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Make Your Hydrangeas Pop With This Simple Hack

Hydrangeas produce beautiful flowers that liven up every garden. Their blue and pink blooms are stunning. The flower is so popular, it has its own day: January 5. But did you know that you can make them look even better? All it takes is a simple trick.

According to gardening experts, hydrangeas can stay hydrated and even change colors if you add a common kitchen ingredient to their soil.

What Are Hydrangeas?

A beautiful hydrangea flower, Stock Photo ID: 686019646
Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Hydrangeas are flowering shrubs that are easy to tend to and produce beautiful blue, white, pink, lavender, and rose blossoms — sometimes all on the same plant.

You can grow them in most gardens, and they thrive regardless of whether you plant them in the fall or spring. With the right care, you can enjoy these striking flowers all summer long.

Coffee Grounds Are a Magical Addition

Coffee Grounds
Image Credit: Shutterstock.

According to John Moore, expert gardener and founder of the UK site Pyracantha, adding coffee grounds to the soil where you grow your hydrangeas improves the shrub’s hydration by helping roots absorb water.

“Hydrangeas respond well to coffee grounds in the soil. Most people use coffee grounds to help change the colour of their hydrangea blooms from pink to blue as it makes the soil more acidic but it’s also useful to retain moisture in the soil between watering,” Moore writes.

Coffee grounds are a powerhouse for the garden because they contain iron, phosphorus, and manganese — nutrients that plants love. They’re efficient against pests since caffeine is a natural repellent for bugs and slugs.

How To Use Coffee Grounds To Make Your Hydrangeas Blue

Image Credit: ThamKC/Shutterstock.

If you’re intrigued by the idea of turning your hydrangeas blue and changing your garden’s color scheme, Moore recommends simply sprinkling coffee grounds on top of the soil where these shrubs are growing. You can also mix the grounds into the soil or your compost for flowers that thrive on acidic soil. However, do your research and ensure you don’t use them for plants that need alkaline soil.

First, you’ll need to test the pH of your soil — which measures how acidic or alkaline it is — with a tester to ensure you keep it within a range that benefits hydrangeas. Moore also explains that you’ll see better results if your soil is acidic to start with. “If your starting pH is neutral (7) you don’t need to add a huge amount of coffee grounds,” he writes. “You’re looking for pH 6 to pH 6.5 to get the best blue flowers.”

The plants will do more than change colors when you add coffee grounds to the soil or mix them in compost. They’ll also benefit from the nitrogen contained in this organic matter, which encourages root, stem, and leaf development. In short, your plants will thrive.

Can You Make Hydrangeas Pink?

Beautiful hydrangea bush in landscape design. Flowers in the garden. Blue hydrangea close-up. Hydrangea macrophylla with blue inflorescences close-up. Hydrangea flowers art photo with copy space. Stock Photo ID: 2442909893
Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Now that you know you can turn your beautiful hydrangeas blue, you may wonder if turning them pink is also an option. The good news is, indeed, you can.

According to the same expert, to make your hydrangeas pink, you need to make the soil more alkaline. However, you won’t be able to do this with kitchen ingredients.

Instead, Moore says you have to get lime, which limits the amount of aluminum absorbed in the soil and is often found in phosphorus fertilizers. These fertilizers are available at most garden centers and can get your soil’s pH level to 6.0, encouraging vibrant pink hydrangeas to grow.

Some Hydrangeas Don’t Change Color

Vibrant violet hydrangeas on a sunny day in garden, Stock Photo ID: 450612841
Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Moore cautions that not all hydrangea varieties can change color. If you don’t have mop head or lace-cap hydrangeas, coffee grounds will still help your shrubs stay hydrated and healthy, but they won’t change color.

If you’re unsure which varieties grow in your garden, Moore advises to check with a local greenhouse expert.

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