The hydrangea is one of the site-loyal plants and should be allowed to remain in the chosen place if possible. Due to garden design measures, however, this is not always possible and the hydrangea has to move. If you proceed with caution, the hydrangea will usually survive the move unscathed.
Hydrangeas are always grateful when they are planted outdoors from pots
The new location
Choose this carefully so that the plant grows quickly and you don't have to transplant the hydrangea again after a while. Please note the following points:
- Hydrangeas prefer sunny locations.
- Weather-protected places under a sparse tree are ideal.
- The substrate should have a pH between 4.5 and 6.5 and be nutritious and well drained.
- Choose a sufficiently large place, as the hydrangea grows broadly bushy when uncut.
When is transplanted?
So that the hydrangea survives the move in the garden unscathed, you should preferably move it in autumn. The hot summer months, when the hydrangea is also in full bloom, are unsuitable.
Alternatively, you can transplant the hydrangea in early spring. The plant should not have sprouted yet. The planting time must also be chosen so that frosty temperatures are no longer to be expected.
Dig up a hydrangea
In order not to damage the delicate roots of the hydrangea more than necessary, you should be very careful when doing this work. This approach has proven itself:
- Prune large hydrangeas by about a third.
- Dig a small ditch around the hydrangea in a ring, approximately the same diameter as the old canopy.
- Now carefully dig up the hydrangea, cutting through as little as possible of the root system.
- Keep lifting the plant slightly to loosen it.
- To ensure that a lot of soil remains on the root ball, wrap it in dense sacking or foil.
Insertion in the new place
At the new location, dig a planting hole large enough to accommodate the entire root ball and the expanded roots. In places with heavily compacted soil, where waterlogging often occurs, it is advisable to install a drainage layer of coarse sand or gravel. If the soil is not what the hydrangea likes, you should generously dig up the topsoil and replace it with special soil for hydrangeas, rhododendrons or azaleas.
Place the hydrangea upright in the planting hole, fill it with soil and water the plant well. As a result, the substrate also gets between the fine branches of the roots and these can immediately absorb water again.
After moving, ensure adequate watering. The substrate should always feel slightly damp.
tips
After digging up, you can easily divide very large hydrangeas. The two to three new plants usually grow quickly.