7 Signs It’s Time To Transplant Your Hydrangeas

Looking to do some garden rearranging? Fall marks the ideal time to transplant and relocate many plants, including hydrangeas. Maybe your vigorous grower has outgrown its surroundings, or perhaps it isn’t putting on quite the display you’d hoped.

Reasons to relocate hydrangeas often relate to their overall health and vigor. If your shrub shows signs of low budding or flowering, wilting, leaf drop, or other less-than-ideal performance markers, it may be the right time for a location change.

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Transplanting Basics

Hydrangeas are not only beautiful but also resilient and adaptable. Given a few best practices for success, they respond well to transplanting. Fall and winter (in warmer climates) are the best time to transplant hydrangeas. You can move them any time of year, but cool conditions and dormancy reduce stress and transplant shock.

Plan to relocate the flowering shrubs as they enter dormancy, usually in mid- to late fall as indicated by leaves dropping. Temperatures are cool but the ground isn’t frozen yet.

Prune branches lightly, leaving most intact, especially those with buds that set on old wood. By dormancy, the next season’s buds are set. Water deeply before digging and transplanting.

Dig a wide berth to capture the whole root ball and lift the entire plant. Move the hydrangea to its newly prepared site with a hole twice as big as the root ball. Ensure soil is well-draining, and amend with compost for added moisture retention, aeration, and richness.

Install the shrub in its new spot and water deeply. If dormant, this can be the last watering session until spring. If still growing, water regularly until frost. Hold off on fertilizing until new growth emerges in the spring. 

Some hydrangeas rely on soil pH to influence bloom color. Bigleaf (H. macrophylla) and mountain (H. serrata) selections may flower in blue or pink depending on soil acidity and alkalinity. It’s a good time to do a soil test to determine your soil’s pH. In alkaline soils (higher pH), add aluminum sulfate to yield pink blooms. In acidic soils, garden lime encourages blue blooms. Amending in the fall gives time for the pH to adjust before blooming.

Maintain a three-inch layer of mulch year-round to retain moisture, regulate temperature, and suppress weeds. Mulch cools roots in the summer and insulates them in the winter. It also adds nutrients to the soil as it decomposes. 

Here are the key signs that it is time to transplant your hydrangea:

Wilting Leaves and Flowers

Hydrangeas wilt in response to high heat and sunny conditions, even with plenty of water. This energy conservation is standard on summer afternoons, and they usually perk up with cooler evening shade and temperatures.

If your hydrangea wilts for a long time without rebounding, it might be due to too much sun exposure or to water issues.

Too Much Sun

Most hydrangeas grow best in partial shade except panicle hydrangeas (H. paniculata), which tolerate more sun exposure. Morning sun with afternoon shade protection is ideal in most planting areas.

In northern growing areas with cool climates, the bloomers grow best in four to six hours of sun as long as soil moisture is consistent. In hot, southern climates, two to three hours of morning sun or dappled sunlight is sufficient. Plants thrive with more shade as heat and sun intensity increase.

Direct afternoon sun can burn and scorch leaves and flowers. Provide shade or canopy cover to protect plants from bright rays. Transplant shrubs that recieve too much sun to a spot with partial shade.

Water or Drainage Issues

Hydrangeas require plenty of water to thrive. Bigleaf varieties are among the thirstiest, with large leaves quickly wicking away moisture through transpiration. Foliage wilts with a lack of moisture. 

About one inch of water per week is sufficient for the reliable bloomers, with more needed during dry spells. Even moisture ensures the plant’s overall health and vigor, but too much water and saturated soils lead to wilt and fungal issues.

Ensure soils have good drainage to avoid soggy conditions. Move the hydrangea to a spot with better drainage and amended soils if pooling is a problem.

Yellowing and Dropping Leaves

If the soil stays too wet or too dry, you may see leaves turning yellow and dropping or flying away in the breeze. Water fluctuations may be due to seasonal conditions or over- or under-irrigating.

Poor soils contribute significantly to a lack of overall health, and could be a key sign that it’s time to transplant your hydrangeas. Challenging sites benefit from soil amendments or transplanting hydrangeas to better moisture and rich, well-draining soil situations.

Over or Under Watering

Underwatered hydrangeas wilt, and their leaves turn yellow and crisp. Leaves also turn yellow in cases of overwatering, but instead of being crunchy, they’ll be soft and spongy. If the soil feels dry to the depth of an inch or two (one to two knuckles deep), it’s time to water.

Once established, the hardy growers don’t need supplemental water with average rainfall. Watering deeply—but infrequently—encourages a deep root system to support the plant during high heat. The robust root system will also support the shrub through winter extremes.

