In this set of questions, Helen tackles: Hydrangea flower color Amaryllis post-bloom care, rebloom

Hydrangea: Flower color and soil acidity Q. Q. My large hydrangea bushes developed very unsightly pale greenish flowers last summer. How can I make them red or purple? A. The acidity or alkalinity of a soil influences the shades of color in our hydrangeas. When the blooms of some varieties develop muddy, indeterminate coloring it signifies a pH in the neutral range and no clear color directive to the flowers. Before taking steps to produce a certain color in hydrangeas you have to first consider what the flower color originally was, since different soil treatments will have different effects on the natural color of the variety. Red-flowering hydrangeas, for example, can be kept red or made more red by applying wood ashes, lime, or bone meal to the soil. All these materials have an alkaline effect on soils. Blue-flowering hydrangeas will turn pink in a neutral or alkaline soil. A friend of mine once asked me why one of her blue hydrangeas in a group of three had produced pink bloom. It turned out that the pink one was at the front of the grouping and had received a dumping of wood ashes late in the winter. Acidifying the soil with peat and powdered sulphur, or applying aluminum sulphate, keeps the blue in hydrangea bloom, and the same treatments will turn vivid red hydrangeas purple. Any treatment to adjust the flower color in hydrangeas needs to be started well ahead of bloom to be effective. It is best to apply soil amendments before the plants leaf out.A

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Amaryllis: Post-bloom care, rebloom Q. At Christmas my mother bought an amaryllis bulb for me. It bloomed beautifully, and now I am wondering whether the bulb should be stored. Will it grow and flower again next year? A. Cut the flower stalk away just above the bulb top if you haven't already done this, and keep your amaryllis growing as strongly as possible in bright light with regular watering. Water the soil every two weeks with a house plant fertilizer mixed at half strength. The idea is to foster lots of strong leaf growth that will keep the plant "working" and rebuild the bulb for flowering again. As soon as the weather is warm in the spring, which is May in most years, set the plant out in bright, indirect light or filtered sun for most of the summer. Keep the plant watered and fertilized until August, when you can stop fertilizing and begin to reduce water. The leaves will start dying down. At the end of August bring the pot inside and put it in a dim, cool (around 55 F) place where the foliage can finish drying off and the bulb can rest. Clean off the foliage once it has dried, and leave the bulb alone except for perhaps one or two light splashes of water to keep the bulb from shrivelling. Watch for resprouting, and bring the pot into light if this happens. Otherwise allow the bulb to rest for September and October, and start it back into growth early in November for bloom at Christmas. If all has gone well, a new embryonic flowerbud will have developed within the bulb during the summer. This will emerge when the pot is brought into warmth again and watered. When you start a potted amaryllis bulb into growth again, remove a shallow top layer of the soil and replace it with fresh. Water thoroughly, and set the pot in a warm place, ideally where it will receive gentle heat at the pot bottom. The top of the refrigerator or hot water tank are two common sources of this type of warmth in most households. Light is not a crucial factor to start with, since this first stage of the bulb's cycle is aimed at initiating new root growth. With top growth, bring the plant into bright light. Turn the pot daily for even growth of the flower stalk, and keep the plant a little on the cool side if possible, for sturdy growth and long-lasting flowers. You can repot the bulb when you bring it out of storage. Some people like to renew the soil mix for their amaryllis bulbs every year. Otherwise repot only every second year. Make sure always that the top third at least of the bulb remains above the soil line. A deeper planting will inhibit the formation of a new flowerbud within the bulb.

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