Keep hydrangeas true to their colour
If you have a border that gets wonderful early morning sun, a white hydrangea will be ever so prolific in flowers and they also come in pink and blue varieties.
Pink and blue hydrangeas will change color in response to the soil conditions. To encourage a rich colour, apply lime around the base of the plant in autumn and water in well. White hydrangeas are a little more resilient and will tolerate a wider variety of soil conditions without changing their colour too much. At worst white hydrangeas will naturally shade to pink as the flowers ages and especially when rained on. Others may even turn green due to climatic conditions.
How to grow it
Aspect Dappled shade for majority of the day is ideal and promote better blooms. Keep protected from heavy rain as the petals collect water and will topple over.
Soil Blue and pink hydrangeas thrive in acidic soil. White hydrangeas will tolerate acidic to neutral soils.
Water If you live in an area with hard water, use rainwater if you can to prevent the soil pH increasing (becoming more basic) which might add a pink tint to your flowers.
Pruning Pruning correctly is important. Pruning at the base will cause the flowers to flop, instead prune midway to encourage sturdy wood that will support the big heads of flowers. If your white hydrangeas start to get a pink edge, just deadhead them and next years flowers will start off white again!
Compost Use a lime free compost to prevent changes to the pH of the soil. Use ericaceous compost when potting hydrangeas to keep the colour true.
