Seek out blue hydrangeas like “Nikko Blue,” “Endless Summer The Original,” “Penny Mac,” “Blauer Prinz,” or “Endless Summer Twist-n-Shout.” If the plants aren’t in bloom at the nursery, you can choose blue-blooming kinds using the image on the plant tag.
What hydrangea is consistently blue?
Nikko Blue Hydrangeas are an excellent way to give a splash of color to your garden or yard since they are vivid and blue. Although there are many other varieties of hydrangeas, Nikko Blue may be the finest option for a blue-flowering kind.
Shrubs with deciduous flowers, Nikko Blue hydrangeas bloom from early summer to fall. Depending on the soil’s alkaline levels, the blossoms can also be purple or pink in addition to their regular blue color. They have a longer bloom time than most plants and make excellent accent plants. One of the most widely used cultivars of blue hydrangea is Nikko Blue.
It’s a good idea to have a solid understanding of what these plants require in order to survive, whether you want to add this sort of hydrangea to your yard or you just want to learn more about these plants. Learn more about the Nikko Blue Hydrangea by reading on!
Which blue hydrangea is the best?
These are the top-tier blue hydrangeas, according to renowned plant expert Michael A. Dirr and others:
- Mophead, pink to deep blue, cold-hardy to -11F, mildew-susceptible; strong; 6 feet high; shade garden-worthy after 2 years; partial dieback, but regrowth with plenty of bloom buds; Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Dooley’
- remontant (repeat-flowering) varieties include “Endless Summer,” “Decatur blue,” “David Ramsey,” “Oak Hill,” and “Penny Mac”; comparable; blossoms on new growth; In tests, cold damage to the foliage caused it to become flat and medium green. However, fresh branches now produce flower buds and completely expressed inflorescences, and are laden with flowers.
- ‘Gnrale Vicomtesse de Vibraye’ is an early French hybrid with a mophead that opens softly cream-yellow before becoming pink to blue. The stems are dotted (speckled) medium-green, wine-red leaves that are mildew-prone After two years, the shadow garden has proven to be robust, with no dieback and plenty of flowers.
- ‘Nikko Blue’ is a well-liked true remontant with emerald green foliage that is 5 to 6 feet tall and 4-6 feet wide. It is also cold-hardy (reviving in tests after freezing to the ground), mophead, and not very drought-tolerant.
- ‘Mini Penny’ is a powder-blue mophead with dark green foliage that is mildew-resistant, growing 3 to 4 feet tall and wide in full to partial shade. Unlike most hydrangeas, it blooms on both new and old growth.
The majority of blue hydrangeas retain their color best in soil with a pH between 5.2 and 5.5, which is somewhat acidic, and turn pink in soil with a pH higher than 5.5. Most soil in the eastern United States is naturally acidic. But if the pH of the soil is too alkaline (6.0 or higher), aluminum sulfate can be added. A lot of aluminum is hazardous to plants, so take care not to add too much. The pH can be lowered by adding organic matter to the soil, such as coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable peels, or grass clippings. Potassium-rich fertilizer with a low phosphorus content can also aid in the development of a beautiful blue hue. 25/5/30 is an excellent fertilizer ratio (potassium is the third number).
See our Plant Information Guides for advice on a number of gardening-related issues. – With permission from NYBG Plant Information Service
Any hydrangeas that are blue by nature?
I had a variety of roles as a founding worker at Gardener’s Supply over the years. I currently run my own business, which is called Johnnie Brook Creative. A huge vegetable garden, a seasonal greenhouse, a cutting garden, perennial gardens, a rock garden, a shade garden, berry plantings, numerous container plants, and a meadow garden are among the gardens surrounding my Richmond, Vermont, home. The garden is the only place I would rather be. Check out this Garden Gate magazine video interview from January 2021 if you’re interested in learning more.
You may have heard that altering the pH of the soil can alter the color of hydrangea blossoms. But it goes a little bit deeper than that.
To begin with, not all hydrangeas bloom with blue flowers. The only hydrangeas that can produce white or cream flowers are those of the PeeGee family, the Annabelle hydrangeas, and oakleaf hydrangeas. At the end of the season, their flowers may occasionally take on a pink tint, but that is about as colorful as they get.
Hydrangea cultivars known as mopheads and lacecaps typically produce hydrangeas with bloom hues ranging from pink to blue and purple. These particular hydrangeas have the intriguing capacity to alter the color of their blossoms according to the soil’s chemistry. The flower hues are more pink when grown in alkaline soil. Acidic soil causes the bloom colors to be bluer.
What hydrangea has the deepest blue hue?
In acidic soils, the hydrangea macrophylla variety “Tellers Blue” produces 6–8 lacecap flowers with the deepest blue hue. This deciduous shrub blooms in midsummer with big flat flowers made up of sterile florets that are extremely wide and dense and range in color from deep cerulean blue to indigo.
