Hydrangeas must be kept 'far away' from 3 common plants as it causes the flowers to 'die'

There are a variety of that complement beautifully, including perennials, shrubs, and annuals. Hostas, gardenias, ferns, hollies, yews, azaleas, and boxwoods are some of the recommended pairings.

On the flip side, certain plants can be detrimental to hydrangeas, stunting their growth or even causing their demise. To help gardeners avoid planting hydrangeas near harmful species, guru Julia Omelchenko from has offered her insights. She said: "Hydrangeas are beautiful and popular garden plants that, when properly cared for, can be a sight to behold thanks to their large inflorescences.

"However, sometimes they may be weak, fail to bloom, and experience wilting and leaf dieback even in proper growing conditions. The problem might lie in the neighbouring plants in your garden."

1. Lavender

Loved by many gardeners, is a plant that isn't a suitable neighbour for hydrangeas. Although they can look beautiful together, they have opposite growing requirements, and planting them next to each other can "cause problems for both plants" so they should "never" be planted beside one another.

Lavender prefers dry, well-drained, and not overly nutritious soil, whereas hydrangeas need moist, fertile, and slightly acidic soil.

Julia cautioned: "If you plant these two next to each other, you may have difficulty providing optimum growing conditions for both of them. Wet soil, which is essential for hydrangeas, can cause the lavender's root system to rot, as it cannot tolerate excess moisture.

"On the other hand, dry and poor soil preferred for the lavender can cause chlorosis and drying out of Hydrangea leaves because they won't get enough moisture and nutrients needed for growth and development."

2. Plants that release juglone

Some plants produce substances that inhibit or suppress the development of other plant species - this is called allelopathy.

Julia noted that "walnuts are a particular threat to hydrangeas" because they can release a toxic compound called juglone into the soil. The expert said: "Juglone negatively affects the development of hydrangeas and other plants, causing their leaves to turn yellow, shoots to wither and dry out, and the plant to die."

In the soil, it accumulates in the root zone. If gardeners have walnut trees on their property, Julie advised: "Plant hydrangeas as far away from them as possible".

3. Sun-loving plants

Hydrangeas, which favour spots illuminated with bright but filtered light, suffer when exposed to direct sunlight for extended durations, resulting in their leaves turning yellow, brown, and drying out, which "can later cause the plants to die".

Julia observed that sun-loving plants such as , asters, and geraniums make "undesirable neighbours" for hydrangeas due to their contrasting demand for light conditions necessary for flourishing.