Hydrangea advice

[maldivemoment]

Due to renovation work we had to move a few things in the garden. Last year I dug up & potted a hydrangea otherwise it would have been destroyed by the builders. It’s been pretty neglected & now looks as if it will never recover. Buds are brown, lost a lot of leaves, etc.

We’ve begun sorting out an area of the garden that is ready for planting. Is it worth it to get this hydrangea back in the ground or do I cut my losses & purchase a new one?
I’m a complete gardening novice so no clue what I’m doing!

Thank you

Hydrangeas lose all of their leaves over winter and do appear quite dead. They can be a bit slow to get going, but I would expect to see signs of spring growth by now. If there is any growth it is probably fine, but if you don’t see any leaves this month I would be concerned.

Thank you @Labraradabrador

Hydrangeas should be coming into leaf now, depending on where in the country you are. Even if the top branches are dead they do regrow from soil level. A bit of investigation is needed. Scrape away a little bit of the bark from towards the base of a stem. Green underneath means it is alive, brown is dead. Prune out any dead back to any green under the bark. Take right out any that are completely dead. If there are no branches alive, tip it out of the pot and look at the roots. They should feel firm and not shrivelled or soft. Are there any white roots - these are alive. Cut through a few brown roots are they white in the centre, these are also alive. At this point you will have a feel whether it’s recoverable. If you think there’s hope settle it back in the pot and start regular watering. I’d give it a month to show signs of life. I wouldn’t feed until it starts to regrow.

Wow @AlwaysGardening
Incredibly helpful. Thank you so much.