How do I keep a hydrangea red? I'm in zone 6, and i believe it's acidic soil.?

Answer 1

Alkaline soils produce the pink colours in hydrangeas and acidic soils make them blue coloured.

You just have to make your soil alkaline by adding lime. Follow the directions on the packet carefully you don't want to overdo it. You can buy a cheap PH test which will tell you whether the soil is alkaline or acid. You can use this in the garden regularly to check and see PH and if you need to alter for some plants.

You can buy red hydrangea macrophylla. The trick is to buy a dark coloured flowered plant even dark blue, once the soil is alkaline the plant will flower dark hot pink/red. Always pick the darkest flower colour you can to get the dark colours, and look for red flowering varieties such as 'sunset' and 'Geoffrey Chadbund'.

The reddest ones I've seen are not fire engine red but very dark red pinks, but every year more darker varieties are becoming available.

Answer 2

There are five main species but I'm assuming you mean Hydrangea macrophylla. Alkaline soil, high pH produces a pinkish color, whereas the the blue comes from acidic soils.

The "pink" is not really a pretty pink. I'm wondering if you are thinking about the PeeGee Hydrangea, Hydrangea paniculata. The flower heads are a bit different.....PeeGee is slightly conical and tinged pink.

Answer 3

Go to a plant store and find "Sunset Western Garden book" the really thick one and look it up, it will tell you what to do, It has tons of great info. Just look under hydrangea in the index.

Answer 4

Tea bags, coffee grounds, Epsom salts for blue. Rusty nails, or copperas for pink/red. Have fun.