I have found myself in a bad position of moving soon. (we are upgrading houses, so it's a good thing, but bad because of my garden!) It's springtime, and many of my peony plants are just starting to come up. The only thing in my garden that I'm truly attached to is my peony tree. It's about 6 years old and approx. 2 feet tall. When it blooms, it's absolutely stunning! It was a gift from my mother the year that she died, so I really want to move it to my new house. Everything else can stay.

Do I try to wait until it blooms, cut it back, leave it as long as I can, and then move it in the heat of the summer? Or, do I cut the buds off before it blooms to conserve energy and then move it in the heat of the summer? Or-- do I beg and plead and pray that the people that eventually purchase my old house will allow me to come back in fall and transplant it? What are my chances of it surviving with a summer move? Any thoughts?