I would like to know also!
I just got one japanese peony from Hirt's, but they really floppy .

When you plant have the ground at least above the white band. B is the start of the grafted area. If you take a close look at the picture right below the white band are two bumps. These are start of branches. By having the dirt above these you should have tree peony stems coming up from these bumps.

Some growers, Rick Rogers, place a band similar to the white one to tell the purchasers how deep to plant the tp. I can't tell if this is what the band is for or does it have a name on it.?

This is an excellent picture to discuss some of the things to look for when purchasing a tp. If you notice the area between the leaves is short. The peony should be a moderate to slow grower. A really slow grower would have less space between the leaves. Alice Harding generally has less than 1/4 to 1/2 inch between. A faster grower might have 3-5 inches beween.

The plant already has two stems If you would plant deeper than the white band and have a fuller plant. I would plant to where both branches are just under the soil.

You have a very nice plant.

Thanx for the great photo & advice!! It cleared up a lot in my mind about exactly how to plant my new TP's.