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My grandma had a huge hydrangea bush on either side of the steps leading from her kitchen door. The one on the right had pink blooms and the one on the left had blue.

She talked about putting rusty nails in the soil to change the color. I don’t know if it worked so I googled it to see if it was an old wives’ tale. This is what I found. Hydrangeas change color (except for the white ones) based on the pH level of their soil. The more alkaline the soil, the pinker the flowers. Acidic soil (lower pH) will yield blue flowers and alkaline (higher pH) will give you pink flowers.

My sisters and I loved them. We didn’t care which color. One bloom was big enough to use as a bouquet and play “Here comes the bride” on a warm June afternoon. Fond memories.

I’m happy to say mine are looking good this year.