PlantFiles: Climbing Hydrangea
Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris

When I moved into my current townhouse I was thrilled to discover I had inherited many beautiful shrubs such as Climbing Hydrangea in my small but lovely yard. It's gnarled branches and neat, shiny, healthy leaves add character and interest to my backyard. And I'm a sucker for vertical height! I wish I could know for sure how old my Climbing Hydrangea is; it is definitely established as it has climbed to the top of the fence supporting it (which is about 7ft high) and is firmly attached to the fence. Since it has no more fence to climb I wonder if it will get any higher. It does not seem to have gotten taller in the year or so since I've been here, but it has lots of little runner babies coming up out of the ground that are starting to cover my patio with a lush blanket of leaves.

Early last summer my poor Climbing Hydrangea was mercilessly attacked by japanese beetles, and the spray I used on it caused it to lose all of it's leaves up towards the top of the plant (where the beetles had settled in). It has come back with a vigor, but it's almost japanese beetle time here again in Raleigh, NC. Here's hoping the beetle bags around my yard will help!

I will begin this post as a positive rather than a neutral,
even though I just added a Climbing Hydrangea to my
garden. As time goes by, I will add to the post with
updates.

At present, I rescued a one gallon C.H. from a fall
clearance sale. I was most inspired by the fact that
even though it was stripped of it's leaves, there were
numerous buds up and down the branches bursting
with energy. I bought the poor thing and brought it
home to an immediate soaking. Tomorrow I will repot
it, as it appears to be very root bound in the small pot.

To be continued...dated this 9th day of November, 2007.

Edited February 15, 2007. The plant is still in the pot,
still in the greenhouse, still looking much like it did when
I brought it home. The buds are slightly larger, but not
willing to open. Perhaps it is just waiting for the right
moment.

Be patient, spring is coming, then we'll move outdoors.

A stunner at last - planted 8 or so years ago to clothe a white pine with split trunk that's bare for the first 35 feet. Well no more! After planting, it sat and it sat. And then the magic happened.

Today this wonderful plant is at least 25 feet tall - it grows 2 - 3 feet a year in full afternoon sun. Because it is on two trunks, it is very broad and its horizontal branches add even more breadth. Fragrance is incredible, scenting the nearby patio and beyond. The outer petals of these 10 inch flowers last a long while. I love the flower head after the bloom is done and the exfoliating bark is pretty terrific in winter.

Lower branches spread over the ground, rooting as they go. This year I potted one up and it seems quite happy - gifts for friends.

Truly a magical vine.

If only I had a digital camera so you could see.

Feeling a little Jack and the Beanstalker-ish here in CT.

This is one of those pre-planned projects which began about six or seven years ago with a specific goal in mind. The project involved a huge white oak tree on the north lawn over 4 feet in diameter, and about 60 feet tall. Unfortunately the trunk was bare almost 20 feet up to its lateral branches, and I often thought it would look good with a strong perennial ivy or other hardy vine to give it some added character. That's where Hydrangea petiolaris comes in: I found a healthy looking plant in a large nursery growing in a gallon container. After reading the label I was somewhat disappointed to see the words 'slow growing until well established'. Undaunted I bought it and the rest is history. Today it is roughly 15-18 feet high, and has nearly surrounded the tree up to eye-level.

Although it is slow growing initially, it makes fairly good progress after 3 or 4 years. It has exfoliating bark which adds to its appeal, and dark green glossy leaves which are attractive. The flowers remind me somewhat of 'Queen Ann's Lace' on a vine, only much larger. It is a very tough, undemanding vine and has survived severe cold (-20F), as well as very hot dry summers.

The library in our town, from which I have just been given permission to take cuttings, has it growing on the north wall. It is climbing maybe 15-20 feet, which is much higher than the description here says it grows. It is absolutely beautiful.

i bought mine as a a gallon plant @ a local nursery and planted it in the spring of 2002. the first year i got blooms, just a few and i cut them off, to allow all the energy to go to the root system. the plant had minimal growth above ground.
the 2nd year, 2003, i had a few more blooms and the plant grew 5-6 inches and a few new shoots.
the 3rd year, 2004, she has taken off. she is growing along the ground, new runners are forming and i know i have to find a way to attach her to the large maple tree, an old 6' fence post, and the new stockade fence, that i planted her inbetween. won't it look lovely, with her green glossy leaves and white flowers. they are said to grow up to 30 ft.

The climbing hydrangea is a fantastic specimen. I have rooted the hydrangea from a clipping three years ago. The first two years were very slow growing, and had no blooms. The third year this plant has taken hold very well. I now have a great specimen growing on brick, in the full sun. I'm hoping to get a few blooms this year, or the next. The one thing that I have noticed is that it is getting some kind of white fuzzy insect that attaches to the woody growth. It kind of resembles a wooly adelgid(an aphid like insect that is attacking eastern hemlocks in pa), but is much larger and has an insect hidden in the center of the "fuzz". At this time I am not sure what the "insect" is or how to control it. Despite this attack on the plant, I love my climbing hydrangea and recommend this plant to any gardener. If you have a friend that has one, ask them if you can have a clipping. Or clip a branch, that has rooted from the base, and take it home to plant. An excellent specimen.

Update to "Insect that has inhabited my Climbing Hydrangea".

I have since found out through going to my local garden center, and reading through "Insects That Feed on Trees and Shrubs", that Cottony scales or Mealybugs were the culprits. I have since sprayed the Hydrangea with Safer Insect Killer and annihilated the insects. I am pretty sure that the insect was a Cottony Camellia Scale because one of the plants it usually attacks is the hydrangea, and also the description in my books. But if it wasn't this the Safer spray still kills mealybugs, and scale.

Happy Gardening

We added this plant in 2001. It has only gotten 2-3 blooms per year, the first year it grew about 6", but has added at least 15" in growth per year the past two years. It is shaded most of the day here, but gets afternoon sun. It's clinging to the brick wall and climbing up the trellis.

This is a magnificent shrubby vine that has lace cap type of lovely white blossoms. This decidous vine grows best in a moist area that receive pt. sun. It clings to surfaces by aerial roots and can be quite vigorous, if it is happy with its growing conditions. However, patience is required with this vine, since it is slow to establish and can take 5 yrs. or more to bloom.

Planted two years ago and gave it a trellis and the brick on the house to support it. It has full afternoon sun and is growing beautifully. I constantly direct new branches upward and have trimmed very few branches off of it. As yet, it has not produced any flowers. I am going to prune more often to see if it will produce flowers. The leaves are a glossy green and so healthy looking. They stay that way all summer. I love it.
It is fast growing and lovely. I plan to use some of the curved branches for my Ikebana arrangements.

This vine took 4 years to become fully established in my garden, but has since grown significantly. It has definitely been worth the wait. The key seemed to be finding a way to attach it to its support, a large oak tree. Once it had grabbed hold, its growth was good. Side-shoots have developed, making a good groundcover as they seek new supports.

The heart-shaped leaves are a dead giveaway it's a hydrangea. The literature says it's slow-growing until established, then undergoes rapid growth (18" or more each year.) Forms beautiful white "lace-cap" blossoms on mature specimen. Pruning will produce larger flowers, while no pruning will produce more, smaller flowers.

I purchased a small plant last year; kept it potted up for the first growing season, and recently planted it in its permanent location. Hoping to get good growth next year.