CARING for HYDRANGEAS

CLIMATE Cool to temperate.

ASPECT

Partial shade – preferably sun in the morning and shade in the afternoons.

WATER

They’re party plants, so love a regular drink. Keep your soil moist.

SOIL Hydrangeas love a well-drained growing medium, either in a pot or a garden bed. If you have clay soil, dig in rich organic ma„tter to improve drainage.

FOOD

For a flourish of flowers, feed soil in spring or early summer with rich organic ma„tter and add controlled-release fertiliser during flowering.

PRUNING

Pick flowers for indoor display in summer, then deadhead in autumn and prune back stems in late winter or early spring to about the lowest two buds. Remove old wood.

Change the colour of your blooms For blue flowers, make your growing medium acidic by adding sulphur to your soil around the base of your plant. For pink, add garden lime. CHARLIE ALBONE Join me as I show you how to propagate hydrangeas on BHG TV on Friday, 27 August, at 7pm on Channel 7. (Apologies, may be subject to change) Go to bhg.com.au for more garden tips and tricks.