I have to transplant peonies to an area that will not be available until early December. Can I put them in pots to winter over? Can I risk waiting until December to move them? I realize it has passed time to transplant, but this situation just came up. I live in zone 5. Help!
I've had success with putting really small crowns (I was afraid that they would be lost in a crowded border) in pots with enough room for growth. I then buried the pots in a temporary bed, with the level of the pot no deeper than the crown level. (Peonies hate to be smothered).
I would dig them now, pot them up and put the pots in that temporary bed that you can leave until spring. Do not leave the pots exposed to freeze and thaw cycles.
Mulch lightly with straw or light bark mix; and mark/surround the potted area with short protective fencing so than no one walks onto them. The crowns are more fragile potted up like this. I've successfully growth demitasse cup sized crowns into gallon-sized crowns this way.
When you dig up the crowns, dig enough away from the root ball so that you damage the roots as little as possible and put into a large enough pot. It's the damage to the root structure this late, rather than the transplanting that causes decline.
Use flexible pots that you are are willing to cut away at when you transplant permanently, so that you disturb the crown and root ball as little as possible in the spring.
