A TIKTOK flower expert has revealed her top three tips for gardeners to know to keep their hydrangeas blooming through to October.
By doing these things, it will help stop the flowers turning “brown and crispy“, as temperatures heat up.
Miller Flowers has grown a following of 32.3k on TikTok[/caption]
They are a sister duo known for providing gardening advice online[/caption]
This will help stop them going brown and crispy due to the high temperatures[/caption]
One sister from the popular TikTok duo, Miller Flowers, shared the advice online which attracted a number of comments, likes and shares from garden enthusiasts.
The Miller sisters, Gina & Caitlin, have grown their following on social media after expanding the flower farm business they took over from their parents around 30 years ago.
Caitlin said these points will help hydrangeas “to keep looking beautiful all season long”.
Watering hydrangeas
The first tip is around watering, as “hydrangeas are plants that love water”.
It is recommended to water them three times a week, for ten minutes.
Caveat this if your hydrangea is in the soil, but if in a pot it can be watered less.
It is also increasingly important to try to stick to this routine in the heat, which makes it particularly “tough” for hydrangeas to cope.
In the video, Miller Flowers also recommend watering the base of the established hydrangea plants deeply, which can best be done by placing the hose spout underneath the flowers.
Positioning of the plants
Where the hydrangeas are positioned in the garden is also a valuable component to consider for their optimal flowering.
Hydrangeas need both sun and shade.
This allows them to grow but still stay moist.
The right positioning in a garden is therefore probably somewhere they can ideally get the morning sun and afternoon shade.
Fertilisation
A little fertilisation can be particularly useful for hydrangeas in climates where it is continually warm.
It can encourage more blooms, and help them deal with heat.
However, it is not always necessary, also depending on the soil used, and time of the year.
Excess fertiliser can also attract pests to the plants, as they look for softer foliage to eat.
Miller Flowers is now a florist, greenhouse and flower farm, as well as a social media channel that provides online education to inspire gardeners.
July gardening jobs
The Sun’s Gardening Editor Veronica Lorraine, has shared the tasks you need to tackle this July in your garden.
1. Prune Wisteria
You should only prune back Wisteria twice a year – and July – or mid summer – is one of those times. After flowering cut back long side shoots to around seven buds.five or six leaves.
2. Pinch out tomatoes
Your tomatoes should be really picking up – so pinch out all the side shoots without flowers – and remove all the leaves that are shading the tomatoes – this will give them maximum light and energy.
3. Keep weeding
Hand weeding and hoeing the surface of the soil will keep your weeds under check.
4. Feed Dahlias
To keep Dahlias flowering until Autumn, you must keep feeding them weekly with a liquid fertliser high in potassium – which encourages blooms.
5. Keep deadheading plants
Keep up with deadheading your bedding plants and perennials – so they keep coming back for the season. With roses make sure you’re deadheading back to a set of five leaves, giving you the best chance of them flowering again.
6. Check on your pond
If you’re lucky enough to have a pond – make sure it’s clear of algae, which can really bloom when the sun beats down.
7. Feed your lawn
Whether that’s with a liquid feed or granules. If you’ve chosen granules try to get them down before the rain comes, so they soak into the soil.
8. Tend to strawberry plants
Cut the leaves off strawberry plants after you’ve picked them – leaving the crown untouched – which should help with next years fruit.
9. Sow extra seeds
July weather is a great time to sow seeds as the warm soil and sunshine is great for germination. Try carrots, winter broccoli and other brassicas.
10. Move young plants into soil
Get any young plants you’ve got left in the greenhouse – like courgettes – into the soil.
