Love Your Weekend host Alan Titchmarsh dug into a throwback tip from early on in his career, recalling a technique he used while working at Ilkley Council’s Parks Department in the 1960s08:32, 19 Jul 2026A friend recently turned to Alan Titchmarsh in frustration, having “bemoaned” that their hydrangeas just wouldn’t take — even though they’d been planted in free-draining, sandy soil. Titchmarsh’s response was simple: he said the answer is hinted at in the plant’s name, pointing to the “hydra” element.‌From there, he dug into a method he'd discovered in the early days of his gardening career, recalling a technique he used while working at Ilkley Council’s Parks Department in the 1960s — and he insists it made a remarkable difference to the plants, including changing their colour.‌Writing in BBC Gardeners' World Magazine, he stated: "A friend bemoaned recently that she had no success with hydrangeas on her free-draining, sandy soil. I pointed out (politely, of course) that the clue to their cultivation lies in their name, the first half of which - 'hydra' - is derived from the Greek for 'water'.‌"One glance at the succulence of hydrangea foliage - as with that of the dahlia - serves as a reminder that they are thirsty plants and will not thrive where moisture is in short supply."That said, a border of hydrangeas of any colour in a seaside garden in high summer always lifts my spirits. When we grew them in pots back in my parks department days, we watered them with Hydrangea Colourant, which was based, as I recall, on aluminium sulphate."‌The results, Alan suggested, can be dramatic. He said pink hydrangeas can shift towards mauve, while blue blooms can take on a "summer sky" tone.And it’s not some lost old-school remedy, either. Alan said the very same treatment is still on sale today — now described as aluminium and iron salts.Westland Horticulture, which makes Hydrangea Colourant, explains that it’s a salt used to acidify the soil. The company says that it can turn pink hydrangeas blue, and can also nudge darker pink flowers into a mauve shade.‌The hydrangea tip follows another of Alan’s gardening habits he’s shared with fans — leaving space in his borders on purpose. On his YouTube channel, Gardening With Alan Titchmarsh, he backed using annuals, saying they cost “next to nothing”.He explained: "I was very grateful for annual flowers when I first got married because we hadn't got very much money."‌Alan remembered purchasing packets of marigold seeds and sowing them into the soil."They came up and they cost me next to nothing", he added. Further emphasising their financial circumstances, Alan revealed: "That was the time when we used to save 10p a week with the butcher to buy a Christmas joint."You get my feeling, right? Okay. And that means I've always had a great soft spot for them."Article continues belowHe continued: "If you suddenly find yourself in June or July with a hole in a bed or border, go to annuals because they'll give you that instant hit."Catch Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh today (July 19), from 9.30am to 11.25am.