How to Change the Color of Your Hydrangea Plants
Hello fellow gardeners!
Did you know you can change the color your hydrangea flowers bloom. Yep, you sure can. You may have noticed that they have changed “on their own” over the years, but actually the soil has changed, causing the color to shift.
So, if you want to change the color, you can manipulate the soil, and voila, you’ll have a different color of bloom.
First, the color change only applies to pink and blue flowers.
White hydrangea can’t be changed. Occasionally they will take on a pink tinge as the mature, but there’s really nothing you can do to force that.
Sooooo, to change a hydrangea from pink to blue, you’ll need to do one of two things.
First, you can test the soil with a simple pH kit. If it is too alkaline, you will need to make it more acidic. To do that you can add natural organic matter to the soil, like coffee grounds, citrus peels, pine needles, etc.
You can also purchase Aluminum Sulfate to increase acidity. The whole process will take a full growing season, so you will need to be patient. Basically, the plant needs aluminum to turn blue, but won’t be able to take up aluminum in the soil if it is too alkaline.
On the flip side, if you want to turn a blue hydrangea pink, you will need to add lime to the soil, to get a more alkaline environment.
Turning blue hydrangeas pink is the trickier method. If the soil naturally contains high levels of aluminum, it’s pretty dang difficult to change that. Again, it will take about a full year to get the colors to change.
If, after one year, you haven’t been successful in with the blue to pink transfer, you may want to consider growing the hydrangea in a pot, where you can control the soil a little easier.
So there you have it, that’s how to change the color of your hydrangea plants.
How cool is it that you can manipulate the color of your hydrangeas? It’s like going through a “blue period,” Van Gogh style, only in your garden.
~Mavis
For more of my cool gardening tips, head on over to my gardening page HERE.
Chelsea says
This may be a silly question and one I could just Google, but do you know how often you should water mature hydrangeas? We have two big bushes in our front yard that I love. With the PNW’s hot weather these last few weeks I just want to make sure I don’t lose them. Thanks!
Wahnema says
Hydrangeas LOVE WATER and SHADE…. don’t let them dry out, I water mine twice a day and if you live in a hot, dry area maybe three times a day…
Patti Smith says
Thanks. I learned this through trial and error after losing a few plants. Living in Florida has its challenges and hydrangeas are worth the effort. Now I keep my plants in large pots where I can better control the humidity and soil quality. They are beautiful.
Anne says
Thanks for the memories … my grandmother did this for years and years with the gorgeous hydrangea she had growing in front of the house. One of the things I will always remember about her.
Caitie says
I was wondering if you know why my hydrangea has NEVER bloomed?! I planted it about 5 years ago and it’s a beautiful bush, but I would like it better if it bloomed! Love your blog! Thanks for sharing all your gardening knowledge with the rest of us!
Elena says
hi, try adding Epsom salt cheap at dollar stores..
Jennifer says
Most hydrangeas bloom on the previous year’s growth, so if you prune all of that off it will not bloom.
Nunu says
I bought one from walmart that was an anazing deep purple color. The flowers died after a couple weeks and are now coming back but blue! What tyoe of soil do i need to make them feel purple again?
Amy says
My hydrangeas were beautiful pink with a few turning blue. Once I planted in pot with organicsoil they are turning white and green?!?
Renea says
I was given a white hydrangea a few years ago. It is now purple. We’re in the southeast. Our soil is very acidic
Penelope says
My hydrangea was planted three years ago. It has never grown any larger than its original size (small) and might have two blooms a year. By mid June the leaves begin to look burnt on the edges. Please help!
Angie says
More water, more shade. Morning water and morning sun is best, then shade from 10-11am on if you have hot summers.
Sue says
Have had 2 plants last year neither one bloomed but plants were green and healthy. This year one had about 4 blooms and the other nothing again.what should but do for next year. Thanks
JUDY says
I HAVE TWO IN MY FRONT YARD I LIVE IN SO CA THESE PLANTS ARE OLDER BUT STILL SMALL.THEY DON’T SEEM TO
GROW… NEED HELP.. MY LATE HUSBAND GAVE ME ONE AND I LOST HIM 7 YEARS AGO AND I WANT IT TO GROW….I GET PINK BLOOMS BUT NOT VERY BIG ONES..NEIGHBORS HAVE THEM ALL AROUND THE ARES AND THEY GROW REALLY WELL.TIA
Jennifer Fitzgerald says
Hi! I came across your post and decided to see what the problem could be. Hydrangeas in Southern California only like the morning sun. The rest of the day they should be shaded, more so than not. Also pruning seems to be a timing issue. I believe you are supposed to cut the plant back to 6″ and let it rest over the winter, you should also cut spent flower heads to increase production.
I bet pink hydrangeas are just lovely! Do the hydrangeas grow to be very large in Southern California? I’m from Chicago, now living on 16 acres in central Illinois. Ours don’t get too big, even for shrubs. Actually, mine were bigger in Chicago!
The white hydrangeas I have are the same ones my great-grandmother grew for 50 years in Phillips, Wisconsin. She brought some bare roots from Czechoslovakia with her from her mom’s garden.
After reading your comment I had to respond, my heart just went right to my great grandmother and how much my mother and I enjoy them today. Plant people understand that they are more than just flowers. They are shrines and memorials. To me they are more good memories more than anything else! 😉 They just bring a smile to my face.
