Stop your hydrangeas from changing colour with £6 buy gardening pros use to boost blue blooms for weeks
This quick and easy fix turns pink hydrangeas blue - with gardening pros using it to stunning effect.
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Made from iron and aluminium salts, the powder acidifies the soil so blooms burst into brilliant blue.
Darker pink varieties transform into a rich mauve-blue.
For best results, stick to plants in already acidic soil.
If your soil's on the alkaline side, switch to ericaceous compost or double up on the treatment for maximum impact.
You can grab a 500g pack for just £5.99, with delivery in 2–3 working days.
The budget-friendly garden essential helps maintain the perfect soil conditions to lock in that striking blue shade.
Simply mix it into the soil around your hydrangeas and watch the colour stay bright and beautiful all season long.
Why do they change colour?
Hydrangeas change colour because their blooms react to the pH level of the soil they're growing in.
Acidic soil (low pH) allows the plant to absorb aluminium from the ground, which turns the flowers blue.
In alkaline soil (high pH), aluminium becomes unavailable, and the blooms turn pink.
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Neutral soils often produce purple or mixed-colour flowers.
It's not harmful to the hydrangea if it changes colour — the plant stays perfectly healthy — but it can be frustrating for gardeners who chose a specific variety for its look.
If you bought a hydrangea with vibrant blue blooms to match your garden design and it slowly fades to pink, it can spoil the colour scheme you've planned.
Some people also see colour changes as a sign that their soil conditions have shifted, which might affect other acid-loving plants nearby.
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How does it work?
A hydrangea colourant is a great gardening product — usually in powder or granular form — designed to change or maintain the colour of hydrangea flowers by altering the soil's pH.
Hydrangea bloom colour is heavily influenced by soil acidity.
Blue flowers develop in more acidic soil (low pH), while pink flowers thrive in more alkaline soil (high pH).
Most hydrangea colourants contain aluminium salts (often aluminium sulphate) and sometimes iron, which help lower soil pH and make aluminium available to the plant — a key factor in producing blue blooms.
This easy-to-use treatment turns pink hydrangeas blue and enhances the colour of all lime-hating shrubs.
It's a simple, no-fuss application that delivers visible results.
When planting, apply 50g (one capful) per square metre and mix well into the soil.
Every seven days during the growing season, dissolve 50g in 5 litres of water and pour around the base of the shrub — avoiding the foliage.
White flowers won't change colour, and some pink hydrangeas are bred to stay the same shade no matter the soil, so always check the plant label first.
What else can you do?
Alongside using hydrangea colourants, you can adjust or maintain bloom colour by changing the soil pH naturally.
Add ericaceous compost, pine needles, or peat moss to make the soil more acidic for bluer flowers, or add garden lime to make it more alkaline for pinker blooms.
Tap water is often alkaline and can slowly raise soil pH, shifting blues toward pink.
So using rainwater instead of tap water will help keep hydrangea blooms blue for longer.
Feeding them the right fertilisers - ones low in phosphorus and high in potassium - helps maintain blue blooms, while general-purpose feeds work well for pink.
Growing hydrangeas in containers or plant pots lets you control the soil mix more easily than in open ground.
Check the plant variety, as some hydrangeas are bred to keep their colour regardless of soil pH, so pick the right type for the shade you want.
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