We know that peonies can live and thrive for a long time--perhaps more than our lifetimes. When walking through an old local cemetery, I have seen superb clumps of varieties that must have been there for decades. A neighbor has marvelous clumps of Sarah Bernhardt that bloom profusely every year. However, I wonder if sometimes division is needed. I have a clump of White Frost that this spring had many smallish blooms and seemed very dense. I decided to dig part of it this fall and discovered that the roots and eyes were incredibly compact. I wonder what others do and feel about division to invigorate in the long run.

Several well known growers do advise to divide and replant to reinvigorate peonies. It is believed that fresh planting sites contain more of the trace minerals that peonies need to flourish.

Let us know how that goes for you, Mantis.

IMHO longevity of particular peony has to do with variety, original root division configuration, planting conditions, climate and damn luck Some are better at maturing than others. I love Florence Nicholls, but every time I divide it (did it twice - not for any other reason than propagation as I like it )) I am wondering what is wrong with its crown - it is developing weirdly and prone to overcrowding and I can not have too many divisions - 2 or 3 max ) Maybe others have better luck with it or it will perform just fine, but I have second thoughts on how it will perform long-term - like 20-50 years.

There are varieties, especially some lactifloras, that really seem to need division every few years to keep them healthy and productive. Those plants will slowly stop producing from the middle and, when dug, will have a woody crown of dead root surrounded by healthy roots and eyes. Once divided they'll grow well for several more years before it has to be done again. I've also seen the opposite, more like what Alex talks about above, where a huge plant dug and divided will languish and sulk for several years after dividing.