How do I retain the color of my hydrangeas?
Although most plants may grow in a variety of soils, others require particular kinds of soil to thrive. Rhododendrons, azaleas, and other ericaceous plants require acidic soils in order to thrive. The soil in your garden must be acidic if they flourish there or in the gardens nearby. Rhododendron leaves turning yellow or disappearing from the area indicate that your soil is likely alkaline. In addition to affecting what you may grow, your soil type can also affect some plants’ leaf and blossom colors; hydrangeas are a well-known example.
Some hydrangea cultivars grow pink or red in alkaline soil and blue or purple in acidic soil. Therefore, if you plant a beautiful blue lacecap or mophead hydrangea in your garden and your soil is neutral to acidic, it will continue to produce blue flowers every year. Even if it was clear blue when you got it, it will flower purple-red or pink if you plant it in alkaline soil the next year.
It is challenging to keep beautiful blue blossoms alive in the open ground, but it is doable if you grow it in a pot; hydrangeas make wonderful topics for pots and containers. Select a pot that is attractive and big, at least 40 cm (15 cm) in diameter. Vitax Ericaceous Compost is the best growing medium for it; plant it there. If you consistently feed your hydrangea, it will thrive on this fertilizer that is specifically made for rhododendrons, azaleas, and other lime-hating plants.
Even though the growing medium begins out being free of lime, repeated watering in places with hard water tends to make it more alkaline. Therefore, add Vitax Hydrangea Colourant, a powder containing aluminum that you may mix with the compost, to ensure that your hydrangea stays truly blue. Each spring, you can also incorporate a small amount into the soil’s top layer and add it to the can when watering your plant.
White hydrangeas, incidentally, don’t change color depending on the type of soil, but they can blush pink in the light.
Feeding and watering
In pots, containers, and during dry spells in the open ground, regular watering is necessary since hydrangeas detest dry environments. When you plant your hydrangea in a bed or border, add lots of garden compost or farmyard manure, and make sure to water well both before and after planting.
The presence of food in the soil is necessary for hydrangeas to grow and produce flowers, even if they are not very demanding plants. In the open ground and in pots and containers, Vitax Conifer and Shrub Fertilizer should be used annually. This is ideal for acid-loving plants and won’t change the hydrangea’s color.
Will hydrangeas become blue in vinegar?
In alkaline soil, hydrangea blossoms will be pink; in acidic soil, they will turn blue.
If great French wine is not properly stored, it will turn into vinagre, which we translated into vinegar in English. Vinagre is a combination of the Old French words “vin” (wine) and “aigre” (sour).
There are certain advantages to using vinegar in gardening, especially apple cider vinegar. A few vitamins and minerals are present in apple cider vinegar because it is only fermented apple juice. However, vinegar’s 5% acidity makes it an excellent remedy for any acid-loving plants, including rhododendrons, azaleas, northern bayberries (Myrica pensylvanica), blueberries, and cranberries. Conifers and pecans are two examples of trees that favor acidic soil.
Along with feeding your garden plants, you may use apple cider vinegar on houseplants that prefer acidic soil, such gardenias and camellias. Some houseplants thrive in acidic soil.
You must measure the pH of your soil before fertilizing it or adding any amendments. The soil pH test determines how acidic or alkaline the soil is.
A very acidic pH of 3 corresponds to a very alkaline pH of 10. Seven is regarded as the neutral pH. Your soil’s acidity or alkalinity has an impact on a number of chemical processes, including which nutrients are locked up in the soil and which nutrients are available to your plants.
There are several garden plants that do well in acidic soil, despite the fact that the ideal pH range for most plants is between 5.5 and 7.5. It is not surprising that many plants that thrive near pine trees, such as blueberries, azaleas, and rhododendrons, also prefer acidic soil because pine needles make soil acidic.
The best apple cider vinegar to put on plants is raw, organic apple cider vinegar that hasn’t been filtered. Ensure “with the mother” is written on the label.
The mother is a brown mass that is composed of yeast and bacteria that were left behind during fermentation.
Apple cider vinegar should never be poured directly over plants since it will damage them. Of course, undiluted vinegar will work well if your purpose is to kill plants like weeds in walkways, sidewalks, or driveways.
Use apple cider vinegar diluted with water (20 parts water to 1 part vinegar). Water the plants at the base of them. The vinegar-and-water mixture might burn the leaves, so try to avoid getting it on them.
The ability to transform the color of hydrangea blossoms from pink to blue is another trick apple cider vinegar has up its sleeve. In alkaline soil, hydrangea blossoms will be pink; in acidic soil, they will turn blue.
Give the acid-loving plants a treat by combining apple cider vinegar and water. Or abruptly switch the hue of your hydrangeas from pink to blue. Oh, and what about pearls dissolved in vinegar?
