The recent threads on tree peonies prompt me to ask three questions: First of all, does anyone have any experience in transplanting successfully old established suffruticosa tree peonies? I have several plants which have been in position for over twenty years. They are now much shaded by other plants and are declining. In particular, is there an optimal season to do this? These plants may or may not be on lactiflora understock, but I'm most curious to hear about transplanting tree peonies which are on their own roots. Secondly, and not to answer my own question above, but I have transplanted some young tree peonies in recent years and the results were good. The plants in question had vigorous lactiflora understock. I did the transplanting in the autumn, as I would for garden lactiflora cultivars. I've also tried this (moving tps with lactiflora understock) in the spring, with disappointing results. The recent tree peony threads have had a lot negative to say about lactiflora understock for tree peonies. But I think that when the time comes to transplant the tree peonies, the lactiflora understock is an advantage. Paeonia lactiflora cultivars are among the easiest of garden plants to move successfully if it is done at the right time (late summer, early autumn). If the move is done carefully, there will be abundant bloom the following spring. And I'm convinced that the lactiflora understock on older tree peonies are an advantage when these plants are transplanted. Again, I'm curious: what are the experiences of others? The third question concerns a twenty + year old suffruticosa tree peony (name unknown) in my garden which, although it seems to grow normally, has never bloomed. Other tree peonies around it bloom freely. I've been contemplating cutting it down to the ground this fall to see if stronger flowering growth will emerge next year. Are there other less drastic measures which might bring it into bloom? Jim McKenney jimmckenney@starpower.net Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7, where I can remember when imported Japanese tree peonies were only $3.98 each at the local hardware store. !