Gardening enthusiasts are always searching for simple methods to enhance their green space’s appearance and brighten it up — particularly advice and hacks which require minimal effort or money spent.
It’s no secret that hydrangeas are a favourite amongst green-thumbers in the UK, as their bright blue, purple, and pink hues can exponentially lift a garden’s aesthetic. But how does one ensure they’re always at their bloomin’ best?
Luckily, King Charles’ former gardener Jack Stooks has shared his unconventional hack to make your hydrangeas bluer than ever.
Collaborating with Coffee Friend to offer his expertise, Jack reveals if you wish for your hydrangeas to become truly blue, you should incorporate a spoonful of coffee during the autumn months.
He explains: “Coffee is great for acid-loving plants, such as hydrangeas. If you want a really blue hydrangea in your garden, you would want to feed them these coffee grounds in the Autumn months. The coffee will be used as feed within the pots.”
Jack — who served at the King’s Highgrove for over two decades — also shared coffee has numerous other applications around a household and garden, and can even function as an insect deterrent. He recommends placing the everyday cupboard ingredient in containers near your outdoor seating area to ward off those annoying mosquitoes.
Whilst it proves effective at repelling those insects, it can simultaneously attract worms into your garden — which he says is beneficial. The former Royal gardener shares: “Coffee grounds are also really good for bringing worms into the garden. They can be used to create air and in turn, helping the soil overall.”
It appears that your old coffee grounds could potentially save you money as well, as they can be used as an alternative to expensive fertilisers being sold in the market.
Jack advises: “Coffee grounds can be used in the garden as a fertiliser. Like most fertilisers, it consists of the elements NPK, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. You can sprinkle it all over the borders for home use. As you don’t tend to have too much of it, you just find an area within the border, and be selective in small areas, until all of the borders have been covered.”
The gardening expert adds: “Coffee grounds can also be used to make body scrubs, for use in the shower or the bath.”
In addition to this coffee-hack, autumn pruning is crucial for many plants, including hydrangeas, as it helps to maintain their size and shape. The goal is to remove dead, diseased, and damaged stems and enhance the plant or shrub’s appearance.
However, one expert warns that pruning at the ‘wrong’ time of year can result in a non-blooming plant. Paul Parker, gardening expert at plants and perennials specialists, J. Parker’s, says: “When to prune hydrangeas largely depends on the type of hydrangea you have in your garden. If you aren’t sure what type is growing in your garden, I advise you to wait for them to flower in summer and prune them the following year.”
The expert advises that shrubby hydrangeas should be pruned in late winter or early spring. This is because the flower heads act as a protection from frost for new buds. Paul adds: “Popular shrubby hydrangea varieties include mophead hydrangea, like the Hydrangea arborescens Annabelle, and shrubby lacecap hydrangea (the serrata and aspera types).
“The popular Macrophylla Hydrangeas fall into both of these, so it’s important to do your research first. However, pruning advice may differ slightly between varieties, so it is always best to check.”
Additionally, the gardening expert warns: “Try to avoid pruning too much off the top of the plant, as this is where most of the flowers will appear.”
Horticulture specialist Ish has also provided his beginner’s guide to maintaining hydrangeas during autumn.
Whilst hydrangeas are sturdy plants and ultimately become dormant in winter, you’ll want to ensure they’re adequately shielded from harsh weather conditions. In a viral TikTok clip, Ish suggests providing the plants with a substantial layer of mulch. This can be achieved using all-purpose compost, bark chips or chopped leaves.
Ish explains: “Hydrangeas may be hardy but they still can benefit from a good bit of mulching, whether you’ve got some multipurpose comport, some bark or even some shredded leaves.”
He also suggests spreading the mulch straight onto the plant’s base. This will assist in forming a protective layer between the plant and the harsh conditions throughout winter.
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