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

"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.
Ailsa


Keep the soil acid isn't it?

Geoff

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 UK
http://www.jimscott.co.uk

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

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 UK
http://www.jimscott.co.uk

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?

On 27 Mar 2007 10:06:39 -0700, wrote:

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?

I have a feeling the white ones have little or no pigment to change. Having
said that I did have one which tinged with pink, like apple blossom, and was
quite pretty.
--
Jim S
Tyneside UK
http://www.jimscott.co.uk

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

You need an acid soil. I don't know the geology of your part of the
world in detail, but I don't recall much chalk or limestone up there.
Most of northern Scotland is pre-Cambrian. Do your neighbours grow
rhododendrons or azaleas? If so, your soil is probably OK anyway.


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net

"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.

I am trying a mixture of iron and aluminium roofing nails, but I did put
them there before the winter.

That's one way of reducing the acid content of the soil perhaps for acid
plus metal = salt plus water plus hydrogen and the salt will be leached out
by rain.

Before you do the next thing, check the ph of your soil. If it's good and
acid, do not bother any more.

If you have an alkaline soil, a young pink hydrangea and you would like it
blue, dig it up. dig a deepish and wide hole, put plenty of horse manure
compost, peat and ericacious soil in the hole get rid of as much soil from
the plants roots as is reasonable and carefully replant it. 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.

By the way, it's not a good environmental practice to bury aluminium
especially if it's compounds might get into a pond with fish in it.

Geoff

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?

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

It will do no harm but I'm not sure about the acidity. I'll try to find my
box of indicator papers and check my next batch of coffee!

Watch this space!

Geoff.

In message , Chris Hogg
writes
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

You need an acid soil. I don't know the geology of your part of the
world in detail, but I don't recall much chalk or limestone up there.
Most of northern Scotland is pre-Cambrian. Do your neighbours grow
rhododendrons or azaleas? If so, your soil is probably OK anyway.

Much of northern Scotland has acidic soil, if not from the underlying
rock, then from the till and peat. However there is, for example, the
outcrop of the Durness Limestone, and there are other calcareous rocks
(IIRC, a calcarous sandstone, contemporaneous with the chalk of England
underlies the Tertiary Volcanics of Skye.) Other younger rocks are the
Devonian Old Red Sandstones that underlie much of lowland northern
Scotland.
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

On Mar 27, 6:35 pm, "Geoff" wrote:
Geoff, a serious question - neither my husband or I drink tea, we are
freshly ground coffee drinkers, would that do?

It will do no harm but I'm not sure about the acidity. I'll try to find my
box of indicator papers and check my next batch of coffee!

Watch this space!

Geoff.

Gosh, thank you!

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

"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