Here are some "notes", in no particular order. The best time is when the plants are dormant. Prepare the new hole before you dig the existing plant. Water the existing location on the night before you plan to move the shrub. Get as most of the rootball as you can. Do not fertilize it this years as it will suffer from transplant shock (the leaves may go limp, etc). Keep an eye for wilting episodes, especially during the hotest part of the summer. "Weak" fertilizers like liquid seaweed and liquid fish are ok but stop all of them by July. Keep the new location well mulched and as constantly moist -ot wet- as possible. If you can drag the shrub to its new location by putting it on top of burlap/tarp/etc, that will help your back, especially if someone helps you. You can also remove this years blooms on a plant that has already moved; you can simply prune them off if they have not bloomed. I would prefer that the plant concentrate on rebuilding the root system instead of using some of that energy on blooms. Observe if they experience leaf limping and consider reducing water loss by either cutting the leaves in half or by cutting the half of the leaves. Some times they do not limp at all so I prefer to watch for a day or two and cut if I see signs of transplant shock. Some people add root stimulators (light to medium strength only) at this time; some add Superthrive; some do nothing and the plants still survive. Propagate the plant before transplanting just in case it does not survive the move and this is heirloom hydrangea for you and-or your family. I add bone meal to the bottom of the hole when transplanting roses and have done so when moving hydrangeas. It is probably unnecessary if a recent soil check says that you have have avge levels of phosphorus (I have slightly less than average so I use bone meal). Get whatever equipment you will need days before moving: flat dolly with no holes, burlap/tarp, spades of various types, etc. If you have to keep the shrub above ground for a few days, choose a shaded location where the wind does not blow much and water the soil often, early in the mornings.

Thank you for the detailed advice...it is really appreciated, wish me luck on the move, I think I'm going to need it. Thanks again...Sue

We had an unusually severe winter for the NW south Puget Sound area, with a freeze for several days in late Nov. and another in late Feb. A gorgeous hydrangea that was in place for twelve years died to the ground. It was not labeld endless summer, but was still sending out new blooms late into the fall, and I am wondering if the Nov. freeze was what did it in. It is sneding up only a couple of new shoots from ground level. I would like a fair sized hydrangea in this spot and have purchased an original Endless Summer. I am wondering about trying to transplant this suffering hydrangea in order to put the new one in....or just digging it out and calling it a total loss. I can't really believe this was a bad spot, since the old one did so well for so long. Anyone else have the experience of losing a thriving hydrangea like this...and should I try to save it? Thanks for any information.

Hello, scatteredblooms. I would keep it or transplant it. From a monetary standpoint, consider keeping it or transplanting a way to get a free plant without spending any money!

Note: just because the growth above the ground died, that does not mean that the plant died or almost died. The roots may be doing fine. It is very common for some hydrangeas in cold climates to loose all growth above the ground and then replace it with new shoots starting in Spring. Stems that have not leafed out by mid to late May (at the latest) can be pruned all the way down to the crown.

Some things that might help in future seasons: stop all fertilizing by the end of July so the plant is dormant when frost/freezes/etc arrive; keep the plant mulched with 3-4" of mulch; water it when the winter is dry and the ground does not freeze; winter protect variteties that have this problem often or those that are planted out of zone.

Luis