I’ve previously written about how to keep potted Easter Lilies and azaleas alive. Another popular gift plant around Mother’s Day is a potted Hydrangea. Where I live in the South, the most common hydrangeas are peegee and mophead hydrangeas.
Almost any hydrangea that is blue or pink may change its color fr
om one to the other in response to its environment. If a hydrangea is white, it will not change colors. Potted hydrangeas may be kept indoors until the blooms fade, but since the plant is a landscaping plant you should not attempt to keep it indoors for more than one season. Instead the plant should be planted outdoors once the blooms fade.
To keep the plant looking good indoors as long as possible, place it in a sunny windowsill. Check the soil daily and water as needed to keep the soil as damp as a wrung-out sponge. Once the flowers fade, deadhead the shrub and plant the hydrangea outdoors.
Hydrangeas do well in full sun. In their natural environment, they will produce blooms in summer when most other flowers have faded. Sink the plant in the soil so that the top of the root ball is level with the top of the soil and mulch around the roots to help keep them cool and moist during the first season while they develop.
How to Change a Hydrangea Plant’s Color
While the hydrangea is potted, you won’t be able to change its color. Once the plant is in the ground, you can change the pH of the soil that it is planted in to change its color.
Hydrangeas change color in response to the amount of aluminum they can absorb in the soil. It is easier to change a hydrangea from pink to blue than to change it from blue to pink. To turn a hydrangea blue, you can add aluminum to the soil. In former times it was popular to bury a nail or tin can around the roots of a hydrangea to do this (You can poke around the roots of an heirloom hydrangea. You may find a number of rusty cans or nails. Just make sure your tetanus shots are up to date before doing this).
To change a hydrangea from blue to pink, you must raise the pH of the soil by adding Lime. This will keep the plant from absorbing the aluminum in the soil and make the plant pinker.
Hydrangeas will also sometimes change colors after being transplanted as they adapt to their new environments.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Tracy Morris
Stunning pics Tracy! I am such a lover of Hydrangeas, I’m playing around with them a little this year and seeing how to turn them maroon. Great informative article…thanks!
Julia@PolkaDotGaloshes recently posted..Everythings coming up Fuchsias
I wish I could take credit for them, but my Hydrangeas aren’t in bloom this year. Instead, I got the pictures from http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/
I love hydrangeas. Every year, I have a favorite flower or plant. The hydrangea is in its second year as my favorite. I have discovered some other varieties, and it is a plant that is always interesting.
I love Hydrangeas because the cut blossoms last so long. I can’t think of a single other flower that lasts as long as Hydrangeas do.
This is very helpful because my nursery customers are always asking me how to change the colors of their hydrangeas. I don’t grow this type so I wasn’t sure.
Carolyn @ Carolyn’s Shade Gardens recently posted..Miniature & Small Hostas
My grandmother used to grow them. I can remember when I was little she would bury a nail around the roots to change the colors. I guess I’ve been fascinated with Hydrangeas ever since.
Hi I am trying to turn my hyrdrangea blue or light violet but only get to the bright pink and a little purple stage whats up Please help Thanks
I think part of the problem may be that the soil in your area is very alkaline. The color of hydrangeas is very tied to the soil’s pH. The blue color comes when the soil has a lower pH. Try adding elemental sulfur to your soil, it may help. Just don’t add so much that you damage your soil by changing the pH too quickly.
I have a white hydrangea,is it possible to change the color and what color would it turn? Thank you.