Eric, if you go to Pickering's website, they have instructions on planting bare root roses. Follow their instrucions and you can't go wrong. A very important instruction is to hill up bare roots with soil (10") for winter protection and drying, which is sometimes forgotten. There has always been a planting instruction sheet in my orders, so I'm surprised too that there wasn't one in your order.

I'm not familiar with the term 'barefoot tree peonie' so am wondering if you meant 'bareroot' which is an easy switch to make since 'barefoot' would have no soil covering its roots; no shoes in other words. Anyway, if it is bareroot plant it now. A bareroot plant could not survive the summer without nourishment. With barefoot roses we soak the roots in a bucket of water for a few hours before planting. This time of year I'd be inclined to plant it in a pot so it could be kept in the shade until it developes some good roots and then plant out it in fall. I think tree peonies prefer cooler climates; I know my sister in law grows them in Vermont, but as long as it was free you may as well give it a chance. Wishing you the best!

Most spring planted bare root peonies won't bloom 1st spring regardless of when they're planted. Most spring blooming perennials perform better when planted in their dormant period which is generally fall. The only way I wouldn't plant them right away is if they were potted and ready to bloom--at that point I'd wait until after the flowers were done because transplanting earlier would sacrifice those--but that's the only reason. Maifleur is right, it's best to get them in the ground. This late in the spring you'll possibly see some stem growth, try to keep those stems above ground but only if you can do it without exposing any of the roots. If you're planted bagged roots from one of the big box stores you should probably take a look at them, they could be fairly dry. If so, just soak them in water for an hour or so before planting to give them a good start. Don't worry if you see little or no growth this spring, I've had that happen before as well, most times they'll wait a year to put out any substantial growth. Unless the root is big enough to have 3-5 eyes on the crown and a substantial feeder root(s) it will probably take a few years to bloom.

Thank you! This seems like the safest option now. Thank you for explaining so thoroughly, I appreciate it. Yes, it is breaking dormancy. I saw leaves when it arrived a week and half ago, and they are longer now. I’ve kept it in the cool garage, but let it have some indirect light from the open garage door in the daytime. Maybe that was the wrong thing to do…? I have a holding bed that might be the best place for it. It was my vegetable garden, before the trees grew up and made it too shady for vegetables. There’s nothing in there now but a rhubarb. Any full sun it gets is brief, and I have a wooden side table I can put over it. Its much nicer amended soft soil there than any other place I could put it. Assuming it does ok there and survives, when is the best time to make the switch? Next spring? I had someone move a 4 year peony for me last spring that was in the wrong place after construction. It was just barely showing above ground. (I’d just had surgery and hired a gardener for spring clean-up). The peony didn’t miss a beat. This year it will bloom for the first time, it was in too much shade before. She made it look easy, so I don’t remember details, like how wide around the peony she dug. I really appreciate your help!