Yes, split crown's of Itoh's in early fall. And yes, they'll take longer to regenerate a decent clump.

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Musings blog

Thanks professor. But why is the garden musings blog useful to me? I didn't find anything about splitting itoh peonies there.

Here is a link that might be useful: itoh peony

I tried to split Itoh Peony 'Morning Lilac' last fall. Extremely difficult. You can't just cut it with a knife - the crown is very woody and hard to cut.
Someone on this forum mentioned that Itoh Peonies should be divided every 3-4 years to stay vigorous and not decline. I start thinking that this is true. My Bartzella was covered with blooms last year. This year, the wooden part is too massive, the soft growth is insignificant and I do not have any blooms. Very disappointed, will try to divide it this fall.

OH My- I just made the BIG purchase of a Bartzella which I fell in love with and had hoped to divide it sometime in the future. The plant I bought was 3 years old already (in pot) when I planted it. Of course I didn't do much knocking of dirt off when I planted it so don't know about the woody part. You experts out there, when would you suggest dividing this one?

I have aprox. 65 Intersectional's in my Garden in n Wisc. Over the past 10 year I have dug them in the fall, shake all the dirt, get a GOOD saw and cut in section's depending on how large you want your divisions. I started with Bartz, First Arrival, Kopper Kettle, and Royal Blush I purchased from Rodger Anderson in Ft. Atkinson. Itoh's grow fast if in good sun , good soil and fertilizer in fall and when in early spring

please see an email I sent you about Itoh peonies and my herbacious peonies I would love to trade.

I had to dig up my favorite peonies last fall, pot them up & overwinter in the feild (we moved in Nov.) About 8 of them are Itoh, should I split them before planting in the
new gardens? They were all bought in the last 5 years.
All in big tree pots.
Heather