I've just finished inventoring my peonies this spring, that is, what has come up so far. By "up" I mean a visible little red tip!
All are up except for 3 plants. One of them was planted last fall and I think will still appear. The other 2 didn't come up last year and I really don't expect them this year either. My question: Can I plant a new peony in the exact same spot as one that never actually grew in that location? I've always been told not to plant peonies in the same location as earlier ones, but doesn't that mean actively growing plants which may have been there a few years or many years? In 2013 I planted about 10 new peonies in an area that formerly had lilies, and I would like to put 2 more in where the ones that never came up were planted. Of course, I could get some new lilies again... The peony from last fall that I'm waiting for - is in a different bed.

So those two peonies that didn't grow were planted in the fall of 2013, they didn't come back in 2014 at all? I'd dig down and look and see what's going on. Were they big healthy roots, or smaller mediocre kind of roots? Is the area actively supporting anything else? Is it a really wet area?

All 10 of my new peonies planted in 2013 in this particular bed were from the same source, where I have acquired many peonies over the years. All of the roots were big & healthy roots. In fact the seller and his wife drove down and delivered them in person... I think they wanted to see my garden, or just visit! We have excellent, well-drained soil, part of the best corn-growing land in Minnesota. http://garden.org/i/s/hurray.g... The other 8 plants in the bed not only came up but most bloomed in 2014. I may have planted the the two of them too deep, and I did partially uncover them last summer and replant them more shallow, thinking they might still come up in 2015. Also, the remaining Asiatic lilies thrived last year as expected, and are just now emerging this year. 4 ft. away I had a LOT of self-seeded peonies that I dug up... 9 clumps, last fall. I kept one division from each clump for myself and replanted along the road where I had removed a row of Nanking cherry trees... all of those have already come up, plus about 20 more divisions that I gave to my sisters in North Dakota, and they have all come up. Anyway the fact that peonies are doing very well in this area of my yard is why I would like to plant two new ones (not yet selected) in the same spots. But does the fact that these 2 (America and Athena) were present although not growing, mean that I should fill in the 2 spots with... sedum, or daylilies, or who knows what, instead of a replacement peony?

Kansas which bloomed on 6/14/14, from same source and planted right next to Athena

Thanks very much for your inquiry on more background, possible reasons etc.

Linda, the advice to not plant peonies where one has grown before is not consistent. I've seen plenty of instructions on dividing that says to replant part back in the original spot! Especially if you amend your soil and fertilize I don't think that is a biggie, I've always done it with no issues. I think what you need to find out is why the 2 didn't grow. Were those different from the others? I've had crappy luck with a couple of varieties--I've bought Nick Shaylor 3 times now and have yet to see it even start growing.....might trade for that one in the future but am not going to spend money on it again. Did you get a couple of finicky hybrids in amongst a bunch of easy to grow lactifloras? I wouldn't rule out planting another peony in the same place but would certainly do all I could to understand why those didn't grow first. I'd start as Diann suggested and dig those roots out and examine them, AFTER they've had enough time to show growth if they were going to this spring, of course.

Yeah, agree with Liz. If one always amends their soil after digging and dividing I see no reason why one wouldn't be able to plant again in the same spot, except if the peony you just removed from that spot was diseased in anyway or had been there for 20+ years. Now, regarding the two no shows, it is still quite early in MN so they might not have popped as of yet. I still don't have all mine up. I had two in question so I dug down (very gently) to see if they had eyes that hadn't popped yet or if the peony was indeed toast. In one case the eyes just hadn't popped; in the other the peony was toast. Meh, live or die it's their choice, they can always be replaced. Let us know what you do.

New peony bed with Kansas and Raspberry Sundae along with 4 other noids divided from last year. Won't see color probably until next year.

Jerry, what is the white stuff around them?

Just sand. Will help to keep me from stepping on them or getting too close with a lawnmower.

When I transplanted my peony, I accidentally brought with it, in the clump of dirt, a sprig of aster. This year, the peony bloomed for the first time very exciting! however, I noticed that the aster is growing right around the peony...encasing it in a circle, if you will. If this is overcrowding, the aster must go, but I don't know if roots are intertwined and I will damage the peony. What should I do, and when should I do it?

Hi Karen, welcome to the forum! Unless your peony is to be dug anyway, like to divide, I would just gently tug the aster roots out. Wet the soil down well the eve before so they're easier to get out. Even that might disrupt the tiny feeder roots if you have to remove a lot of aster roots so watch the peony after and shade it if it appears to droop more than normal, just for a few weeks. Good luck!