How to Train Climbing Hydrangea
Climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala) is a lovely climbing vine that produces lacy clumps of white flowers all summer long. It is a strong climber but not so aggressive that it will take over your other plants, shrubs and trees. It climbs by twining and by aerial roots and is best suited for growth up a tall tree or a brick or stone wall. Climbing hydrangeas don’t require any training: just plant them next to their climbing structure and they will do the rest. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Choose a site next to a tall tree--oaks are good--a brick wall or a pergola or strong trellis. Sites that receive northern, eastern or western exposure are best; southern exposure is a little too hot and sunny for climbing hydrangeas.
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Dig a hole the same depth as the container.
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Amend the backfill to make a 50/50 mixture of garden soil and compost or manure and throw a shovelful in the planting hole as well. Your climbing hydrangea will appreciate those extra nutrients.
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Place the container plant in the hole and water as you replace the backfill to eliminate any air pockets.
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Lay 3 to 4 inches of mulch to conserve moisture.
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Tips & Warnings
Raise the planting depth by several inches on poorly drained soils. Fill the hole about halfway with some well-rotted manure or compost to improve drainage. After you plant the hydrangea, slope the soil up to the level of the container. Climbing hydrangea is somewhat adaptable to poor soils, but if the soil is alkaline, amend it with plenty of compost, mulch with compost, and apply some fertilizer every spring, especially if you notice the leaves yellowing. If there is no structure for the vine to climb, consider using it to cover an insightly stump or a pile of rocks or other rubble. It will grow about 3 or 4 feet tall as a shrub.
References
- Photo Credit BRICK WALL image by brelsbil from Fotolia.com
