I would love to hear the advice and pitfalls of using grow bags for transporting peonies after spring blooming to a new home/new state? Should I dig up the whole plant and put it in the grow bag? Or cut it back early and try to force dormancy early and just transport the root? All advice is welcome and appreciated.

How much time do you have, Gary? If you have several months to play with I'd hold off and dig as late as you can it's a lot easier to transport just roots. If you need them moved in the next month or 2 I'd go for the grow bags and just store them in shade until fall. I actually had to dig up several roots that I missed on the land we're selling and all are in grow bags under a huge pine, they seem to be doing fine.

I have to be out of my home by June 24 so I will start digging soon. The home sold prior to going on market for above asking price. That I am thankful for, but it has put a time squeeze on me. I have 1, 2, and 5 gallon bags for tree peonies. Guess how I am spending my Memorial Day weekend?

Wow, Gary! Nice to be able to get a higher price ! How many peonies you have to move?

You might want to grab some 10 gallon ones for your tree peonies, I had some from Solaris and Simmons that were new plants that barely fit even in those!

I don't have experience in moving tree peonies. I just want to wish you the best and that they all make it in their new home.

Your 1 or 2 years old should be easy enough to move since they probably don't have the root mass to be much of a problem.

Your older herbaceous peonies will be a much larger challenge. If I had it to do, I would probably look for natural points of division and try to take 1/3 to 1/2 out with a sharp spade - and just leave the rest in place (or optionally put the remainder in other bags - depends on time and room, I guess).

For the record, I have, on multiple occasions, cut a piece of a peony root off without disturbing the rest of the plant. Most people that will share don't really want to dig up the entire bush. It has always worked, but it has also always been fall. They always still had stems up, too, which makes it pretty easy to do.

I've got no experience with or opinions about tree peonies.

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