I think it is not so much peonies don't like being moved as it is peony growers don't like moving them. You can move them anytime, but it is better when they are dormant. Moving them now I would expect to sacrifice any bloom this year. Not knowing where you garden, your climate is unknown. You may need to provide some sun protection THIS year if you move them into full sun NOW, in an area of high heat. With your plants in such a poor site, I would move them now, preferably with someone to help me dig. Al

Thanks for the advice. I didn't think about sun protection. So true, since they've been so shaded. I won't mind moving them since its like getting 4 free plants! I'm in zone 6; I guess I forgot to put that in before.

Unless you absolutely need to move them now, I'd leave them alone until autumn. They resent spring replanting in large part because they set most of their feeder roots in the autumn. In spring, their main effort grows into growing and/or blooming and without a good feeder root system in place, it can be very damaging/draining to them. I'm thinking that beacuse they've been neglected in shade they're probably not the strongest plants to start with, so you'd do best to wait until autumn.

If you must move them, then do so with a large amount of earth and try not to break the earth so that their root system stays intact--not an easy proposition.

Here's my 2 cents~~

I first acquired peonies many years ago (20+) by digging them up from an overgrown abandoned garden at an abandoned house. Following the advice from a 1950's Better Homes & Gardens article that my mother passed on to me, I washed the roots thoroughly with plain water, then planted them in well drained rich garden soil, just covering the crowns. Believe it or not, they bloomed the following season, and continue to bloom (and spread) to this day. I dug them during the summer, as I recall. It was definitely not spring or fall...good luck!

Say, you weren't expecting blooms right away, anyhow--right? I figure if you just noticed the plants, they haven't been blooming.

I had to move some peonies early this spring. They sprouted, buds appeared and they grew to about 10 inches tall. They looked great ...for a while.

The last few days, the plants look wilted at times. Should I cut back some of the foliage and buds so that these plants can use all the energy for their roots? Any advice?