Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Peony division
This is a perennial question, when should I divide my peonies…. Wait for the tops to be killed by frost, cut the stems to near ground level then, using a spading fork, dig out the rhizomes.
Make sure you dig a hole wider than the plant to avoid damaging the root system. Take out the entire clump with as much of the root system as possible, cut it into smaller pieces, leaving at least 3 to 5 eyes per division. This part’s very important, without those eyes, you won’t have a plant.
How to divide peonies [Iowa State U Ext.]
Prepare your new site by mixing in several inches of compost into the top 12 inches of soil. Replant your division, keeping the eyes no more than 1 to 2 inches below the soil surface. Again, this is a very important step. If you plant too deeply, you won’t see blooms. Water thoroughly and keep watered until the ground freezes. Mulch your new divisions with a couple of inches of pine needles, straw, wood chips or chopped leaves.
The above peony is a 2021 introduction available from Bluestone Perennials this Fall 2020.
And another …..
