Hi Kwanjin, you are so right, your paeonies are really suffering from being in beside the grass, they dont really like to have there TUBERS covered by plants or soil, also the grass will be starving them of all moisture as they grass has roots closer to the surface of the soil, if you can, try to remove some of the grass growing around the roots to allow some sun heat to get to the tubers, if you cant do that, then if you have a flower bed that is already prepared for moving of them, then do it now, you aint going to get any flowers this year anyway as the flowering time has passed for this season, they flower early June time. To prepare the new planting site for them, dig the soil well, add as much animal manure as you can to the soil, buy chicken pelleted manure if it is easier for you, blood/fish and bone is another good food and is almost faster than the chicken pellets as they last for longer in the soil, dont give too much though, then dig up the tubers from the grass, you will need to make a wide cut around the tubers so you dont cut the tubers in half, once you have them out from the grass, gently tease away the grass roots being carefull not to damage the Paeone roots, then replant them into the new hole you have just prepared for them, they need to be planted with the roots well spread OUT and the fat tuber just under the surface of the soil in no more as the fat tuber needs to be able to be in the sun for at least part of the day, getting the full heat of the sun, give them a really good watering as they will be parched from the grass situation, dont cut any of the foliage off the plants, just let this die down naturaly as this helps to feed the plants as well as the added plant food you have added with the manure, keep them well watered till the foliage has died down and add a garden cane with a label to remind you where they are as once the foliage dies down and you tidy up in Autumn, you wont remember where they are as they will not show any new life till the very tender shoots come through in the following spring, these new shoots are normally redish till they turn green as they unfold, at this stage, give a feed again and start your watering regime again as these are hungry plants, once you see the spectaculer flowers, you will understand the hunger they have to produce flowers of that size and how many per plant, you may need to stake the plants with garden canes and twine as the flowers do become top heavy. you may not get good flowers for the first year once you move them as they really dont like a lot of root disturbance hence the reason I say put in a cane as once you start to weed in the spring, these plants dont like to be stood on or cut with a fork or hoe. Remember to repare your grass after you lift the paeonies unless you plan to plant something in their place like a shrub or tree. Good luck, WeeNel.
