I brought this hydrangea plant from a local nursery it was a lovely bright blue when I planted it into the ground. It became like this after a week or so.
Any advice to what could have happened and what I can do?
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Have you kept it well watered? Is it in full sun? And when did you buy it? Need to ask the questions because there;s more than one possibility...– BambooCommented Jun 13, 2022 at 20:10
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I did have a few days of not watering it but it had been raining them days its in partial shade and sun its growing by a fence and under a shrub from my neighbors garden. Brought and planted into ground 17th may started changing colour after the 28th May– FlowerladyCommented Jun 13, 2022 at 21:17
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2 Answers
Hydrangeas need acid soil to be blue. They are pink in alkaline soil. Looks like the plant was grown in acid soil and your soil is alkaline. Your soil is gradually changing the flowers to pink. It looks like limestone gravel on your soil which is alkaline. I do not recall the pH numbers.
answered Jun 13, 2022 at 20:34
This problem is unlikely to be due to soil ph issues - yes, a blue hydrangea does need acidic soil conditions to remain blue; if it's too alkaline the flowers will be pink, and if it's around neutral, the flowers will be a mauve/pinkish/washed out bluish colour, but yours has not been in the ground long enough for that to be the cause, its roots will mostly still be pot-shaped from when it was planted, with no wide penetration into the surrounding soil. The flowers can look sort of similar to this as they start to fade, but it does look as if your plant has had more of a problem with insufficient water because some of the petals look wilted - when you first plant a shrub, especially at this time of year and because it's flowering, it will need copious and frequent watering, even if there is rain about, unless the rain is torrential for some hours. A few rain showers is nowhere near enough to penetrate the root ball of the plant, which is probably down to 6 inches below soil level. Keep the plant well watered so it can establish itself properly from now on up until autumn when the weather becomes cool and damp and the plant starts to lose its leaves. It will not flower again this year, but should do next year, at which point you will know whether your soil ph is acid or alkaline.
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Thankyou so much ! Can i add anything to hold in moisture like mulch? Commented Jun 14, 2022 at 20:17
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Yes, but make sure the ground beneath is well watered and damp before applying a mulch, and don't let the mulch sit against the central woody stem or stems, leave a little gap round that. If you did not enrich the soil prior to planting, use a soil conditioning compost or composted manure. You will still need to water it well during hot, dry spells though, but mulch will help to keep moisture in.– BambooCommented Jun 14, 2022 at 21:26