Gardeners name 'wonder' kitchen scrap that will boost hydrangeas and roses

Gardeners across the UK are buzzing about a natural soil enhancer that could give their hydrangeas and roses an extra blooming edge – used coffee grounds from your kitchen. Katherine Hill sparked a lively discussion on the Hints and Tips group when she inquired: "I've heard great things about using coffee grounds in the garden, but will they boost the blooms of my roses and hydrangeas?"

She dug deeper with questions about application methods: "If so, when putting coffee grounds into your soil, is it possible to put too much? Should I just sprinkle onto the soil or does it need to be mixed in?"

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Katherine shared her eagerness to try this eco-friendly trick: "I am always throwing out coffee grounds, but I would like to start using them this spring."

The post received a groundswell of green-thumbed responses as Lana Lane offered her thumbs-up: "I sprinkle a handful of them around my blueberries, hydrangeas, azaleas and roses and they've never looked better."

Sarah Williams advised on a potential pitfall: "Yes in theory. If there's too much caffeine in them it is a growth inhibitor, but a little will do wonders for the plants."

Pat Ward commented on her gardening routine: "I throw them all over the yard in shrub and flower beds all year."

Lastly, Lyndall Heyer shared her success story: "I just spread around my rosebushes and hydrangeas all summer and they flourish nicely."

Sam Bullock gushed about his garden's success, saying: "My hydrangeas, azaleas and roses are thriving right now. They have bigger and better blooms than last year and all I've done differently is added some coffee grounds to the soil."

Green-thumbed experts are in agreement that acid-loving beauties such as hydrangeas and roses can truly flourish with a touch of coffee grounds, reports .

For those looking to replicate the effect, Millie Durbak from Prestige Flowers has some advice: "Mix used coffee grounds with your garden soil or sprinkle them around the base of your plants."

She goes on to highlight the virtues of coffee waste: "The organic matter in coffee grounds improves soil structure and helps with water retention, as well as keeping microbes happy."

Not to mention the pep it gives to your patch: "The caffeine content in coffee grounds acts as a natural stimulant, promoting microbial activity in the soil and boosting nutrient absorption, resulting in healthier and more robust plants."

It's even been said by gardening enthusiasts that using coffee grounds might nudge hydrangeas towards a striking blue hue, though patience is key, as it's a long-term tactic to up the soil acidity.