On Mar 27, 7:04 pm, "Geoff" wrote:
wrote in message

oups.com...

On Mar 27, 6:26 pm, "Geoff" wrote:
Watering with
the dregs of your teapot and mulching with all your neighbours' spent tea
leaves would not hurt.

The plant might stay blue for a few years.

Geoff, a serious question - neither my husband or I drink tea, we are
freshly ground coffee drinkers, would that do?

I found my narrow band indicator papers and just as my wife was about to
start a fresh brew, I managed to rescue to the last lot's grouts. I
pressed a piece of pH 4 to 6 paper in them and found the pH to be between 4
and 4.5. Anything less that pH 7 is considered to be acidic. So, coffee
grouts will add acidity to the soil with the added bonus of keeping the
hydrangeas awake!!!

I do not like tea either!

Geoff

Again, gosh and thank you. I am just off to brew a fresh pot!!

As for tea, yuk, stewed privet leaves would be preferable!

Judith

On Mar 27, 7:28 pm, "Space" wrote:
"Geoff" wrote in message

...

The plant might stay blue for a few years.

Geoff, a serious question - neither my husband or I drink tea, we are
freshly ground coffee drinkers, would that do?

I found my narrow band indicator papers and just as my wife was about to
start a fresh brew, I managed to rescue to the last lot's grouts. I
pressed a piece of pH 4 to 6 paper in them and found the pH to be between
4 and 4.5. Anything less that pH 7 is considered to be acidic. So,
coffee grouts will add acidity to the soil with the added bonus of keeping
the hydrangeas awake!!!

I do not like tea either!

Geoff

Starbucks give away pre-packed bags of old coffee to be used within the
garden

Really??? We have a Starbucks in Norwich, I have a day off tomorrow
so no prizes for guessing where I will be having coffee.

Judith

Snowflake wrote:
I have been given a present of a blue hydrangea because I do not like
pink and the donor says there is a way to keep it blue but cannot
remember how. Any help is appreciated and the plant is to survive in
North of Scotland.
Ailsa


I shouldn't use a dye if I were you,Snowflake.It does give a blue colour
but it looks artificial.
Instead use an ericaceous feed. They are inexpensive and on sale at
garden centres and large stores.
Just follow the simple instructions and you're home and dry.

Sam

Geoff writes
"Jim S" wrote in message
...
The colours are the opposite way to litmus paper so you are
looking towards an acid soil.

Acid turns pink litmus blue, alkali turns blue litmus pink.

Other way round. Litmus paper turns pink with acid.

As Jim said, hydrangea is opposite, so is blue in an acid soil.


--
Kay

"Snowflake" wrote in message
ups.com...
I have been given a present of a blue hydrangea because I do not like
pink and the donor says there is a way to keep it blue but cannot
remember how. Any help is appreciated and the plant is to survive in
North of Scotland.

We used to scatter iron files around the plant, and that seemed to keep it
blue.

Alan

Ailsa

wrote in message
oups.com...
On Mar 27, 5:54 pm, Jim S wrote:
On 27 Mar 2007 09:49:17 -0700, wrote:





On Mar 27, 5:35 pm, Jim S wrote:
On 27 Mar 2007 09:25:45 -0700, Snowflake wrote:

I have been given a present of a blue hydrangea because I do not
like
pink and the donor says there is a way to keep it blue but cannot
remember how. Any help is appreciated and the plant is to survive
in
North of Scotland.
Ailsa

There are blueing powders in the garden centres based on aluminium
sulphate(?) I think.
There are also claims that sticking (iron/steel) nails among the
roots does
the same thing. The colours are the opposite way to litmus paper so
you are
looking towards an acid soil.
I am trying a mixture of iron and aluminium roofing nails, but I did
put
them there before the winter.
If all the hydrangeas in your street are pink, you may be in for a
long
battle )
--
Jim S
Tyneside UKhttp://www.jimscott.co.uk

Jim, I've tried your method, mine still flower as pink!!! The only
ones that do come up a beautiful blue colour each year, without any
additives, are the Japanese ones.

Judith

Aaah. You have spoiled my anticipation (
I trust yours were blue to begin with?
--
Jim S
Tyneside UKhttp://www.jimscott.co.uk- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

They were. I have taken cuttings of a white one which have all taken,
do you know if white have any problems keeping true?

Fraid so my whites come pink or blue or sometimes both but never white!
except the year I bought them
--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collections of Clematis viticella (cvs) and
Lapageria rosea

On Mar 28, 8:16 pm, "Charlie Pridham"
wrote:
wrote in message

oups.com...



On Mar 27, 5:54 pm, Jim S wrote:
On 27 Mar 2007 09:49:17 -0700, wrote:

On Mar 27, 5:35 pm, Jim S wrote:
On 27 Mar 2007 09:25:45 -0700, Snowflake wrote:

I have been given a present of a blue hydrangea because I do not
like
pink and the donor says there is a way to keep it blue but cannot
remember how. Any help is appreciated and the plant is to survive
in
North of Scotland.
Ailsa

There are blueing powders in the garden centres based on aluminium
sulphate(?) I think.
There are also claims that sticking (iron/steel) nails among the
roots does
the same thing. The colours are the opposite way to litmus paper so
you are
looking towards an acid soil.
I am trying a mixture of iron and aluminium roofing nails, but I did
put
them there before the winter.
If all the hydrangeas in your street are pink, you may be in for a
long
battle )
--
Jim S
Tyneside UKhttp://www.jimscott.co.uk

Jim, I've tried your method, mine still flower as pink!!! The only
ones that do come up a beautiful blue colour each year, without any
additives, are the Japanese ones.

