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Plant to know: Climbing hydrangea

February 6, 2018

Plant to know: Climbing hydrangea

Climbing hydrangea is misunderstood. It has a reputation  as a temperamental thug, one that takes too long to grow and then grows too much when it does. But have faith friends, Hydrangea anomala petiolaris is a victim of  hasty judgement. 

It is true that it can take a bit to get going—three to five years in many cases. For this reason it is best to plant it, water it to get established (it’s a hydrangea so it will appreciate the water), and then forget it. Just go about your life in the garden, and one day you will think, “Hey, I wonder how that climbing hydrangea is doing?” And you’ll look at and it will be attached to whatever you’re growing it up and have put on a bit of new growth.

And then you just need to stand back. Because as slow as it is to establish, once it gets going, it goes. And goes. And goes. In fact it can grow to 30 to 50 feet.

Plant to know from The Impatient Gardener: Climbing hydrangea

Unlike other vines that either grab on with tendrils or need to be affixed to a structure, climbing hydrangea attaches with aerial rootlets on its stems. These will attach to a tree, siding, bricks, a fence or almost any other non-metallic surface. 

Don’t be afraid of this habit. A gardening friend told me about her dismay about how a climbing hydrangea had been destroyed when new owners moved in to a house next door. They wanted to paint the house and ripped out the vines to do it. What she pointed out was that they could have peeled back the vines, painted and then guided them back to the house, temporarily attaching them until new aerial rootlets took over. 

Climbing hydrangea on north facing wall

The climbing hydrangea on the wall started to stretch out in its third year in this spot. It grows happily on the north side in full shade.

It’s worth keeping the size and attachment method in mind when choosing a spot for this vine. Don’t expect it to respect a pretty 4- by 6-foot trellis because it will eat that for lunch. But this is where it shines: If you need to cover a large area, this vine will do it. And best yet, it will do it where few other plants will.  

That’s because climbing hydrangea thrives in part to even full shade. The list of vines that will do that is short indeed. In cooler zones it can handle a good amount of sun as well, so long as it has moisture rich but good draining soil. 

The fall color on climbing hydrangea is stunning.

Fall Climbing hydrangea

I consider it a four-season plant. In spring its rounded leaves emerge bright green and glossy. In summer, lace cap flowers steal the show. In autumn it turns a brilliant yellow, and in winter its exfoliating bark and spent flowerheads provide texture in a flat landscape. 

Because it is slow to establish, it can be an expensive plant, but it’s worth spending more for a larger plant. You’re buying time. 

Climbing hydrangea arch

This entry arch of climbing hydrangeas growing on Mackinac Island is unbelievable in person.

Climbing hydrangea growing on a brick house.

This is the first climbing hydrangea I ever saw. I spotted it during a garden tour covering the entire west side of a house and I knew immediately I needed to grow this plant.

I have two climbing hydrangeas: One on an ash that will surely succumb to emerald ash borer damage soon and another growing on the north side of the garage that I hope will entirely cover that side. My plan for the ash tree, when the time comes, is to top it a bit above the vine’s growth, which is probably at 30 feet or so (well above the second story window I look at it from).

I consider both of them to be real features in the garden, but the kind that you don’t notice right away. And then, when you do, you realize just how great they are. 

climbing hydrangea hydrangea plants to know shade vines
by Erin @ The Impatient Gardener 
32 Comments

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Comments

  1. Jan M says: February 6, 2018 at 8:33 pm

    And I’ve seen a picture of it growing on a black walnut so I’ve planted it in a garden with two black walnuts. It’s the first thing I planted because I read that it was slow to establish. This will be its third year so I’m hoping for some significant growth.

    Reply
    • Mary Cashman says: June 15, 2019 at 4:56 pm

      Hi, I planted one at the base of a 100 year old mighty oak here north of Boston. It did take two to three years to establish itself but now, 10 years on, it has grown 75 feet up the trunk and looks just beautiful. Well worth the wait!

      Reply
    • EmKn says: June 1, 2020 at 9:35 pm

      This is precisely the information I’m looking for. Is it thriving near the black walnuts? I would like to plant a climbing hydrangea and would love to know. Any tips appreciated. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Erin @ The Impatient Gardener says: June 5, 2020 at 12:46 am

        The whole black walnut thing is a bit overblown, to be honest, but that’s a topic for another time. I have found reports of climbing hydrangea doing well near black walnuts however. If you’re interested in digging into the history of the black walnut effect (and it’s quite fascinating, believe it or not) here’s a place to start with a link to an excellent study on it: https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/walnut-toxicity-juglone

        Reply
    • Maureen Himmel says: August 24, 2022 at 11:20 am

      I also would like to plant near a Black Walnut – feedback?

      Reply
  2. Linda from Each Little World says: February 6, 2018 at 10:08 pm

    Those two plants are gorgeous and yours is beginning to be impressive. And, yes, I recognized my neighbors.

