Hi MH,
I've transplanted while not dormant. I think as long as it is not too hot you should be fine. I would transplant, water and keep an eye on it. I think if you do it now before it completely turns green it will do great.

Good luck!

Thank you MSalcido!

Hi MH,
In my north Michigan house, Last year I moved ES in the last week of April.It turned out to be fine. But you will need to water it frequently through out the summer, just like you plant a new ES. Good thing is that the plant will be much shorter to deal with.

My personal experience is that if you can wait until early to mid September, when the weather is cooler, it will be the easiest, both for the plant and for you. Of course, the plant will be much taller. So you may need somebody to help you. I moved a couple of ES last September, only watered them a couple times. Both of them started to show new growth now without any winter protection.

Best of luck,
Vivian

Thanks Vivian! =)

Well today was the day. After saying I needed to do this for 3 years, I finally got the job done. All I can say is that was a BATTLE. I've transplanted 5 foot hemlock trees. I've transplanted many a small-med shrub, but that bad boy did not want to give up. In the end, I'm not sure if I got enough of the rootball to give it a fighting chance. But once it had started, it had to get finished.

Now I sit back, water and pray. lol

More and more tiny leafs are starting to unfurl, so I'm taking that as a good sign. I'm not sure however, if it's just the plant's stored energy making that happen. The leafs are green. They're too little to wilt, so I can't judge anything by that right now.

I did not cut it back. Its size made it desirable for this spot. It always flowered well for me which I attributed to its vast root system. Of course I ended up with much less root than I planned. I only got about 8-10 inches down and about 18" across. The plant is about 3x4 which is a great size mophead for this region.

It's placed in the most prominent spot in our best flower bed, so it's gotta do well. It just has to. =D

Hi ME, Please post the results back. Glad you got it done. I think ES is relatively resilient, as long as they are given enough water and not exposed too much in the afternoon sun. They will be fine.

Best of luck,
vivian

Hi Vivian, Thanks for asking! It's been 10 days, and so far, more little leafs are coming out. Each leaf looks a nice shade of green. We've had a string of great weather for a transplanted shrub: lots of overcast and drizzly days, so that's been a real help. We had high, dry winds 2 days after transplant, so I misted the canes (stalks?) a few times throughout the day. I cannot wait to see how it looks when it's all leafed out. I think only then will I be able to assess its health. I feel like a nervous mom! lol

She's loaded with flower buds!! =))))))

I did make one stupid mistake that I'll pass along, so hopefully others will avoid it. Since she was just sticks during the transplant, this didn't occur to me. Apparently, I put her in differently from the way she was facing before. So she's taller on the right side and appears to be facing off to the side. So if your hydrangea has a definite front, mark it with a ribbon or something, so it goes in the way it was originally facing. Frankly, she was so heavy, that I'm sure I just plunked her down, shoved a buncha dirt in there and called it good. lol

I'm just so pleased to have flower buds. I did not expect that this year.

Thanks again! =)