I am new to gardening, so forgive me if this is silly question. I read in a book that if you put rusty nails in the soil by your hydrangea, your flowers will be blue. Is this true or just a myth?
I have a hydrangea that sort of came with the house, and am very interestd in learning more about it...Maybe even planting more some day. Any info would me very helpful, since I've only been gardening since May.
Jennifer
Hydrangea colors
Some hydrangeas (most, I think, especially the old fashioned ones) change flower color with the pH of the soil. Rusty nails (or lots of other stuff, coffee grounds for instance) may increase the acidity of the soil, causing the plant to flower blue (or blue-er). But it won't happen overnight! If you do this now, it might affect the blooms next year. They need to process the acidity when they are 'setting buds'.
I wouldn't go with rusty nails . . . I'd be worried about safety. But that's just me. Aluminum sulfate is your best bet, since it's the aluminum that actually makes the flowers blue. The acidity allows the plant to process the aluminum.
Cheri'
The flowers on it are pink, and I like them that way. I just read that and it surprised me that one could change them. I would never bury rusty nails in my yard, I just wanted to know if it was true.
Thank you for responding.
Jennifer
Adding sulphur changes the hue more blue than rusty (and unsafe!) nails. Lime changes the pH and makes them more pink.
Some varieties will not change color whatever you do... The common, or French, Hydrangeas are the only ones that can change color.
No problem.
I've seen hydrangeas with both blue and pink flowers . . . people treat one side of the plant with aluminum sulfate, the other with lime. Weird, but heck, whatever works. Mine is pink now, but last year they were lavender. guess I need to add some coffee grounds to the mulch!
Cheri'
I actually have blooms with one side pink and the other side blue. It's a Penny Mac, and I just call it my schitzo plant. lol
wow, pink and blue on the same flowerhead? too cool . . . I'm going to have to add that to my 'want' list.
Cheri'
I have 5 small hydrangeas this year, four of which have put on quite a color show. All were pink when I bought them.
This year, the first blooms started out mostly white with pink tips. From there, the blooms came in varying shades of lavender/lilac. Then the blooms began to turn bluer lavender, then mostly blue. Now they have turned from lilac to pink, with almost all of them completely pink now. These are the same blooms that started out on the plants and are still there!
Now I understand why they changed to pink, I guess. Because it was shortly after I fertilized them and the azaleas and camelias and gardenia behind and uphill of them with the same usual acid fertilizer. But I suppose that they do actually change color while the same bloom is on the plant. At least they have for me!
I call it my ph experiment! LOL Who knew??????
BTW, I have blooms of all colors on each plant. Some blooms have had all three colors at once, sort of in approximate thirds around the single bloom. I wish I had taken slow-action film of this whole process. Ain't nature great!!!
This message was edited Jun 16, 2004 2:54 AM
No kidding! Rusty nails? Then you'd BETTER be current on your tetanous shot! OUCH!
Yes, alkaline soil makes pink hydrangeas, acidic makes blue (or is that backwards - can't remember, because I don't have any and I get this mixed up all the time).
Now - my neighbor just bought some WHITE ones. What's up with that?
Either bred to be white only, or neutral ph????? Mine have been white at times too, but usually mottled with either pink or blue. The changeable ones are more interesting I think IMHO.
I haven't tried the rusty nails, or other solutions. It just appears that our area soil must be alkaline (a lot of limestone bedrock, makes sense), but fertilize with acidic fertilizer, so mine change to pink!
Having all the changing colors has been a lot of fun!!
Jennifer (jdee), before the advent of easily-acquired soil additives (such as aluminum sulfate), I remember my grandmother buried rusty nails around the bases of two huge hydrangeas in her yard. She told me that it was to make the flowers blue, and it did (probably because the soil here in the New Orleans area is already acidic).
I've kinda wanted to do that too -- just a little gesture of following my grandma's 'traditions' -- and because I think of her every time I look at my hydrangeas (one of my favorite plants and a beautiful shrub).
