Interesting Plant: Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala petiolaris)
I just did a short video on hydrangeas a few weeks ago, so I was quite surprised when I saw this climbing variety. While regular hydrangeas don’t thrill me all that much, I have become interested in climbers of all types recently including roses, clematis and other vines.
I love the way this looks climbing up the side of the old barn in the photograph. It looks so wild and native, even though it comes from Asia. I’ll definitely have to look further info this plant and see if I might be able to fit it into my garden.
Interesting Plant: Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala petiolaris)
“Hydrangea petiolaris, a climbing hydrangea (syn: Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris), is a species of Hydrangea native to the woodlands of Japan, the Korean peninsula, and on Sakhalin island of easternmost Siberia in the Russian Far East.[2]
Hydrangea petiolaris is sometimes treated as a subspecies of the closely related Hydrangea anomala from China, Myanmar, and the Himalaya, as Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris. The Hydrangea anomala species differs in being smaller (to 12 metres (39 ft) ) and having flower corymbs up to 15 cm diameter. The common name Climbing hydrangea is applied to both species, or to species and subspecies.
Hydrangea petiolaris is a vigorous woody climbing vine plant, growing to 30 to 50 ft (9 to 15 m) height and 5 to 6 ft (2 to 2 m) wide. [2] It grows up trees and rock faces in its native Asian habitats, climbing by means of small aerial roots on the stems. The leaves are deciduous, ovate, 4–11 cm long and 3–8 cm broad, with a heart-shaped base, coarsely serrated margin and acute apex.
The flowers are produced in flat corymbs 15–25 cm diameter in mid-summer; each corymb includes a small number of peripheral sterile white flowers 2.5-4.5 cm across, and numerous small, off-white fertile flowers 1–2 mm diameter. [2] The fruit is a dry urn-shaped capsule 3–5 mm diameter containing several small winged seeds. — Wikipedia
Do you have suggestions for the Interesting Plant series? Share your favorites with me!
More information on Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala petiolaris)
- Climbing Hydrangea at White Flower Farms
- Hydrangea anomala petiolaris on Wikipedia
- Climbing hydrangea at Wayside Gardens
Previously in the Interesting Plant series:
- Eremurus ‘Lemon Meringue’
- Lupine “Sunrise” (Lupinus hartwegii)
- Chinese Fringe Flower (Loropetalum chinense)
- Streptocarpus ‘Harlequin Blue’
- Nigella damascena (love-in-a-mist, ragged lady)
- Epiphyllum (Orchid Cactus)
- Sempervivum ‘Westerlin’
- Gladiolus ‘Kings Lynn’
- Hosta sieboldiana ‘Dorothy Benedict’
- Begonia “Escargot”
- Asparagus Pea (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus)
- Rosa banksiae (Lady Banks’ Rose)
- Primula ‘Victoriana Silver Laced Black’
- Oxalis versicolor
- Poached Egg Plant (Limnanthes douglasii)
- Parisian Carrots
- Fritillaria imperialis Rubra Maxima
- Clematis “Fascination”
- Swiss Chard “Bright Lights”
- Georgia Rattlesnake Melon
- Dianthus Barbathus “Green Ball” or “Green Trick”
- Coleus “Religious Radish”
- Black Forest Calla Lily
- Black Bamboo