Moving large/old woody shrubs

Hello

I have a decent sized old Hydrangea that I would like to move to the back garden to allow it the space it needs to spread out.
The change in location would get a more sun but also more wind from the south and east but would be protected from the north and west. It would also be rain shaded due to a north wall.

In what situation can you not dig something like this out? I'm concerned the root system might be all over the place due to very shallow soil.
What month would be best, I'm in north Scotland and everything is starting to die back

There are some other things I would like to move too as that area of the garden is just not very good for things like this as I would prefer it to grow out rather than have to keep cutting it back massively every winter

Cheers

 

I think the hydrangea would be better not in rain shadow.

The general advice for moving large old shrubs is to dig a trench around it, cutting through whatever roots you need to, backfill with compost and let it re-grow fine feeder roots, then move it the following year (at which point you'd probably need to cut through any roots going deeply down underneath the shrub).

Tree and shrubs: moving plants / RHS

 

If you're having to cut it back it's obviously in the right place, and happy. I don't have experience of growing in Scotland, but generally, Hydrangeas like shade and moisture. The proposed spot doesn't sound ideal. As it's recommended to prune them annually anyway, I'd leave it where it is!
As for the other stuff that you want to move, Googling each plant to find out what sort of root system it's got would be a start. Some plants like Rhododendrons and Camellias have a compact, shallow rootball and move easily, but tap-rooted shrubs wouldn't take kindly to change.

 

I agree with the above. It's clearly very happy where it is and I think moving it to the new position you describe would be to its detriment. Hydrangeas like moisture, and if it's in a rain shadow then it will suffer imo.

I think you maybe have 2 options. Generally speaking the advice is not to hard prune mophead hydrangeas, but I came across this from one of the designers on Garden Rescue.

How to Prune Hydrangeas: Beginners Guide!

If you're willing to take the risk you could try that. The alternative is to perhaps remove it altogether if you don't have a sentimental attachment to it.

 

I cut it back excessively 18 months ago or so and it tripled in size this year, I don't think the previous people had been doing any maintenance on it so it obviously enjoyed the buzzcut.

It either needs to be moved or I need to thin it out massively(like the RHS site suggests) which I don't really want to do or the 3rd option which is to move the 2 other things. That gardenninja link is very useful and I'll take a bunch of cuttings and try and propagate it.

I shall try and figure out what the other 2 plants are. I'm looking for low maintenance on that side as its 1 meter away from a road and boxed in by walls and less than 1ft deep soil

 

The other 2 plants

 

Hydrangeas should be thinned by 1/3rd each year. The site you describe does not sound like an ideal position to put plants of any kind. If you want low maintenance have you thought of gravel, or slate chippings etc.?

 

I'd take a guess that the first photo is a Rhododendron but I'm sure that the second is a Pieris. Perhaps @hailbopp could confirm the first, as she grows some wonderful Rhodies up in Scotland. They're both easy to move but as conditions up there can be 'challenging', it may not be the best time to do it. Evergreens can suffer badly in frosty weather if their roots can't take up enough moisture. I wouldn't have thought you'd find anything less high-maintenance than those two, so perhaps Goldenlily26's suggestion of turning it into hard landscaping would be the solution?

 

Thanks so much for this link. I too have two large hydrangeas which are great and flourishing but outgrowing their space a bit and getting congested. I’ll be following this advice in the spring too.

 

You don't need to do anything to hydrangeas unless there are damaged/broken stems that need removed, or if you want to regenerate an older, less productive specimen. The annual trim in spring [or earlier if it's a paniculata] is enough. Regenrating can either be the cut back completely, or the three year method where you remove [completely] a third of stems, then repeat with the rest over the following couple of years.
I'd agree that the site seems ideal for it rather than the proposed new one.
There's 2 main choices there. Either remove the hydrangea to allow room for the other shrubs [rhodo and pieris] or move one, or both, of the other shrubs and replace with something smaller. You can take some branches out of the hydrangea every year to make it narrower if you want, but ultimately, it won't look as good as it would if left to have enough room.
As said - rhodos are quite easy to move, and you can also do the trench, then move later method as described, if you're concerned about moving it at one go. Most rhodos are quite easy though. Pieris can be pruned/shaped quite easily without any problems, but it really depends on the overall look you want.
If you decide to move any of them, wait until there's no long term frost/ice though.

 

I certainly would not move either the Rhododendron or Pieris atm. Mind you fat chance currently if you are in the same situation as here with the soil like concrete! Neither shrub are that big so I wouldn’t bother to root prune before moving. This is useful with large shrubs but not necessary with yours. I would move them in the spring around April time when the temperatures are beginning to rise. Improve the new planting spot with some leaf mould if you have it, peat ( on horror of horrors if you have any) but ensure the soil is friable to enable easy rerooting. Don’t plant, especially the Rhododendron, deep. They are surface rooters and dislike being” buried”. Water the shrubs in well ie not just a sprinkle. A good 5 or 6 watering can fulls and then if we have a very dry spell by some miracle keep well watered and spray the foliage a couple of times a week.Agree leave the Hydrangea. You must be quite a bit more sheltered then me as where I live I cannot grow mopheads ( not keen on them anyway) and have to ensure I get the right varieties of Lacecap otherwise they do not flourish here. The reason your Hydrangea is doing well is it is protected on 2 sides. It will not do as well out in the open altho unlike down in the South Hydrangeas up here in Scotland do best in full sun. Leave it in situ and move everything else and don’t prune it until the spring. We have not had a humdinger of a winter since 2011 but might be in for one now and the less stress you put on plants during the winter the better.

 

I agree. Leave the hydrangea, as it is happy. Move anything else in spring as the soil warms up and new roots start to grow.

For reference, hydrangeas mostly have shallow root systems and are easy to move. It is astonishing when you take one out and realise all that top growth was being supported by such a small root ball. Ain't nature a marvel!