Pearls were dissolved in vinegar and consumed by Cleopatra to display her wealth, likely making the acidic beverage the most expensive beverage ever. Speaking of bittersweet.
Paul Barbano, who lives at Rehoboth Beach, writes about gardening there. You can write to him at PO Box 213 in Lewes, Delaware 19958.
What hydrangea is the most beautiful?
Endless Summer BloomStruck Hydrangea, which can withstand extremes of heat and cold, is comparable to Summer Crush in that it consistently blooms on both old and new growth. From early summer until late fall, it will produce lovely blooms. Depending on the soil pH, BloomStruck has deep blue-purple or deep pink flowers with super-strong red stalks and a more compact growth habit.
Let’s Dance Can Do
Let’s Dance, We Can As opposed to most bigleaf hydrangeas, which only produce flower buds at the top of the stem, hydrangeas produce flower buds all the way down the stem. This means that even if there is a late-season frost, flower buds may still form in the early summer. Depending on the soil, the plant has gorgeous lavender or strawberry pink lacecap blooms.
Limelight Prime
Large blooms on limelight hydrangeas that shine in direct sunlight are their trademark. From bud to bloom and beyond, the new Limelight Prime panicle hydrangea outperforms the old Limelight in every way. With bolder, better flower color and much stronger stems, it blooms earlier. It is also one of the easiest hydrangeas to grow and is a more useful, compact size.
Fire Light Tidbit
The smallest and cleanest panicle hydrangea is Fire Light Tidbit. Its height and width are only 2 to 3 feet, yet it has a lot of low-maintenance beauty. It has large, dense panicles of early- to mid-summer white mophead blooms that almost completely cover the textured green foliage. It produces a compact, mounded plant that looks great in landscapes, flower gardens, and even in containers because to its strong, thick stems.
Is a dwarf blue hydrangea available?
‘Cityline Rio’ hydrangea, which grows to a maximum height of 3 feet (1 m) and has blue flowers with green “eyes” in the centers, is another excellent dwarf variety.
Are hydrangeas a blue perennial?
The perennial or annual status of hydrangeas is a common question. If you choose the right kind of hydrangea for your growing environment, they are perennial woody ornamental shrubs that thrive for many years.
Will the color of my blue hydrangea last?
First off, like rhododendrons, azaleas, Japanese maples, pieris, etc., hydrangeas prefer and thrive in acidic soil. Your hydrangea’s change in color is caused by the pH of your soil. There are several levels of soil acidity and alkalinity in between.
Your soil’s health affects the health of your plants. The pH of the soil has an impact on and determines how hydrangeas change color.
Your hydrangeas will be pink or pinker if your soil is more alkaline. Clay is typically found in alkaline soils, which range in pH from to 79. Your blue hydrangeas will remain blue or get even bluer if your soil has a pH of around or less than 5.5.
If you know your soil is more alkaline than neutral, you should use soil acidifier or garden sulfur before planting blue hydrangeas. You’re unsure. If you’re unclear about the pH of your soil, you can search online for a soil lab in your state or purchase a cheap soil pH test kit or pH meter.
How uncommon are blue hydrangeas?
Blue hydrangeas are not always preferable to pink ones. But the shade is so uncommon. How could you not want a patch of hydrangea blue growing against your picket fence given that the color does not belong to any other plant or object in the world?
And what if I told you that you could transform your regular pink hydrangeas into moody blue ones with barely any more effort than you had to put into your fourth-grade science fair project? Of course, this wouldn’t happen overnight.
Does coffee cause hydrangeas to turn blue?
- Maintain low amounts of phosphorus, moderate levels of nitrogen, and high levels of potassium in the soil in order to make sepals bluer.
- Maintain high levels of nitrogen and moderate amounts of phosphorus while adding garden lime to the soil to give sepals a pinker hue.
- This should be completed in late autumn or early spring, well before flowering.
Can coffee grounds be used to change the color of hydrangeas?
Some gardeners claim that adding coffee grounds to the soil helped them successfully dye their hydrangeas blue. The soil becomes more acidic thanks to the coffee grounds, which makes it easier for the hydrangea to absorb metal. Fruit peels, grass clippings, peat moss, and pine needles are also believed to have a comparable impact.
Can eggshells be used to change the color of hydrangeas?
Crushed eggshells might be a good approach to grow pink hydrangeas. Eggshells will gradually degrade and lessen the acidity of your soil, which will make it more difficult for hydrangeas to absorb metal.
How do I make blue hydrangeas with vinegar?
To adjust the soil’s acidity and colour their hydrangeas blue, many gardeners add vinegar to their watering can. However, if you use Hydrangea Blue, a liquid fertilizer that yields blue flowers, you’ll probably get greater results.