    Reply
  3. Lisa at Greenbow says: February 7, 2018 at 5:26 am

    I had one for several years. I kept moving it around in the garden. Not a good thing to do. When it finally go established it grew up a trellis and flowered so beautifully. Then we had one too many droughts in a row and despite my watering it died. It was such a disappointment. I have again attempted growing this beauty. I too have planted one at the base of our Ash tree. It seemed happy last summer I can’t wait to see it start inching up the tree trunk.

    Reply
  4. Claudia Morgan says: February 7, 2018 at 8:53 am

    I recently removed my 28 year old plant because it was a focal point and the Japanese beetles kept decimating it. Very sad. I’ll plant a new one in the north side of my garage and see what happens there.

    Reply
    • Dee Cherie says: September 10, 2019 at 5:47 pm

      If you’re not opposed to insecticides then get some Bayer 3 in 1 granules and start applying in May. It will solve your beetle problem.

      Reply
  5. Lady Locust says: February 7, 2018 at 4:25 pm

    I’m wondering if this is what I have. It doesn’t exactly get flowers but “clusters” that resemble elderberry blossoms. I just found your blog. Thank you from another zone 5er.

    Reply
  6. Eluzabeth says: May 13, 2018 at 11:37 am

    Can it be very slow to get started in the spring. There do not seem to be any buds but there are some brownish shoots.

    Reply
  7. Cathy says: July 4, 2018 at 8:42 am

    I’ve got a pretty big one attached to the side of our house and we’re going to have our wood siding replaced with Hardie. Any recommendations for how to safely remove it from the wall? Is it okay to trim it back a bit at this time of year? It’s well established—we’ve lived here for 7 years and it was here when we moved in. Thanks!!

    Reply
  8. Rita C. Lesch says: April 1, 2019 at 12:08 am

    How much sun can a climbing Hydrangea tolerate? I have just removed an established one from a trellised area, trellis is still attached, want to plant in garden bed that will get East, Late West sun, not sure if that’s too much sun, hubby doesn’t want against house. I have rich loamy soil, perennials around the area, Filbert shrubs on one side, Royal Star Magnolia on other side? Not sure about it’s exposure to too much sun. I have limited space on North side of house and no planting bed on East side of house.

    Reply
  9. Michael Stratton says: May 4, 2019 at 5:58 pm

    any chance of success planting in very large planter?

    Reply
    • Erin @ The Impatient Gardener says: May 10, 2019 at 9:02 am

      I think anything can be planted in a container. The only issue is the hardiness. The rule of thumb for overwintering something in a container is that it should be two zones hardier than the zone you’re in. You can do some things to help, like stacking straw bales around the container or mulching the top really, really well, but it is a bit risky. If you can manage the hardiness thing I’d say you’d be fine with it in a container, although I would do a fairly rich potting mix and fertilize regularly.

      Reply
  10. Dave says: May 5, 2019 at 9:05 am

    Hi Erin, I just bought one of these. Arrived last week. Given our weather (I’m in a shore community near Milwaukee along the lake), I’m wondering if I could plant it now – or should I wait a bit deeper into May?

    Reply
    • Erin @ The Impatient Gardener says: May 10, 2019 at 8:58 am

      You can definitely plant this now. Enjoy!

      Reply
  11. Drew Johnson says: May 24, 2019 at 3:21 pm

    We are zone 5a, 53821, but the last winter seems to have taken out everything above the snow cover line on our climbing hydrangea; the lowest foot is lush green and beautiful, but above that is brown and looks dead. We are waiting a week or so more to see if any of the damaged parts have survived. However, most likely it will be a major trim job.

    Reply
  12. Greg says: May 31, 2019 at 8:25 am

    My wife has reservations about planting this on a shady flat wall on the side of our house – Hardie Plank surface. Should we be concerned it will overtake and hurt the house in some way?

    Reply
  13. Chris tarlecki says: June 14, 2019 at 4:55 am

    I’ve had one for 10 years growing up a trellis on the north side of my house. The plant has never flowered I feed it with holly tone and still no flowers. What can I do to get it to flower?

    Reply
    • Shiloh says: May 25, 2022 at 5:46 am

      I’ve heard that, although climbing hydrangea CAN grow on a shady North Wall, it won’t flower there.

      Reply
  14. Denise says: August 25, 2019 at 10:39 am

    You mentioned not on metal… I have an aluminum (faux iron) fence that I’d love to have a vining flower to make the far end of the property look appealing. Thoughts?

    Reply
    • Laura says: April 1, 2021 at 4:19 pm

      I’m interested in an answer to this question, too. Wonder why metal is not recommended/why it wouldn’t work.

      Reply
      • Erin @ The Impatient Gardener says: April 1, 2021 at 4:43 pm

        Because climbing hydrangeas “climb” via aerial roots, they need a surface they can “dig” into a little. It’s not like clematis that climbs with tendrils. Smooth metal doesn’t really have much to grab onto. Some vines are also resistant to climbing on metal because of heat. Some plants are also resistant to some metals (typically copper), although likely does not apply in this situation.

