Woody Vines For Garden Architecture
Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris, the climbing hydrangea, is a deciduous woody vine with character. It climbs by hold fasts, attaching itself to structures or trees. Mine grows up what I thought was a dead black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia). But, those trees don't die easily and it's started sprouting again. When my vine reached about fifteen feet (5 m) in height, we had the top cut off the locust, thinking to use it as a pole support for the vine. Ha! Now, above my beautiful vine are two or three odd looking branches sticking out - too high for me to remove easily.
The vine, however, is flourishing. These are slow vines to establish. Mine grew steadily, but refused to bloom for years until I had a heart to heart talk with it about compost heaps. The next year it presented me with a few flowers and each year it becomes more enchanting.
Said to reach seventy-five feet (22.8 m) in height, the limit of growth is really the extent of the support. This vine make excellent cover for masonry walls. It will climb a wood wall, but it's not recommended due to the maintenance wood requires and the fact that the vine will likely outlive the wood siding! It can be grown to great effect up a sturdy wood arbor or trellis, however. Any support needs to be quite strong as this vine becomes massive with age. I've even seen photographs of it used as a groundcover and draping over a retaining wall.
The flowers are lace-cap in type; large, creamy white sterile florets surround the small fertile flowers, born in corymbs reaching six to ten inches (.15 - 25 cm) in diameter. Flowering time is June in my garden, with the flower heads remaining effective for around two weeks. The sterile flowers are said to be fragrant, but I really haven't noticed a pronounced scent from my plant.
 |
 |
 |
 |
