If you're wondering when to transplant your bigleaf hydrangea ( macrophylla ), now is it. It's one of the questions that often comes up during my lectures and talks as audiences realize they need to move their plants. Why would you want to move your plant? Here are a couple of reasons: it has grown too big for its space and you always find yourself needing to cut it back which often results in fewer flowers. You either cut it at the wrong time or you damage it when you cut it. Or you realize that it is too exposed to winter weather and always dies back to the ground like the one in this photo and maybe that wouldn't happen if it was in a different place. Or you never get around to it in time or whatever. Why move it now? Late August/early September is a good time to make this move to give the plant time to establish roots before it goes completely dormant or winter comes and the ground freezes. Secondly, you can monitor it while it still has foliage which c...
