>>7998072
>but the gradient they develop blows my mind
Having grown these flowers for years now it's worth noting that certain varieties of Hydrangea with coloured flowers are affected by soil pH, such that in acidic soils (pH 6 and below) their flowers will start turning to various shades of blue, while in alkaline soil (pH 8 and above) the flowers will start turning to shades of pink to red, with neutral soils (pH 7) resulting in either purple shades and/or sometimes in blue, purple, and pink flowers all occurring on the same plant at the same time as can be seen in some of the papes in this thread.
So by carefully controlling the soil pH in your garden it's actually possible to control (to some extent) the colour of your hydrangea planting.
N.B. Exclusively white hydrangea varieties however are generally not affected by this and will always have white flowers regardless of soil pH.
#TheMoreYouKnow