Soil Quality

Yellowing leaves may be a sign of insufficient nutrition or poor soil health. Consider moving shrubs in lean soils, like clay or sand, to more fertile sites. Amend with compost for added nutrition, and apply a balanced slow-release fertilizer in spring.

An imbalanced soil pH also contributes to yellowing and dropping foliage. Soils with high alkalinity or acidity levels inhibit the ability to absorb essential nutrients. Plants suffer chlorotic disorders, yellowing foliage, and reduced vigor. Hydrangeas prefer slightly acidic soils with a pH near 6.0.

Soil types include clay, sand, silt, and loams, and the particle makeup impacts pH. The trusty soil test and recommended amendments help regulate levels.

Lack of Flowers

It’s disheartening to await abundant blooms that don’t appear or emerge small and remain dwarfed. Since we mainly grow the flowering shrubs for their stunning floral mopheads, cones, or lacecaps, having one with only leafy growth is beyond the norm.

If your shrub isn’t flowering or shows sparse blooming, several key cultural factors may be the source. Unless you’ve made a pruning mistake that prevented bud set, the first cause to look for is sun exposure. Overfertilizing, over or under-watering, and pests and diseases are other culprits.

Overfertilizing

Too much fertilizer has a counter effect to what we intend. Too much nitrogen, specifically, yields leafy growth but inhibits flowering. Excess nitrogen jump starts quick production of new growth, often resulting in weak stems.

In already fertile soils, opt for a balanced blend of fertilizer for acid-loving plants. Make sure it contains phosphorous to promote blooming. 

If you’ve accidentally applied too much fertilizer, the problem may self-correct with rainfall and irrigation that dilute the extra nutrients over time. Under signs of severe stress, lift the entire plant. Remove existing soil and replenish it with a fresh blend of native soil and organic matter, or move the plant to a new home with fresh soil.

Drooping or Weak Stems

Floppy stems are normal for some varieties, whose massive flower clusters weigh down branches during peak bloom. Newer cultivars often bear sturdier branching to support the huge flowers, but even so, new growth takes time to develop into thick, strong stems.

If most stems are drooping when not in full flower or are generally puny, the hydrangea may need more sunlight.

Too Much Shade

The vigorous bloomers rely on proper sun exposure to grow and flower. Depending on your climate, that may be more or less light. In deep shade, stems may flop and lay down.

The specimen’s original growing conditions change as surrounding plants mature and canopy cover increases. A once partially sunny spot may now be more shaded, indicating that it’s time to transplant your hydrangea. Move the shrubs to morning sun exposure and dappled afternoon light for the best performance.

Outgrowing Its Space

Hydrangeas are versatile in their size, from compact growers that tuck in easily to large-scale focal specimens. If the selection is bursting beyond its planting area, moving it to a larger space will help it in the long term. With ample room, it sustains a mature habit without excessive pruning.

As they outgrow their space, overcrowding becomes an issue. The shrub may impede other plants, or vice versa, as they mature.

Overcrowded conditions lead to pest and fungal problems as airflow decreases. Air circulation is vital to overall health and prevents damp, humid conditions from causing foliar issues. When possible, trim surrounding plants to promote airflow. Transplanting to a larger space may be the solution.

Potbound

As in-ground specimens become cramped, potted hydrangeas reach a physical barrier that impacts growth. Root-bound plants show increased water needs. The root ball becomes dense and matted, twisting and twining at the base, resulting in stunted growth.

Containers should be larger than the root ball, increasing as the specimen grows. When they outgrow their pots, it’s time to transplant hydrangeas to the garden bed.

Pest and Disease Overload

A hydrangea may be in the wrong site if it experiences recurrent pest and disease issues. For mild, recurrent infestations or fungal issues, monitor the site for sun, water, airflow, soil quality, and fertilization. 

Hydrangeas are susceptible to Cercospora leaf spot and powdery mildew. They may incur aphids and beetles.

Planting in the proper sun exposure with plenty of air circulation and average moisture helps stave off infections. Pruning and removing diseased leaves helps prevent the spread of pests and diseases. For best health, remove fallen leaves and flowers from the base of the plant during the growing season and in the fall.

Winter Damage

While exceptionally cold hardy, hydrangeas may need extra protection in lower zones. Overwintering depends on the variety and microclimate conditions.

Extra measures to protect against winter extremes include extra mulch, piling leaves, and burlap wraps. If you’ve tried these and still experience bud loss or cane dieback, relocation to a sheltered spot may be the answer.

Look for a site that protects against winter winds. Cold winds are extremely drying and may cause bud drop, resulting in fewer flowers come spring.