Climbing Hydrangeas – Hardy Perennial Shade Vines for Fall Color

The climbing hydrangea offers gardeners another option for landscape color and vertical interest in the shade garden. The fall color, and unique green flowers are an added bonus for hydrangea enthusiasts.

Growing Climbing Hydrangeas

Climbing hydrangeas need similar garden requirements as the more traditional hydrangea flowers, but will tolerate more sun if their roots are kept consistently moist or shaded. Climbing hydrangeas will tolerate northern exposures with little sun, and grow up rough surfaces without the need for tying or twining.

The vigorous vines can reach 50 feet or more up trees, brick walls, rocky hillsides or other supports with root like holdfasts. Gardeners should provide plenty of rich, organic matter for the climbing hydrangea to support the large perennial. Gardeners in zones 4-8 (provide extra shade in zone 8) will love the climbing hydrangea in the garden, but should realize the plant can take awhile to take off. The first two or three years, the hydrangea plants will develop a strong root system, and then put on tremendous growth in leaves and flowers after that.

Using Climbing Hydrangeas in the Garden

Climbing hydrangeas (Hydrangea anomala sub. petiolaris) are fantastic vertical accent plants for a shade garden, a fragrance garden, moon garden, or anywhere gardeners need to add pizzaz to a landscape. Some gardeners use it as ground cover, especially in rocky areas or shady hillsides where few other plants will grow. Provided some relatively fertile soil, and moderate moisture, the climbing hydrangea will slowly, not invasively, spread to cover as much 200 square feet with attractive, glossy leaves and fragrant flowers.

Climbing Hydrangea Flowers

Climbing hydrangeas have white or pale green flowers that most closely resemble lacecap style hydrangea flowers. Some gardeners compare them to Queen Anne’s lace, but each flower cluster is very large, creating a striking effect in contrast to the large, heart-shaped leaves. The hydrangea flowers appear in the late spring and last through midsummer and scent the surrounding area with a sweet fragrance.

A full-grown climbing hydrangea vine is rather heavy and will need a strong support like large tree, sturdy wooden arbor, or other steady brace. Some gardeners use them to cover a large, sturdy shade tree that has a bare trunk for the first several feet. Remember that climbing hydrangeas white flowers do not change colors like some other types of hydrangeas.

Additional Garden Beauty of Climbing Hydrangeas

As if the attractive leaves and fragrant, showy flowers weren’t enough, climbing hydrangeas offer more benefits for gardeners. In the fall the leaves will often turn yellow before falling off, giving the autumn garden some color. After that, the vines have beautifully exfoliating bark that is highly attractive in the winter garden.