Hydrangea flowers effortlessly attract attention, especially when their blooms are huge and a mesmerising shade of blue.
These shrubs are some of the showiest blooms, standing out as a focal point in the garden, a vase, or as bouquets.
What’s more, hydrangeas are relatively easy plants to grow and are hardy across most of the country.
However, for them to give the best display, they need to be fertilised properly.
Unsure of what to use on her hydrangeas, Julia Pitman took to the Hydrangeas in the UK Facebook page to gather insight.
She asked: “What’s the best feed for hydrangeas please?”. Hydrangea enthusiasts were quick to share their advice.
Some group members suggested Julia use specific hydrangea feeds like Vitax Hydrangea Feed which retails for £8.42 on Amazon or Westland Hydrangea Feed that is currently on sale for £5.89 on Amazon.
Posting a picture of the Vitax Hydrangea Feed, Oksana Avdienko wrote: “I’ve been using this one for a few years and my hydrangeas are happy.”
Wendy Hartery wrote: “I use Westland Hydrangea Feed. I get it from my local garden centre. I started using it last year and my hydrangeas were gorgeous with it.”
However, some group members recommended Julia use kitchen ingredients to give her hydrangeas a boost – one may even change the colour of the flowers.
Ewelina Bukala said: “I used a few apples from my tree, had beautiful flowers.”
Barbara Tomaszewska commented: “I always use coffee grounds on my hydrangeas and it works well.”
Dorthe Lauthe wrote: “Yoghurt and all sour milk products really. Use a lot and you get magnificent bigger blooms of a deep blue colour. Have used it for over 40 years.”
According to Kelly Martin, a landscape gardener with over 10 years of experience and the woman behind Urban Garden Gal, yogurt increases two essential elements for healthy plant growth – organic matter and nitrogen.
She said: “One of the main benefits of yoghurt in the garden is that it acts as an organic fertiliser.
“Yogurt can be mixed with water in a ratio of roughly one tablespoon of yoghurt to one cup of water and then poured onto the soil to naturally fertilise your plants.”
Yogurt is something most households will have in their fridge and it’s cheap to buy from supermarkets. A 500g pot retails for just 35p in Aldi and 90p in Sainsbury’s.
