Hey Jess
I googles about when to seperate peonies and look what I came accross:
Q: I live in southeast Texas. I dug up one of my mom's peonies in southwest Missouri. They are at least 80 yrs. old. The peonies in MO are dormant this time of year (of course). Is there anything special I should do? Should I plant them now or should I put them in the refrigerator until spring and plant them then? Will they grow in southeast Texas? When should I see blooms?
A: Yes, you can grow peonies there. You should plant them right away. Find a place where they will get lots of sun, but not totally fried. When you plant them, remove any of the old decayed roots and seperate them into smaller chunks if you still have them in the whole big bunch. They need to be planted with the eye where the stem is going to come out, just barely below the surface of the soil.
Add some bonemeal and compost in the bottom of the hole before your place your peony, then put the dirt in around it. Make sure you have packed the soil tightly so there are no air pockets left. Give it a good soaking, and there you are!
If you plant them too deep, they will not bloom. They may not bloom this first year, as they have been shocked, but will bloom after that.
Now here's my two cents ... buy them from a local plant distributor - the good ones usually have people who know and can give advice. I'm pretty certain the very scented ones you've seen here are indeed called Sarah Burnhart, but I'm not sure of the spelling.
Dependin on the maturity of the plant, expect ta pay anywhere from 10$ to 25$ for one pot. They only bloom for a few days per year (possibly extending to a couple a weeks), but they do come back larger than ever every year. (and they don't much like rain on the flowers) You gotta water them regularly!
Bill musta had 2 or 3 dozen varieties out on his farm... I've only got 7 plants.