Wow, this really hits home in more ways than one. When we bought this place, our friend who we got it from asked to come and dig up her great-aunt's peonies in case the chickens got at them. Finally last fall I dug them up, along with the columbine, divided the crowns, and transplanted them into pots. They sat out all winter.

This spring I gave her and another lady the pots of crowns and I kept three for us. Only one survived; I'm assuming because of the bitter cold and no insulation. It produced a single, pink flower that this morning was all over the ground from the heavy rain in the night.

I think I will bury it in mulch this winter and give it a chance to repopulate. Maybe next year we will have two beautiful peony flowers.