Judith

Aaah. You have spoiled my anticipation (
I trust yours were blue to begin with?
--
Jim S
Tyneside UKhttp://www.jimscott.co.uk-Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

They were. I have taken cuttings of a white one which have all taken,
do you know if white have any problems keeping true?

Fraid so my whites come pink or blue or sometimes both but never white!
except the year I bought them
--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collections of Clematis viticella (cvs) and
Lapageria rosea- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Charlie, how can they be kept white?

Judith

On 28/3/07 22:05, in article
,
" wrote:

On Mar 28, 8:16 pm, "Charlie Pridham"
wrote:
snip

They were. I have taken cuttings of a white one which have all taken,
do you know if white have any problems keeping true?

Fraid so my whites come pink or blue or sometimes both but never white!
except the year I bought them
--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collections of Clematis viticella (cvs) and
Lapageria rosea- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Charlie, how can they be kept white?

Judith

I wonder if it's something to do with older varieties for some reason. We
have a hydrangea bed and the white ones in that have been there a long time
and remain white, the blue stay blue etc. except for one I bought a few
years ago called something like Moewe. When I saw the photo of it it was
the most glorious blue but here, it's just a sort of horrible, muddy brick
colour. I must remember to get some of that stuff to treat it with.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)

I've used narrow band indicator papers and various liquid indicators for so
long I'd forgotten about litmus!!

G

wrote in message
oups.com...
On Mar 28, 8:16 pm, "Charlie Pridham"
wrote:
wrote in message

oups.com...



On Mar 27, 5:54 pm, Jim S wrote:
On 27 Mar 2007 09:49:17 -0700, wrote:

On Mar 27, 5:35 pm, Jim S wrote:
On 27 Mar 2007 09:25:45 -0700, Snowflake wrote:

Fraid so my whites come pink or blue or sometimes both but never white!
except the year I bought them
--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collections of Clematis viticella (cvs) and
Lapageria rosea- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Charlie, how can they be kept white?

Judith

On my soil I don't think they can!! I will admit they are a pale blue and a
pale pink and actually quite pretty but a consigned to the corner of the
orchard because neither of us like mophead hydrangeas

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collections of Clematis viticella (cvs) and
Lapageria rosea

On 29 Mar, 08:39, Sacha wrote:
On 28/3/07 22:05, in article
. com,



" wrote:
On Mar 28, 8:16 pm, "Charlie Pridham"
wrote:
snip

They were. I have taken cuttings of a white one which have all taken,
do you know if white have any problems keeping true?

Fraid so my whites come pink or blue or sometimes both but never white!
except the year I bought them
--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collections of Clematis viticella (cvs) and
Lapageria rosea- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Charlie, how can they be kept white?

Judith

I wonder if it's something to do with older varieties for some reason. We
have a hydrangea bed and the white ones in that have been there a long time
and remain white, the blue stay blue etc. except for one I bought a few
years ago called something like Moewe. When I saw the photo of it it was
the most glorious blue but here, it's just a sort of horrible, muddy brick
colour. I must remember to get some of that stuff to treat it with.
--
Sachahttp://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devonhttp://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)

I seem to remember being told to plant some old iron, such as rusty
nails etc under a hydranga so it would keep its colour
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries

On 29/3/07 21:41, in article
, "Dave Hill"
wrote:
snip

I seem to remember being told to plant some old iron, such as rusty
nails etc under a hydranga so it would keep its colour
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries


That is indeed an old trick that my grandfather used. But the white ones??
I just don't know and I'm not digging them up to find out!
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)

"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
...

"Snowflake" wrote in message
ups.com...
I have been given a present of a blue hydrangea because I do not like
pink and the donor says there is a way to keep it blue but cannot
remember how. Any help is appreciated and the plant is to survive in
North of Scotland.

We used to scatter iron files around the plant, and that seemed to keep it
blue.

Alan

Ailsa



Water the plant with Aluminium Sulphate and it will stay blue?

On 29/3/07 21:41, in article
.com, "Dave Hill"
wrote:
snip

I seem to remember being told to plant some old iron, such as rusty
nails etc under a hydranga so it would keep its colour
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries

In message , Sacha
writes
That is indeed an old trick that my grandfather used. But the white ones??
I just don't know and I'm not digging them up to find out!

I saw a magical display in a vineyard villa in the Italian Lakes years
ago: they had what must once have been a large shallow round fountain,
now dry. This was completely filled with hydrangeas in pots, as many as
fitted - and their gardener must have done something different to the
soil in each, because although the plants looked very similar, they
ranged in all possible shades from pink though lilac to blue....
--
Klara, Gatwick basin

On 30/3/07 21:58, in article , "Klara"
wrote:


On 29/3/07 21:41, in article
, "Dave Hill"
wrote:
snip

I seem to remember being told to plant some old iron, such as rusty
nails etc under a hydranga so it would keep its colour
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries

In message , Sacha
writes
That is indeed an old trick that my grandfather used. But the white ones??
I just don't know and I'm not digging them up to find out!

I saw a magical display in a vineyard villa in the Italian Lakes years
ago: they had what must once have been a large shallow round fountain,
now dry. This was completely filled with hydrangeas in pots, as many as
fitted - and their gardener must have done something different to the
soil in each, because although the plants looked very similar, they
ranged in all possible shades from pink though lilac to blue....

And you're going to tell us you can't remember the name of the garden......?
;-) A living rainbow, how lovely!
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)