I have a very well established niko blue hydrangea that has been happily growing against a fence that provided it with shelter from the wind and to much sun. My elderly neighbor had the fence taken down as it was hers and falling apart . I can read the writing on the wall and know that this plant is not going to be a happy camper come next summer . should I try to move it now or wait till spring ?
Wow...hard choice...will the roots have enough time to grow before the ground freezes? Will transplanting in the spring disrupt the bloom cycle? If it was mine, I'd wrap it in burlap for the winter, then move it in the spring.......
thanks Robindog , I think I'll heed your advise , protect it and wait till spring to move it .
Let me know how it does.....
I tend to do a lot of planting/transplanting/rearranging at this time of year. I bet at worst you would have reduced flowers in 2017 and you would have time for roots to establish before freeze. Robindog's suggestion is also good.
We have an immense Quickfire hydrangea which I would like to move, but DH says no way!
I've transplanted a few hydrangea macs. You will sacrifice your blooms whether or not you transplant now or spring. You also might find that you end up with more than one bush as I often find the roots split off into multiple plants. Perhaps if you dig a big enough root ball you won't go through this but I always find the plant has to establish again and that can take a few years. Consistent watering after transplant for a season or two will be very important as you know already.
well its been a year since I posted this and I have to say the hydrangea had a great year ! more flowers than I have ever had .It was a bang up year all around for hydrangeas in my area so I'll have to wait and see if it does as well next year but for now YAY
laura
That's great! Did you move it? Here we had a warm spell and then a freeze so not such a great year for macs in my yard.
I didn't move it because we had such a great spring for hydrangeas and it looked so good I couldn't bring myself to dig it up
