Hydrangeas will grow bigger and healthier flowers if fed one simple item in late February

Hydrangeas need to be fertlised now in late winter or early spring to help them grow flowers (Image: Getty)

Hydrangea are the most popular plants in gardens due to their giant colourful blooms, but they will only grow if fertilised at the right time.  

Jim and Mary Competti, the founders of Simple Garden Life, have shared that hydrangeas need to be fertilised from late winter to early spring to ensure they grow bigger flowers.

They said: “It can be heartbreaking to watch your hydrangeas fill in with thick foliage, only produce a few tiny blooms. Or even worse, none at all! 

“While it might seem overwhelming to figure it all out, at the end of the day, most issues often come back to one simple issue, improper fertilizing."

Plants go dormant in winter to protect themselves from the cold, and as the weather warms up they need more nutrients in the soil to restore their energy and begin growing again. 

Compost is a natural way to give hydrangeas the nutrients they need to grow (Image: Getty)

Fertilising hydrangeas now will ensure they have enough energy to grow healthy foliage, which will help the plant store more nutrients when they begin flowering. 

However, it is important to avoid overloading hydrangeas with too many nutrients. Too much energy will cause the plant to focus on growing bigger foliage rather than storing energy. 

If you want hydrangeas to have bigger blooms, you need a slow-working fertiliser. One simple way to feed them is to cover them in compost mulch. 

The gardeners explained: “Adding a thick three to four-inch layer of compost around the entire root zone of each plant will provide them with a perfect, easily absorbed fertilizer.

“Compost is teeming with powerful nutrients and organic matter. And every time it rains or you water plants in the spring, they will get a low and slow dose of energy that leaches into their roots from the compost above.” 

Using compost as a mulch is a natural way to boost your hydrangeas and ensure you get healthier flowers later in the year.

You can also buy a granular fertiliser for hydrangeas (Image: Getty)

Compost releases nutrients as it slowly breaks down to help hydrangeas grow, but it also retains moisture, so they need to be watered less during the warmer season. 

However, if you would prefer to buy fertiliser rather than make it, then consider getting an acidic granular fertiliser, which is designed to slowly release energy to plants. 

Avoid putting too much granular fertiliser on your hydrangea flowerbeds, as a high concentration of the salts in the soil can burn the roots and damage the plant. 

The gardeners said:  “Avoid fertilizing with too heavy of a dose of granular fertilizer. More is not always better, especially with powering hydrangeas. Low and steady is much more effective at producing a healthy, strong plant.” 

No matter which method you use, just make sure to feed hydrangeas now as they begin growing again. You will be rewarded with bigger and better blooms in your garden.