Hi, I had someone send me a peony root through the mail (it was a trade). I put the plant in a container and I thought that I killed it, as it wilted badly. I cut off the stalks and it seemed to die to the ground last summer. But I kept treating it like my other containers and would not throw it out, just in case. Now there is this purplish stalk growing out of the container. It must be that peony! It does not look like any other seedling or weed I've seen in the garden - in fact it really doesn't look at all like a seedling.

Do peonies grow back this way? Is that what new growth looks like on a peony (purplish stalk) if it was cut to the ground the previous year? I'm pretty excited because I would love if the plant survived.