        Reply
  15. ROBERT CONGDON says: September 6, 2019 at 3:34 am

    I have a client who is having a new fence installed behind her climbing hydrangea. It is currently about 25’-30’. I will be building a temporary structure structure underneath to support it during the process. I also plan on a shot of liquid fertilizer and some slow release as well at the base of the trunk to beef up its recovery process over the next month or so before the new fence goes in.

    Sadly, last winter there was damage and we lost half of the vine to snow damage. I tried rooting some of the broken vine, but as this is not a “full time” customer due to the property size (extremely small city lot without external access to courtyard area), I have no idea how the cuttings performed…yet.

    Do you have any advice for the temporary structure?

    Reply
  16. Jerline Jackson says: July 6, 2020 at 8:05 pm

    Will this climbing hydrangea grow under a pine tree?

    Reply
  17. Lori Skalitzky says: September 21, 2020 at 10:52 am

    My question is about how much you can keep this plant in check. I live in Maryland and am looking to plant this in a completely shaded spot to climb on an existing fence (about 10 feet long by 8 feet high). Will I be able to keep the plant pruned to generally stay on this fence, or should I just look for something else? Would love to find a pretty flowering climbing plant that will be OK with full shade. Thanks!

    Reply
  18. Rory Carlton says: November 13, 2020 at 6:56 pm

    What if any pruning do you recommend? Ours is looking a bit leggy and hasn’t flowered well this year.

    Reply
  19. Suzan says: June 27, 2021 at 8:41 am

    I planted 6 climbing hydrangea along my fence and made a cross cross pattern with with aluminum, unfortunately. Since I have coaxed and tied the sprawling growth they are growing but now worried it’s temporary given your advice. What can I do? I was thinking about wrapping the aluminum in butcher twine?

    Reply
  20. Lindsay Hrenko says: August 17, 2021 at 7:36 am

    What size wood would you recommend for a trellis? Do you think 2×3″ is sufficient? (Will be using cedar, redwood or cypress.) I’m growing a climbing hydrangea under a deck (56″ high and 20 feet long), so am looking to grow it horizontally, rather than vertically … hence the need for a custom-size trellis. Thanks!

    Reply
  21. jill says: October 1, 2021 at 12:22 pm

    I need my wood siding painted, and it will be early/mid October. One wall has climbing hydrangea. I am reading that I can peel it off then re-support it, but it’s really huge, how would I go about doing that? I love the look and would rather skip painting the wall, which I realize is not a wise choice. I’m in northern Illinois, and the plant was very small when I moved into the house in 2012.
    Thanks for your input.

    Reply

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The Impatient Gardener

Do you love gardening? Me too! I'm Erin and I garden in Southeastern Wisconsin, zone 5. The Impatient Gardener is all about real-life gardening: the good parts, the bad bits and even the funny stuff. It's part information, part inspiration and a little bit commiseration. Thanks for visiting.

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I had a rather unpleasant realization last night w I had a rather unpleasant realization last night when I remembered that I’d not yet ordered tomato seeds. And I’m not going to rectify that until I dig into my seed stash, because I don’t go through tomato seeds quickly so there are definitely some lurking down there. 

I never used to grow tomatoes from seed because there are great varieties to be had in garden centers (including many heirloom varieties). But it’s almost non-negotiable for me now that I’m a convert to dwarf tomatoes. If you’re not familiar with the #dwarftomatoproject championed by @nctomatoman and others, these are heirloom varieties that are crossed with dwarf varieties to create plant that produces all the flavor and interest of an heirloom in a short (usually less than 4 feet) plant. 

They are particularly great in my tall raised beds. Of course I leave room to try new non-dwarf varieties every year (I loved Sun Dipper from @panamseed last year and I’ll grow it again).

Last year was a good tomato year and the photo shows some of the varieties I harvested in one day. I hope this summer will be equally good for the tomato harvest. 

One of my favorite questions to ask gardeners is: What is your favorite tomato variety to grow? So have at it in the comments because inquiring minds want to know!
And this is why I leave my winter containers assem And this is why I leave my winter containers assembled until at least March. A dusting of snow gives them a whole new look (even if it’s shades of gray). Also, I think I love my Limelight hydrangea even more in winter. Fabulous winter interest!
I’m going to look for opportunities to add more I’m going to look for opportunities to add more ferns to my garden this year. They are such interesting plants and often real problem solvers, bringing texture and color to places that many plants aren’t interested in. Athyrium niponicum (Japanese painted fern) ‘Crested Surf’ grows well for me in part shade (even pushing a bit into part sun) and looks great next to Persicaria ‘Golden Arrow’.
Birds chirping, glorious fresh (i.e. not nibbled o Birds chirping, glorious fresh (i.e. not nibbled on) foliage, and texture galore. I can’t wait to have moments like this again. The star, by the way is Hakonechloa ‘All Gold’ which looks so good with the bold foliage of Ligularia dentata ‘Desdemona’ next to it. 

With the new path, this area will be getting a small revamp. It’s the next spot I’ll be focusing my planning on.
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