Are my shrubs beyond saving?

I recently bought a mature hydandrea to fill a large gap in my border, I had to dig it up from it's previous location. When I got it home I realised that it was too large to fit where I had planned, so I had to move a rose bush to make way for it. That was 2 weeks ago and now both hydandrea and rose are looking pretty dead. Is there anything I can do to save them? Obviously I've been watering and feeding, but any advice would be appreciated.

 

Hydrangeas need ericaceous compost. They hate lime, and soil pH needs to be on the acid side. I'm not so sure about roses, but I think they prefer neutral pH, so they might now both be in soil that is not favourable to them.

Also, I suspect this is the wrong time of year to be moving established plants. They will innevitably take some stress by being moved during the peak of the growing season, but won't necessarily have died as a result.

 

Oh, and welcome to GC by the way

 

I haven't a clue about ph or what the properties of the soil are I'm afraid, and I'm sure you're right about it not being the right time of year, as you can probably tell I'm not much of a gardener! I Just wanted a quick fix to stop my nosey neighbours being able to see over the fence and I thought that by buying an established shrub i'd be getting a head start. The leaves started to droop almost instantly and as you can see from the pics they look pretty poorly :(

 

Oh dear, yes they do look a tad poorly don't they. I have to admit I'd pictured in my mind some wilted leaves and flowers with their petals falling off.

From the second pic, judging by the area of disturbed soil, I'm guess you chopped off half the roots in the process of transplanting. I'm afraid this is beyond my limited experience, so lets wait for one of the more experienced folks to tell us.

 

I don't think any roots were chopped off, we did put compost down around it when we planted, is that what you mean by disturbed soil? Some of the branches did get snapped during transport though, it was a lot bigger than we had anticipated. The rose certainly was not damaged in any way, and has only moved a short distance up the same border so soil conditions should be the same, it was flourishing before. Thanks for your comments anyway, hopefully someone else will have some pearls of wisdom for me!

 

Sorry, I've just released I misread your first post. I read Hydrangea where you said Hydandrea, which is not a plant I'm familiar with, so ignore my comments about its soil requirements.

 

Hello,


Oh dear, pulled a blinder that time-nevermind, we live and learn. They are very large hydrangeas and I doubt you didn't chop off roots during the digging up process. You just wouldn't have noticed.


I would cut the hydrangea hard back right down to no more than 10 inches or so from the base and keep your fingers crossed. It MIGHT come back next yr, but it's over for this year unfortunately. Shame too as thay are all starting to open their flowers now.

They like it acidic yes, but that is not down to soil type, that is down ( and this might sound brutal sorry) to being inexperienced and not appreciating what a plant that size needs to survive. The rootball alone should have been about 3ft wide and deep.


As for the rose, I suspect the same has been done there too so cut back and water them well.


clueless91you were right first time.


I think what Clueless means (if you would pardon me Clueless) is that the area of disturbed soil is a clue as to the size of the rootball you took when you dug up the plant. If it fitted in that hole, it was far far too small.

 

O.K, firstly, I misspelled it, it is Hydrangea. The hole we dug was pretty big, some of the top soil was put back around the edges so the hole was a lot bigger than it looks in the pic,and deep too. I can see why you think that though, but the dark area around the plant is just the small area of compost that didn't get covered over when replacing the dug out soil. The rose Definitely didn't get damaged at all, I'm a bit loathe to chop it back if there is any other way?

 

Hello, ajones .... I'm afraid I can't help you with your disaster but I can welcome you to GC.

It looks like your neighbour has a Fremontodendron behind the fence ... how lovely that you can enjoy it also.

Enjoy the forum.

 

Sorry Ajones, I genuinely am, and I sincerely hope someone can offer other advice. The same thing has happened to the two plants you moved, so it is a case of working out what the common denominator is. I honestly can't suggest anything else, that's not to say someone else can't. You could try watering them very very well, turn a hose on and stand aside for an hour-maybe.

 

I have moved plants in the summer but as Claire says you need to water. I usually prune them back and keep them drowned daily. It can work but you need to be vigilant. The hydrangea should come back but you need to prune it hard as you do the the rose. Top dress with compost and keep soaking. We've all been there. I hope they survive. Do let us know.

 

O.K I will cut it back and water profusely, any tips as to where to prune it to? , Thanks for all your help, I feel Very silly now!

 

No need to feel silly, you don't learn anything when you do things right. People learn from their own mistakes is all.


Gardening is common sense so you need to think about how much water would be needed to support the growth of the plant. If there is less plant material ( ie less leaves, less shoots, stems, etc) then the roots that are left don't have to work so hard.


The real beauty of the two plants you have moved is that they are robust and resilient and always perform well to an occasional hard prune, so don't see what has happened as a mistake, but as an opportunity.


Okay brass tacks ( and this is where you will get differing opinions). I am a gardener/butcher, so I would always over prune rather than under prune. So, I personally would say...........you can see where the main thick stems are at the base, yes? And then where the newer slightly thinner stems have branched off it, yes? Look at those slightly thinner stems and see where you can see a bud (it is a small raised lump on the side of the stem, once you sit down and look you will see them). Find one that is pointing outwards-the very first one you find from the bottom of those stems and take your secauteurs ( be brave) and cut. It will look atrocious I know but this is where the new growth will sprout from next year. The exact same procedure with the rose.


I have attached a couple of links to help


http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0205/hydrangea_pruning.asp



http://www.rhs.org.uk/Advice/profiles0201/rose_pruning.asp


With luck they will come back next year. You still need to thoroughly water all through this year to encourage new root growth. Good Luck, and forget it does no good to brood on any mistakes.

 

I must also add, you have what appears to be a stunning white peony there too.