I’d leave it alone and just take cuttings.

Floral, do you mean, just take flowers to enjoy or other?

debra

You can root cuttings.

There is improved Annabelle version, I would just get that one.

Incrediball is the new version. Proven Winners sells it.

I have both and see very little difference between Annabelle and Incrediball - their large, heavy blooms will droop after a rainstorm, doesn’t matter which one you have.

As for moving it, Annabelle moves very well in cooler weather, not sure how she’ll handle relocation if it’s hot, though.

That sounds like good insurance - take cuttings to root & also the move the original in fall. This creates two chances for keeping the original. I think Debra wants to move the original rather than replace it because of its history of beingas old as the house. It looks like its too close to the house & being overtaken by ferns.. Maybe I’m assuming too much though?

Dig it up. Look at the root ball for pieces that can be pulled off with roots attached. These can be planted to make more plants and they will be clones of the original plant. Cut them apart if they do not pull off easily. Anabelles are really tough and you could also take cuttings. Check on line - there are a lot of videos that show you exactly how to do this. Any branch coming from the root ball with roots - either at the end of the branch or along the branch will work. Keep it in the shade and well watered. I do this all the time and you just have to keep it out of direct sun and keep it moist. Check below the surface of the soil - 5-6 inch depth - to make sure it is moist. If it gets really how or windy, or if it starts to wilt, put it in a bucket of water over night. One night will not cause root rot! If the mother plant has to be moved in the summer dunk it in a bucket of water over night or longer and then plant in moist soil. Once established, Annabelle does just fine in lots of sun. This depends on your location, but in the PNW full sun is OK.

Kw I hadn’t thought about the history, but you are right. It’s been here that long, it would be nice to plant it where it could be seen. I did let the ferns get out of hand mostly because it has just been full of weeds. This year the neighbor lady is retired and she and her husband have been working on weeding there. I just have one long row o Lancifolias along that side of the house. Until recently when I had a large bush removed, you couldn’t even see back there.

debra

whats the white pipe.. furnace or radon.. either way ... does it extend below ground??? .. will you damage such digging???

in my world... besides the rooting suggested above.. i would price out a new plant .. and once i knew that amount.. i would decide if 5 hours of backbreaking labor of digging a new hole.. then digging out the plant.. and then moving it.. etc.. was worth the 20 or 30 bucks i might spend on a new plant ...

and if that was the decision... i would cut it to the ground.. and treat with a stump killer.. or undiluted round up .. which is labeled as a stump killer ...

work smart.. not hard.. and dont do 200 dollars of labor to avoid spend 20 bucks on a new plant ..

ken

ps: i suspect.. im going to get dated on my price suggestions in the near future.. if not already ...

Ken raises some great points about the white pipe & what it might be. It looks like it’s dripping so I thought something to do with HVAC system. But I think he’s right that caution is advised & maybe the best way to keep this vintage plant is to clone it with cuttings & give it new life that way. The cut down & dig out roots piece by piece. That might also save the ’priceless’ part of the labor cost which is of course - our time! 😊

hi

are you ground freeze like me...

if so .. move in mid sept.. water in deeply ... and maybe bury it in some shredded leaves in late november ...

or.. move it right after ground thaw ...in late march early april ... at least 6 to 8 weeks before the heat of summer starts to build.. aka late june ... again.. water deeply and mulch heavily ..

this is a situation.. where there really should be any special rules for this H ... its just another woody shrub.. so treat it like you would any other woody shrub in your garden...

its when we start dreaming up special rules and treating them as too special.. where we usually just love them to death .. frankly .. in seot . just go out there.. rip its butt from mother earth.. whip it across the yard to the new spot.. and shove it in the ground... and i suspect.. with such perfect timing.. an 80% success rater ...

ken

see proper timing in section one: https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub

just so you know..I've successfully moved several arborescens hydrangeas..I have Incrediball, Annabelle and White Dome..none were as old as yours so they probably came out easier..I didn't want them where they were and had room for them elsewhere..

ken makes good points..my husband actually said "just go buy a new one"..I said "that's sweet dear but let's just move the ones we have"..and he went along with it..someday I might agree with him and stop trying to save every plant..

You all make terrific points……..the white pipe is part of the air conditioning system. It does not go to the ground. It stops there and flows right along the side of the house to the outdoor conditioner box.

ken, you make a very good point regarding back breaking labor. I have decided to take cuttings as suggested and leave the main plant in place. I think I will get a handle on the ferns covering it up. That could make a hugh difference in whether it can be seen or not from out front.

debra

For me, layering hydrangeas is the easiest propagation method.

"For me, layering hydrangeas is the easiest propagation method."

If it's been there that many years I'll bet it has already layered itself and it would be very easy to dig up some babies even if one decided to leave the mother in place.

When those weeds get cleared away I'd sure get in there and have a look. I completely understand wanting to save the original plant and IMO a bit of digging wouldn't stop me.

Usually it wouldn’t stop me either, but I do have a fused back and neck and am still dealing with the healing of two hip replacements and torn hip tendons repair……ken knows this, so it would best to leave the digging for now. I will take cuttings as suggested clear out some of the ferns and see how I feel about it in Spring. Hopefully my body will be better healed as well as Bert’s hand (he’s my gardener assist)- he’s been out of commission this summer due to a pretty bad hand injury……lots of garden stuff just didn’t get done this year, like mulching. Oh well……..🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️

debra