Episode 153: Hydrangeas

This week, I visited Golden Hill Nurseries to interview Roger Butler, Find out about the different species in cultivation, the best way to prune hydrangeas, what and when to feed them and of course, the all important information about whether your flowers will be pink or blue and what, if anything, you can do about it! Dr Ian Bedford’s Bug of the Week: Horse Chestnut moth Thanks to Betakut for sponsoring this episode - visit https://www.betakut.co.uk/shop to find out more - enter the code ROOTS20 to get 20% off until the end of August. What we cover Where hydrangeas originate from Their preferred growing conditions The main species in cultivation Why are some hydrangeas blue and some pink? Can blue hydrangeas turn pink and what can we do if we want blue hydrangeas but can only seem to grow pink ones?  The colour range of hydrangea flowers How and when should to prune hydrangeas How many months off the year can we expect hydrangeas to bloom?  Particularly good species Pests and diseases, or lack thereof! About Roger Butler Roger is the owner of Golden Hill Nurseries, a plant centre based in Kent, specialising in hydrangeas, hedging plants, Japanese maples and larger shrubs. Roger has made many appearances in the media sharing his expertise about hydrangeas and regularly gives talks on the subject. The nursery has won multiple medals at RHS shows for their plant displays and you can catch up with them at one of the RHS shows this year, or order from them online. Links www.goldenhillplants.com Signature Hydrangeas Signature Plants Signature Shrubs