Good luck with yours! I am sure that you will enjoy it.
Jean
I was lucky enough to get 5 of the Endless Summer Hydrangea before they sold out this spring. I bought 2 at one nursery and 3 at another. The first 2 are flowering much bluer than the other 3. The label said not to add aluminum sulfate for the first couple years, but I sure would like to get them all blue, so may go ahead and do it next spring. Does it have to be applied every year or just once? So far they are doing well, but I'm a little worried that I may have them in too much sun. They do get some afternoon shade, but otherwise mostly full sun. Will get photos when they are bigger.
Susan
Thank you all for your replies. I'm learning some interesting things. My hydrangeas have already quit blooming for the year. I deadheaded them when the started looking wilted, because I read they would come back fuller next year if I did.
Susan, I'm in Atlanta and my Endless Summer gets full afternoon sun. It's doing great!
Here in New England, near the ocean, the Hydrangia has the most beautiful dark, dark blue you can imagine. There are some very nasty people who come in the night to rob them from an unsuspecting owner. As dried flowers they are worth quite a bit of money. How awful it must be to see these well cared for shrubs robbed of their beauty.
jdee, when you deadhead hydrangeas you miss months of enjoyment. They change colors on into the fall. Some people believe they look sad but they are just aging and still give me plenty of enjoyment. My blue turned green and now is turning a rusty pink. From my experience it doesn't make much of a difference if you deadhead early. I always cut some of the ones right after their peak to dry and leave most of the blooms on till they completely turn brown. You will be able to see where the buds are for next year's growth. Most macrophylla hydrangeas will flower off of old wood (except Endless Sumer and Penny Mac). The paniculata and arborescens will flower off new growth so you must take this into account when cutting or pruning. The latter varieties need to be pruned about half the amount they grew the previous season to do well. I think hydrangeas are some of my favorite perennials/shrubs.
Pins, how fast does the Endless Summer grow? I haven't found one yet, but surely by next season we will see more at nurseries. Evidently they sell out quickly. Does it really bloom longer or is that just hype?
Aria, I cannot believe anyone would steal blooms during the night. Boy they really have nerve! That would just cook me to go out one morning and my hydrangeas be bare. I'd be sitting up with a shotgun next flush of blooms! Jenny
Wow, I didn't know that. Next year, I'll wait. I love them, and would like to enjoy them longer.
Jenny, they don't seem to grow anywhere near the rate of the regular macrophyllas. That's probably one reason they are so slow to come to market in the quantity we need. The flowers on mine are smaller than the others I have, but then again, so is the shrub.
Pins that is what I had heard from someone else and you just confirmed it. I'll eventually get one but I'm not as anxious as before. I knew it was just too good to be true! Thanks, Jenny
I think you'll start seeing more Endless Summers in the center right now. I'd been looking all season and just happened to pop into the local garden center on the 3rd of July. Low and behold a horde of Endless Summer. They had smaller pots (1 gal?) for $19.95 and larger 3-gal pots for $39.95. I went for the big one. The gal said they just got them in that week after waiting all season! My guess is that Bailey is shipping a bunch right now to market. Keep your eyes out.
Now for my confession.....When I got home I noticed that they rang up my Endless for $19.95.
I also like to leave my blooms on the stems to dry as this is the easiest way to get perfectly dried blooms and I can enjoy them much longer in the garden. My Endless Summer have huge blooms this year and are growing at a good pace. I was shocked to see one bloom has reached about 9" and the shrub is less than 18" tall...it stayed pink but it's very nice. I haven't seen any new blooms recently on them but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
lincolnitess - I purchased several young Endless Summer this year and added Aluminum Sulfate...they responded very well and have been growing nicely with no problems. You'll need to begin adding Aluminum Sulfate in the Spring before blooms and add every 2 weeks for at least 3 applications. You'll also need to do this each year if you have soil that is not acidic.
Tracey