Bluer Blooms?
It's in the bag.
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Mophead hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) are beloved around the world. The big, showy blooms surely have something to do with it, but they also have a special ability to surprise us. Unlike most flowers, the color of the pink and blue varieties isn’t fixed. It responds to the soil around them.
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Soil pH plays the deciding role. Acidic soil with available aluminum produces blue blooms. Neutral soil (around pH 7) turns them shades of purple. Alkaline soil, especially when the phosphorus is high, shifts the flowers to pink. These shrubs are like living pH meters: one look at the blooms will tell you what's going on underground.
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If you're dreaming of big, blue hydrangeas or a really stunning pink, now is the time to act. You can influence the color of the flowers just by fertilizing your shrubs.
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- To figure out what pH you're starting with, we offer simple 99¢ pH test kits, or reusable electronic pH meters.
- For bluer flowers, use an aluminum soil supplement plus acidifier, such as Espoma Organic Soil Acidifier.
- For pinker flowers, use Hi-Yield Horticultural Hydrated Lime to raise the soil pH and Hi-Yield Triple Super Phosphate 0-45-0 to lock out aluminum.
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The best part? You don’t need to amend your entire garden, just the soil around the plant. You can have both pink and blue hydrangeas in the same bed! With consistency, you’ll see richer, more vibrant color develop year after year.
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The same plant, photographed over two seasons.
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What makes mophead hydrangeas so special is that you get to shape the look of your garden with just a small soil adjustment. If you’ve never experimented with the color of your hydrangeas, give it a try this season.
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A Note on Hydrangeas & Pollinators
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Hydrangeas can support pollinators, but with an important caveat: the classic garden blooms, for all their showiness, provide no food for bees. It’s the lacecap types, with small open flowers at the center of the bloom, that actually feed them.
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And speaking of bees, you may have noticed an uptick in some unusual "honeybees" buzzing around on social media these days as AI-generated images make the rounds alongside questionable gardening advice. It's a good reminder that when it comes to supporting pollinators, the most reliable advice comes from people who know your local ecosystem.
When it comes to planting for pollinators, the most effective gardens tend to be a mix of natives and non-natives. Research around the world has shown that natives draw in the insects specifically adapted to coexist with them, while non-natives, often bred for exceptionally long bloom times, help even out the food supply across the season. Together, they support higher biodiversity than either alone.
We keep a rotating selection of native shrubs and perennials in stock alongside our other plants, and our staff can help you think through a combination that works for your garden.
🐝Happy gardening!
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What the Forecast
Won't Tell You
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Rain has been flitting in and out of the weekend weather forecast, but even where it falls, those numbers represent regional averages. Your garden might get a quarter of that, or miss out on the rain entirely. The most reliable tool for knowing what your plants actually got is a rain gauge. We keep a selection of rain gauges stocked in the garden center that can either be mounted to a wooden surface, or set out on a stake. Put yours out for the season after freezing temperatures pass in a spot that's open to the sky, and check it after it rains.
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If your total for the week is under an inch, give your plants one thorough, deep watering rather than several light ones. Wood mulch—or straw in vegetable beds—helps the moisture stay in the root zone where it counts. If you need some, you'll find both wood mulch and straw available at Stone Market. Grab a bale on your next visit.
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