During my childhood, I was fascinated to see a large colorful plant with round pink or blue flowers.  I was too young to understand why most plants had pink flowers and I would see a blue flower every so often.  So I decided to research and write about the Hydrangeas.

Pink Hydrangeas

The plant with the beautiful flowers is popular again.  There are many more varieties and colors available today.  Hydrangeas comes in other colors such as green, white, with variation of pink and blues almost purple in addition to the traditional pink and blue.  Some varieties have smaller flowers and foliage that will change to fall colors.

In the yard, Hydrangea plants are happy with moist-well drained soil and some shade especially in hotter climates.  The plant will not bloom if there is too much shade, improper pruning and drastic change in weather.

The flower can be used as cut flower provided the flower is treated properly.  If the flower is not properly treated, the Hydrangeas will wilt.  The flowers are very popular in arrangements especially for weddings.

Pink or blue is determined by aluminum in the soil and is necessary to produce the blue pigment in the hydrangeas.  Most garden soils have adequate aluminum, but the aluminum is not available to the plant when the pH soil is high.  If the pH is too high, you can purchase Alum in the spice section of the grocery store and add the proper mixture to change the color to blue.  Alum is used for pickling recipes as a preservative to retain the crunch for fruits and vegetables.

I recently purchased a pink Hydrangea and looking forward to changing the color of my plant to blue next year.