How to Dig Up a Hydrangea Bush

Hydrangeas are beautiful blooming bushes. Sometimes they are growing in the wrong location, or maybe you are moving and want to take the hydrangea plant with you. If you live in the south, where the winters are mild, you can move the hydrangea late in the fall. For those who live in the colder northern areas of the United states, dig up the hydrangea in the spring. The key to success is digging the plant in the right season and getting as many roots as possible with the root ball.

Work gloves
Pruning shears
Soft twine
Spade
Tarp (optional)
Wheelbarrow

Instructions

- 1
  Prune the hydrangea plant before dormancy and after it is done blooming. Remove some of the longer branches so the hydrangea does not put all its energy into the branches. You’ll want the energy going into the root section. Do not prune if you are digging the hydrangea bush in the spring.
- 2
  Tie the branches up with soft garden twine when it goes into dormancy after most of the leaves have fallen.Tie the twine around the lower branches of the hydrangea. Continue going around the entire bush with the twine to secure the branches up off the ground, making it more compact.
- 3
  Insert your spade into the soil as far as it will go, starting at least 2 feet from the base of the plant. Do this all the way around the hydrangea bush.
- 4
  Dig under the root section, being careful to not break the root ball apart.
- 5
  Pry the root ball out of the ground with your spade or shovel. If the hydrangea is big, enlist the help of a friend. Wrap the root ball in a tarp if you are going a distance to replant it.
- 6
  Place the root ball in a wheelbarrow for easier transport to its new home. Have the hole dug and ready to transplant the hydrangea into immediately after it is dug from the ground.

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