautiful peonies my great grandma planted ages ago. Unfortunately, our house has been overrun by cats, and I can't take anything that's inside to remember her by. I'm wondering if it's possible to dig up these peonies and keep them alive until I can plant them next year when I finally have my own place. What should I do to preserve them, and what parts do I need to dig up? I'm not the best gardener, but I really want to try to keep them alive as a memory.
3 Answers
I'm really sorry to hear about your situation. Yes, you can definitely move the peonies, though it might be tricky without a place to put them right away. It's a good idea to pot them and keep them in a sunny spot for about 6 hours a day. Just remember to water them! As winter approaches, make sure to store them somewhere cool, ideally around freezing, to trigger their dormancy without letting the roots freeze. When you can finally plant them in spring, ensure you plant them at the same depth they were before because they’re particular about their planting depth.
I did something similar when my dad sold our family home! I dug up some peonies and they’re thriving over 15 years later. Just a heads up though, if you take divisions, they can be slower to adjust, so don’t freak out if they don’t bloom right away. If you have to keep them in pots for a bit, just be aware that might be a bit tricky. But you’ve got this; they can survive and grow again!
Absolutely, you can dig them up and pot them temporarily! Just keep in mind that they might go into shock when you eventually transplant them back into the ground, so it could take a year or so for them to bounce back. You’ll want to trim the stems down to a few inches first, then dig wide to get the whole tuber without breaking it. After that, keep them in a pot with soil until the fall, and when you replant, mix in some compost with the existing dirt and a bit of bone meal for good measure.