Hydrangeas are a great choice of plant if you want to add a splash of vibrant colour to your garden.
The flowers tend to bloom from mid-spring until late summer, although this can depend on the variety you have and the growing conditions. They come in a variety of shades and the colour may depend on the type of soil you have, but the most common shades are blue, pink, purple and white. According to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), if you have acidic soil (with a pH of 5.5 or lower) then this should produce rich blue flowers due to the availability of aluminium, whereas alkaline soils (with a pH of 6.5 or higher) encourage more pink blooms.
But if you favour the vibrant blue colour and want to enhance the colour of hydrangea plants, adding tea bags to the soil is particularly effective in producing blue flowers.
This is because tea contains tannic acid which can be beneficial for plants when added to the soil as it helps lower the pH level, increasing acidity, while also acting as a natural fertiliser to provide plants with nitrogen and other nutrients.
As the tannic acid found in tea leaves helps lower the pH level of soil, it is particularly good for hydrangeas, which is an acid-loving plant and will help the flowers burst with a beautiful blue colour.
Experts advise burying used tea bags near the roots of hydrangeas and as they naturally decompose, they will release nutrients into the soil to boost plant growth while also making the soil more acidic, which is a key factor in promoting blue blooms.
You can also boil used tea bags in water, allow the mixture to cool and then water your hydrangeas with it to act as a weak fertiliser.
New English Teas explains: “Tea contains nutrients like tannic acid and other minerals that are beneficial to plants. Used teabags can be buried near the roots of acid-loving plants such as roses, hydrangeas, or rhododendrons.
“The tea bags will gradually decompose, releasing these nutrients into the soil and helping to boost plant growth. This eco-friendly fertiliser alternative is easy to implement and minimises the need for synthetic chemicals in your garden.”
Allrecipes adds: “Some tea bags are completely compostable, so you can throw them right into your compost pile or bin. And if the bags themselves can’t be composted, the tea leaves can. You can also bury your tea leaves or compostable tea bags under your plants to nourish the root and suppress weed growth.
“If you have plants that like acidic soil, like evergreens, hydrangeas, or oregano, try watering them with brewed tea every so often. The tea will change the pH level of the soil and make it more acidic for the plants to thrive.”
