Mom & I were just looking at the two hydrangeas I transplanted early last year & trying to decide if we would take them with us when we move. The answer is ‘no’ for 2 reasons:
#1 - This is the ‘biggy’ ... we are not taking anything the deer like to eat. Our hydrangeas were in a poor location & did not do well so the deer left them alone; however, there is a herd (literally, spotted 6-10 along the neighbor’s fence line) at the new place & we’re just not spending time fighting the deer. The ‘limelights’ are gorgeous & I would like to have them, but since the yard is a blank canvas & we have a choice of what to plant, no deer food!
https://savvygardening.com/are-hydrangeas-deer-resistant/
#2 - Even if the deer didn’t eat them, the 2 hydrangeas I transplanted have had to be ‘babied’. I had to cut a lot of roots to move them - they made it because the location really suited them & they grew several feet & bloomed, but needed a lot of water, almost every day during the worst of the summer heat. I don’t think they could take a 2nd transplanting so soon.
I believe I spotted a butterfly bush next to the patio .... deer rarely eat them .... yay!
That’s good to know re the deer, because we have a ton. Our first morning in this house 12 wandered by in the adjacent lot. Our fence separates that lot from ours, but deer still can come up our driveway. And they also can reach across a split rail fence and chomp away.
Too bad, we were drooling over our beautiful future hydrangea patch!