Serious gardening question - Transplanting Peonies?

[Crow]

When I moved into my house there were peonies already growing. I have 3 plants. One is located in shade, right under a bush. The other two seem to be planted too deep and only get partial sun. I would like to move them in the fall, but I am afraid I will kill them. I have no idea how old they are, but I know peonies do not like to be moved! Can someone tell me, in plain English, the correct way to move these, where it is best to put them, and how to prepare their new spot? Can I put them in a high traffic area (corner of my flowerbed, adjacent to driveway)? Each plant is smallish - how far apart should they be? How far away from shrubbery? Will I need to stake them?

[admin]

Hello yes its true they like to stay where they are

Transplanting Peonies is something you do not want to do unless you have to, not because they will die (its quite hard to kill them actually), but because it can take 1-2 years for them to even reflower again.

Our home had a peony that was planted over 70 years ago and bloomed like mad until recently, and i had no choice but to replant some of them. It took around 1 year for them to even start to rebloom however it was worth doing.