I'm a garden expert - hydrangeas will grow a beautiful bright blue with 3 simple jobs

Hydrangeas can add a colourful hue to your outdoor space so making sure they maintain their brightest colour is crucial. If your hydrangeas are looking limp and dull, there's no need to panic.

It's not too late to bring them back to life, and an expert has shared three tips on how you can do this. It's easier than you might think, says Emma O'Neill, head gardener at sustainable gardening charity Garden Organic. With warm weather hitting the UK this summer, you'll likely be spending more time outdoors, so making sure your garden looks its best will mean you can relax and enjoy it.

She says: "Hydrangeas are pretty shrubs that can provide homes for overwintering insects and, lace cap varieties with their florets of flowers, are attractive to pollinators.

"Generally, they prefer partial shade, but some varieties will tolerate more sun. They all need moist, well-drained soil.

"The PH of your soil needs to be 5.5 or below to grow specifically blue hydrangeas, which is considered acid soil. This is so the plant can absorb the aluminum, which keeps the blooms their lovely hue."

Emma says pine needles around the base of the plant can increase the soil's acidity with some gardeners swearing by coffee grounds.

She says it's important to make sure you have the right-plant, right-place at Garden Organic and says she would recommend you only plant blue hydrangeas if your soil is already acidic.

Emma says another option is to grow them in a container, in peat-free ericaceous compost, where you can control the soil conditions.

Better Homes and Gardens also emphasises the importance of choosing the right type of hydrangea if you're hoping for one that will be bright blue.

It says: "Only the flowers of bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) can change color.

"Other types, such as oakleaf hydrangeas or smooth hydrangeas such as 'Annabelle', only bloom in white or cream.

"These plants are just as full and beautiful, but if your goal is blue hydrangeas, make sure you're planting varieties that can turn the shade you want."

Emma's top three tips:

- Keep the PH of your soil needs to be 5.5 or below

- Provide moist, well-drained soil

- Make sure your plants have partial shade