(not my peony, but hopefully representative of my variety, Kansas)
I love growing things...plants with flowers, plants you can eat, plants that look pretty. I'm not picky. I'm always kind of in awe when my plants manage to grow. A horticulturalist I am not (although botany was my science of choice as a naive college student) so I'm learning as I go along. Last year, I went a little overboard (me...overboard?) and spent too much money on plants for my patio. At the end of the the summer growing season, I scoured the discounted plant section at my local nursery, thinking I could get some things to keep inside over the winter. Luckily, one great find was a peony plant, albeit a sad looking one. After some research, I decided to try and grow it in a container. Even though the experts say this can be difficult, I don't have any grass-space to call my own at the moment.
After re-potting, I let all color fade from the leaves before cutting them back all the way to the ground (see some good info at http://oldfashionedliving.com/peonies.html). My peony lived inside through the winter in a big bucket of dirt. Now that the weather is getting warmer (slowly but surely), I wanted to make 
sure I provide it the necessary care before spring. I've got high hopes, but I'm also realistic...if it sprouts one leaf, I will probably do a jig. And hopefully one day it will have a permanent home in a lovely garden (preferably my very own).
