Is bark mulch beneficial for hydrangeas

Hydrangeas crave steady moisture and cool, open soil; bark mulch fulfils both wishes. Spread a five-centimetre blanket around each shrub once spring pruning is finished, leaving a shallow collar clear of the main stems. The irregular chips shade the ground, slowing evaporation so macropores remain damp even after a June heatwave, while their airy structure wards off waterlogging in downpours. That combination steadies the supply line to panicle-forming buds, reducing midsummer wilt and flower drop.

As the bark decays it leaches small amounts of organic acids, gently lowering pH—useful if you coax blue blooms from aluminium-hungry cultivars. Earthworms pull softened fragments downwards, boosting humus and opening channels for fibrous roots to explore. Weed seedlings that would compete for moisture find it hard to punch through the loose lattice, so you spend less time hoeing and more admiring the blooms.

A light dusting of well-rotted manure beneath the mulch offsets any fleeting nitrogen drawdown and feeds the shrub at the same time. Top up the layer each February before the leaf canopy fills in; AHS LTD’s medium grade sits neatly on slopes and resists gusty weather. With these simple steps bark mulch becomes a bodyguard, helping hydrangeas reach their flamboyant best.