My name is Jennifer Fitzgerald, and I would be honored to help you get your hydrangeas back up to tip top shape, if you want the help. I’m no expert, but I don’t mind looking it up. 🙂 If I receive a reply I will send you my email address.
Either way it was really nice to talk to someone who appreciates hydrangeas and the loving memories they bring to mind. Thanks for your thoughtful comment/question. It was lovely thinking about this! Have a wonderful week!
Jennifer
Debbie says
Jennifer, hydrangeas are my favorite flower but I live in SC and they get A lot of sunshine. They get mostly morning but yet still some afternoon…. Mine are pink and blue, but Iwould Love a dark Purple. Could you tell me what to do?
Kelly says
I would try changing the soil to maybe organic .
JUDY says
THANKS FOR THE INFO.. MINE GET THE SOUTHWEST SUN BUT THEY ARE IN PARTIAL SHADE…
WE HAVE ONE DOWN TOWN THAT IS HUGE 6 TO 8 FEET THEY HAVE IT FENCED OFF BECAUSE IT’S OVER 100 YEARS OLD… BIGGEST ONE I’VE EVER SEEN… MINE ARE BLUE WHEN PLANTED BUT TURN PINK BECAUSE OF THE SOIL HERE…I BET THE WHITE IS BEAUTIFUL…
I AM A GREAT GRANDMA TO 13 SO I UNDERSTAND MEMORIES…. I FOUND SOME HYDRANGA FOOD I’M GOING TO TRY,BUT THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO ANSWER..ENJOY YOURS… LILACS ARE MY VERY FAVORITE THEY SHOULD GROW GREAT BACK THERE IF YOU HAVE THE 4 SEASONS… THEY COME IN WHITE, LAVENDER,DARK PURPLE AND I BELIEVE IN PINK THE SMELL IS WONDERFUL,,18 ACRES YOU COULD GROW ALOT OF STUFF WITH THAT.. I’M SURE YOU HAVE A VEGGIE GARDEN TOO,,,
judy says
THANKS FOR INFO… I CAN’T GET MORNING SUN DUE TO LAYOUT OF HOME BUT THEY GET THE SOUTHWEST SUN BUT THEY ARE SHADED BY OLDER PLANTS NOT IN FULL SUN ALOT,
BUT THANK YOU.
Sue Helms says
I have two hydrangea plants. When I bought them about 4 years ago, one was pink and one was blue. They have never bloomed again. Every year over the winter they die down to the ground. In the spring they come back and grow to about 12 inches high, but no more. The plants look very healthy. I have moved them to three different shade/sunny, wet/dry places in my yard, but every year is the same result. I have a friend who has huge, producing bushes, but hers are white/green. What is my problem?
MARILYN ADAMS says
Hi
I live in Maryland. I have five Hydrangea plants on the shady side of my yard. I have many beautiful blooms every year. The colors range from a deep purple to a beautiful blue for about a week then the color fades to a pale blue grey. How can I keep the color from fading. Do I have to many plants in the same area? I thought about adding more soil around the plants, but the plants are large and have grown together.
Diane says
I have one plant given to me by my son. I have no shade at all. I live in Pa . Can I make shade for my plant by putting a little tent above it?
Judy says
Yes. I put a beach umbrella over my plants when the sun is too hot for them.
Bibbi says
I live in western Colorado in a small town 30 minutes from the mountains. I planted a white blossom hydrangea on the north side of our backyard deck 15 years ago, which blooms huge white blossoms every year! We cut it all the way back to the ground every fall. It’s watered via our lawns sprinkling system, which means it receives its water about 5:30 am for 15 minutes daily through the summer. Delta, Colorado receives very little rain…it’s always been extremely dry and arid here, but the hydrangeas are amazing!!!
Debbie says
I have been growing gorgeous hydrangeas for almost 20 years.
Mine bloom extremely well. So much that I cut them to keep in a vase on my dining room table during growing season. I still have tons to keep the bushes looking amazing. I have gifted family and friends with cuttings.
I have always kept mulch around the base of each bush . I put new mulch down in the early spring and again in late October. They make a hydrangea fertilizer that you can get at Home Depot or Lowes that works great.
A little lady that I called mom that lives across from me years ago had a huge bush that was pink, blue and purple. I asked her if she done anything to make the bush bloom all of these different colors. She told me to bury a copper penny under the bush I wanted to have these different colors. I’m a believer in this wise tell…
I got me a copper penny and dug 6 inches out from the base . I dug 6 inches in to the soil and placed the penny. I did not see my blue hydrangea changing until the following spring, when it bloomed I had all three gorgeous colors. Truly just beautiful. It’s been several years now since I planted that penny and to this day, it blooms all three colors.
I’m the summer months I water them healthy it least four times a week. Always remove the dried flowers because this helps with producing more. I also add fresh organic AP garden soil. I work it in to the ground.
All of mine are located in the shade with very little morning sun. These hydrangeas need very little sun to thrive, they must have adequate shade. I prune in October and reshape the bushes. I live in SC where it can be very humid during the summer months.
Thank you for this gorgeous Pin. Will definitely try adding this to the care of my hydrangeas.
Veronica says
Veronica, I live in Florida where it’s very hot in the summer, I received hydrangea on mother’s day , but because of the Sandy ground I’m planning to plant it in a pot what’s the best soil to use.your answer will be appreciated thanks.
Matiullah says
I have a big bunch of these flowers, but no matter how hard I try, no flowers have grown in it yet, and all the leaves are growing. Tell me what to do to make it bloom.