As summer approaches many gardeners are looking forward to seeing their roses and hydrangeas in full bloom, but may struggle to get the bigger and more lush flowers. 

It is important to feed flowers the right nutrients as they grow, but rather than spending money on sore-bought plant feed, you can give plants a boost with your morning drink as they can thrive with used-up coffee grounds or tea bags. 

Michael Perry, a gardener and founder of Mr Plant Geek, has shared that coffee and tea are acidic with high amounts of nitrogen, making it an ideal feed for both roses and hydrangeas. 

He said: “Did you know that it’s not just us that can benefit from a hearty beverage? Our plants can get a kick from tea, coffee and even milk! 

“So, if you thought that your hot drink habits were starting to err on the side of obsession, here’s your reason to drink more…” 

How to boost roses and hydrangeas with coffee grounds

Both roses and hydrangeas prefer slightly acidic soil and nitrogen helps flowers produce larger and more abundant flowers, making it a quick and useful feed for your flowers. 

Coffee grounds can be mixed into your compost or you can simply scatter spent coffee grounds on top of the soil where it will naturally decompose. 

Michael said: “You can add coffee grounds directly to the soil around your plants to provide nutrients.”

He added: “If you’re worried about your plants being attacked by snails and slugs, spread coffee grounds around the base of the plant to act as a deterrent.” 

How to boost roses and hydrangeas with tea bags 

Tea bags can also work to keep snails away as well as a deterrent for other pests such as ants or aphids.  

After boiling a cup of tea, open up a teabag and pour the loose tea into a container. Make sure it has completely cooled down before adding it to your flowers. 

Like with coffee, you can pour loose tea directly into the soil of your flowers to help them but with roses, it is best to mix it into their water. 

Michael said: “Like any container plant, roses can lose nutrients quicker than plants in the ground. However, roses love the acidity and nitrogen that tea contains.

“Water them regularly with cooled tea (no milk), or compost tea (made by steeping tea and other kitchen waste in water).”