Transplanting Hydrangeas Mid-Summer

[deadwing]

I currently have a picket fence that is lined with beautiful, mature hydrangeas.  I just put a deposit down to replace the fence and add a retaining wall in one area to level out a slope in my yard.  The biggest, most beautiful hydrangeas are at the bottom of the slope.  

The project is expected to move forward around the first week of July.  I have to do this now because the puppy I adopted in the fall has turned into an escape artist and I need a more secure fence.  I wasn't expecting the fence to be an issue (puppy is a rear amputee and in theory shouldn't have much jumping ability... she's proved me very wrong!). 

I know the best time to transplant hydrangeas is when they are dormant in late fall/winter.  If I had known I would need to do this project 6 months ago, I would have moved them.  I would like to move a few to another location on my property.  I also have 2 friends who are interested in taking a few.

Do I have any chance at saving some of these?  I'm open to any advice.

[simpsongal]

they probably won't look great this year and you may get some die back, just water heavily and frequently in summer - they'll come back. I might consider snipping their blossoms after you move them so the plant conserves energy and focuses on reestablishing, rather than blooming. I'd use blood meal and other soil amendments to encourage root growth too.

Good luck! I've had lunch transplanting hydrangeas at various times of year, some really old ones too!.

[Susie]

You have nothing to lose (except the effort) in trying it.  Last summer we sold our old house on 6/30, and the weekend before, we transplanted a rhubarb plant and took cuttings to propagate two hydrangea varieties.  The timing was tough, but it was what we had available to us.  One of the hydrangeas had sentimental value, and we had the ok from our buyers to take it, but I didn't have the mental space to figure out where to plant it, how to do it, etc., so we just took cuttings in hope of propagating.  We actually had reasonable success.  5 of 8 cuttings survived to this year.  We also took 2 rooted stems from a different variety of hydrangea, and those both survived.  Watering heavily is key.

[archiethedragon]

dig a big rootball and water daily, heavily.

The rootball is going to be heavy.

[tacokick]

May 23, 2022 11:33:57 GMT -5 Susie said:

You have nothing to lose (except the effort) in trying it.  Last summer we sold our old house on 6/30, and the weekend before, we transplanted a rhubarb plant and took cuttings to propagate two hydrangea varieties.  The timing was tough, but it was what we had available to us.  One of the hydrangeas had sentimental value, and we had the ok from our buyers to take it, but I didn't have the mental space to figure out where to plant it, how to do it, etc., so we just took cuttings in hope of propagating.  We actually had reasonable success.  5 of 8 cuttings survived to this year.  We also took 2 rooted stems from a different variety of hydrangea, and those both survived.  Watering heavily is key.

I was just thinking about this the other day! I’m glad you had some success with the cuttings.

[deadwing]

simpsongal - great idea about trimming the blooms! Surviving is definitely the goal for this year - they can go back to being pretty next year or the year after.

Susie - such a good point about having nothing to lose except the effort. I don't think I have the dedication to re-grow from clippings - I'm impressed you did!

archiethedragon - I'm definitely scared about how heavy these will be to move! I'm going to have to get them up the short, steep slope to their new homes by myself. The good news is most of them are smaller than the ones in the picture. If I'm going to share, I'm going for the impressive part!

[rubytue]

I’d actually trim them back about 1/2-2/3, more than just blooms. That way, once they move, they have much less foliage to maintain and can focus on the roots.

As far as moving them, put them on a tarp and just drag it. But that might be obvious.

I moved most of my garden last year, but I started early in the spring and potted things up in preparation. You could also root prune now and leave them in another couple weeks, to get them use to surviving with fewer roots.

[treedimensional]

REMOVE THE FLOWERS and keep the roots damp. The flowers TAKE energy, the green foliage MAKES energy.

Having said that, when plants are growing in-ground, most moisture is lost through their leaves. Once you take them up, they will lose moisture through their leaves AND their roots so do not let the roots dry out.