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Hydrangea

pamevans1234pamevans1234 Posts: 6
in Plants
Can i transplant a mop head hydrangea now.

Posts

  • chickychicky Posts: 10,410
    Now is a good time for transplanting @pamevans1234, although success will depend on how long its been there.  Take as much of the rootball with it as possible and give it loads of water (even if its due to rain).  I always use the mycorrhizal fungi (rootgrow or similar) when planting trees and shrubs too.  It builds an additional root system for them to tap into whilst their own roots are re-establishing.
  • pamevans1234pamevans1234 Posts: 6
    Thank you.  The hydrangea is approx 5 years old and about 1m in height.
  • chickychicky Posts: 10,410
    Thats quite well established @pamevans1234 ......but it has two choices 🤣
  • EmerionEmerion Posts: 599
    I think there’s a fighting chance while it’s still dormant. And it’s only going to get older and bigger, so if it has to be moved, now’s the time. Get the hole it’s going into ready beforehand. I always dig deeper than I expect to need, because it’s easier to chuck soil back in quickly, than dig some more. And agree wholeheartedly - water well. With that size, there’ll be a lot of heavy soil on the roots. If you have help, a strong piece of canvas or thick old cloth is really useful to carry a big shrub with.
    Carmarthenshire (mild, wet, windy). Loam over shale, very slightly sloping, so free draining. Mildly acidic or neutral.


  • pamevans1234pamevans1234 Posts: 6
    ThankSue for your advice. 
  • Cambridgerose12Cambridgerose12 Posts: 1,134
    I've had a mature Hydrangea macrophylla moved for me, at a time when I would never have dreamt of doing it. The engineers installing cable to a house I lived in dug the whole plant up, in July (!) in full flower, and laid the cable, then replanted the hydrangea. It didn't turn a hair and emboldened me to move another one in a later garden, though in winter.

    I have a sense that some varieties of mopheads are a lot more tough and resilient than others, but I do think it's worth a try. I would strongly suggest cutting back some top growth when you do so, in order to reduce water loss from the top so the plant can cope with the inevitable root loss at the bottom. Also, it would be good to give it some frost protection after moving, in case there is a late cold snap. Mulch well and water well during the next growing season. In my experience they come up with a good-sized rootball, so are easy to move, unlike some other species.
  • wrob901585wrob901585 Posts: 1
    My Hydrangea Quercifolia which I acquired last summer but which was already quite big (and expensive) looks very dead after the cold weather. Will it come back?  It was beautiful with quite a few flowers. 
  • pamevans1234pamevans1234 Posts: 6
    we have a few hydrangea and at this time of year they do look dead. You should start to see small leaf buds starting to show early spring. I wait until end March beginning of April to cut back a third of the growth to just above a budget at that time.
  • pamevans1234pamevans1234 Posts: 6
    Not budget bud.😂
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