Sometimes tough love is what makes the garden grow

How heartless do you have to be to cut flower buds off a plant?

Actually, this seemingly appalling act of plant vandalism is really a demonstration of compassion, meant to help a plant through a tough time.

Cutting off the flower buds never gets easier, but if you’re transplanting something during the hottest part of the year, it’s the one way to help the plant make the transition to its new location.

Moving five mountain hydrangeas (Hydrangea serrata) at the end of June was not the plan, but the space they were being moved to wasn’t ready earlier in the season, when it would have been a much easier move.

In fact, these hydrangeas, a variety called Tuff Stuff that has performed very well for me for a number of years, were having a great year until I started prying them out of the soil.

They were preparing a fabulous flower show, which made what I did next even harder. I cut them back by almost half, eliminating all but one flower bud and drastically reducing the amount of foliage.

The idea is that the plant will have less foliage to support as it recovers from the move, hopefully reducing the stress it experiences.

Planting and transplanting in summer can be done, but it’s a job that needs to be done a bit more carefully than during cooler times of the year.

For transplanting, dig a hole in the new location, then dig out the plant, preserving as big a root ball as possible, and move it immediately to its new home.

After that, the best planting method to prevent shock and ensure the long-term health of the plant remains the same, whether it’s a transplant or a new addition.

Filling the hole with water before backfilling with soil helps make sure the soil and the roots are thoroughly moistened. After backfilling, make sure the soil settles nicely with no air pockets and then water again.

Then comes the hard part: Flowers and foliage require energy to support, but for new plants or transplants, the roots are the part you need to focus on. Removing some leafy growth is usually helpful.

In the case of my hydrangeas, which are particularly thirsty plants, I cut most stems down to a set of leaves about a third to a half the way down the stem. For perennials, you might just shear them back by half or at least cut off flowers.

After that, it’s all about water, particularly if the weather is very warm. Watering every day for the first few days and then every other day for a week can help. After that, you can stretch the time between waterings, but keep an eye out for signs of stress, including wilting. After the first couple weeks, you can aim for about an inch of water a week, delivered via one or two deep waterings.

Soon your plants should be acclimated to their new homes and you’ll likely start seeing new growth, a good sign that it’s doing well.

And, you might even see a few flower buds eventually. Take that as a sign that your tough love paid off.