Hydrangea anomala ssp. petiolaris is a slow-growing,
clinging and twining vine. It has dense, glossy foliage that gives a three-dimensional attribute to walls, columns, or other supportive structures due to its lateral branches that extend horizontally for a few feet beyond the supportive structure. Climbing Hydrangea has creamy-white flat-topped inflorescences in summer are an added bonus.
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F E A T U R E S |
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Form
-primarily a large climbing vine; occasionally found as a slowly spreading groundcover, usually at the base of the existing vine, but sometimes planted specifically as a non-traditional groundcover
-maturing at up to 50' high, but often much shorter
either a twining and clinging vine growth habit, or an arching and mounding groundcover
-initially a very slow growth rate, but becoming medium to rapid once established |
Foliage
-medium to dark green and glossy on the leaf uppersides
-alternate, broadly ovate, with an acuminate apex and cordate base
-leaf blades are about 3" long, with 2" long petioles
-autumn color is a poor yellowish green in Oct. and Nov. |
Flowers
-a white outer ring of showy sterile florets surrounds the creamy to green-yellow, central, fertile flowers
-flat-topped 5" wide inflorescences flower in June and early July |
Fruit
-ornamentally insignificant brown capsules lie in a flat plane within the persistent outer ring of tan sterile floret remnants
-not especially showy, but the entire flat-topped fruiting structure is persistent into the following season |
Twig
-young stout stems are a rich cinnamon color, exfoliating to show a light brown interior and having many aerial root holdfasts, while prominent buds are a shiny russet
-the curving vertical stems are complemented by many horizontally held stout stems, which give a three-dimensional effect to the structure that supports the vine |
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Trunk
-exfoliating, light brown, and stoutly |
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C U L T
U R E
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Culture
-full sun to full shade
-prefers moist, well-drained, rich, acidic soils in partial sun, but is somewhat adaptable to poor soils and neutral to slightly alkaline pH soils
-propagated by seeds, rooted stem cuttings, or transplanting of stems that have self-rooted while lying prostrate on the ground
-Hydrangea Family (some sources list it under Saxifragaceae), with few diseases or pests
-commonly available in container form as a young staked vine
-eventually needs some pruning to keep it restricted at its base if it is to be used exclusively as a vine
-if chlorosis of the leaves occurs, a fertilization regimen will likely remedy the plant's nutritional balance, which is probably caused by alkaline soil pH |
Hardiness
-zones 5 to 8
Origin
-native to Japan and China
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U S A G E |
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Assets
-gives a three-dimensional effect to walls or posts due to its unique outstretched horizontal stems
-showy creamy-white summer flowers
-lustrous summer foliage
-shade-tolerant clinging and climbing vine
Liabilities
-very slow to establish
-somewhat open and informal as a vine (but if bold three-dimensional depth is desired for a structural support, this is a true asset) |
Function
-structural cover, primarily used with wooden posts, large trees, or stone walls
-rarely used as a groundcover
Texture
-bold texture in foliage and when bare
-open density in foliage and when bare |
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S E L
E C T I 0 N S |
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Varieties
and Cultivars
- Search
OSU PlantFacts for additional plants in this species
Alternates
-perennial vines that may serve as a structural cover (Actinidia, Akebia quinata, Aristolochia durior, Campsis radicans, Clematis, Hedera helix, Wisteria sinensis, etc.) |