Annabelle Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens "Annabelle"
Hydrangea arborescens "Annabelle"
Foliage: Green
Fall Foliage: Gold, yellow Fruit: Capsule Habit/Form: Clinging, twining Uses: Massing, privacy, |
Zone Hardiness: 4 - 8
Plant Height: 30 - 60 ft (after a long time) Plant Width: 5 -6 ft Light: Growth Rate: Slow when young, then fast |
Height: 40 feet
Spread: 24 inches
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 5a
Latin Name: Hydrangea anomala petiolaris
Description:
One of the most sought-after climbers, this vine makes an excellent flowering cover for vertical structures and trees, and can also be used as a groundcover; attractive white lacecap-like flowers in mid summer and clean foliage; a self-clinging vine
Ornamental Features
Climbing Hydrangea is smothered in stunning fragrant white lacecap flowers along the branches from early to mid summer. It has forest green foliage throughout the season. The glossy heart-shaped leaves do not develop any appreciable fall color. The fruit is not ornamentally significant. The peeling brown bark adds an interesting dimension to the landscape.
Landscape Attributes
Climbing Hydrangea is a multi-stemmed deciduous woody vine with a twining and trailing habit of growth. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other landscape plants with finer foliage.
This woody vine will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Climbing Hydrangea is recommended for the following landscape applications;
- Hedges/Screening
- General Garden Use
Planting & Growing
Climbing Hydrangea will grow to be about 40 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. As a climbing vine, it tends to be leggy near the base and should be underplanted with low-growing facer plants. It should be planted near a fence, trellis or other landscape structure where it can be trained to grow upwards on it, or allowed to trail off a retaining wall or slope. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 70 years or more.
This woody vine performs well in both full sun and full shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.
"First it sleeps, then it creeps, then it leaps." This old gardener's saying fits the climbing hydrangea perfectly. And gardeners take heed, because this excellent vine, which can add tremendous beauty and lushness to your property, can become an addictive feature in the landscape. It should be used carefully—not overly lavishly—because once established (which takes two to three years), a single vine covers a very large area!
The vines are most beautiful in bloom during the early summer. By autumn, the leaves turn a vibrant yellow, another lovely landscape enhancement. They also have great winter color once the foliage has fallen. The exfoliating bark is a rich brownish-red hue, and oftentimes the flowers dry on the vines, adding an ethereal beauty.
How to Care for Climbing HydrangeasClimbing hydrangeas love rich soil and do well in full sun, partial shade, and even deep shade. Because they are hardy growers with strong aerial rootlets that cling to all surfaces, you can plant them on sturdy structures, like stone or brick walls, chimneys, and houses. Avoid wooden shingles and clapboard, which can be damaged by these rootlets or "holdfasts." Be prepared to prune the vines annually to keep them off windows and frames, and even from spreading like a ground cover in the garden.
Fragrant
Looking across a yard at a bank of hydrangea bushes in full bloom is certainly a site to behold, but consider looking upward to the climbing hydrangea, a flowering vine that produces fragrant, lace-cap white flower clusters. Using the suckers on the branches, a climbing hydrangea will scale walls and other structures, sometimes reaching 50 feet tall or more at maturity.
Plant Attributes
- Common Name: Climbing hydrangea
- Botanical Name: Hydrangea anomala
- Family: Hydrangeaceae
- Plant Type: Perennial, Vine
- Mature Size: 60 ft. long, 6 ft. wide
- Sun Exposure: Partial, Shade
- Soil Type: Loamy, Sandy, Clay, Moist but Well-drained
- Soil pH: Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
- Bloom Time: Spring, Summer
- Flower Color: White
- Hardiness Zones: 4-8 (USDA)
- Native Area: Asia
Climbing hydrangea has rich green foliage, mid-summer white flowers, yellow fall color, and striking exfoliating bark in winter. This vine is an early summer bloomer and is excellent for a massed effect on brick or concrete walls, arbors, gazebos, or almost any free-standing garden structure. It clings and/or climbs not only by twining but also by aerial rootlets. This woody vine has an almost shrub-like appearance due to its lateral branches and is native to wooded valleys, stream banks, and on rocky mountain slopes.
Climbing hydrangea is somewhat slow to establish and slow to begin flowering after transplanting. It prefers rich, well-drained, moist soil, will grow in sun or shade, and can easily grow 60 to 80 feet
Climbing hydrangea is a handsome woody vine that clings and climbs by attaching itself with tiny rootlets to a wall, trellis, or other support. In early July, it has flat, lacy clusters of fragrant small white flowers that show up well against the glossy green leaves. The horizontal branching pattern can create interesting, sculptural effects against a wall, and the cinnamon-brown bark on older stems peels to create an interesting texture that is attractive in winter. Over the course of years, it may reach 30 to 80 feet in length. This vine can also be used as a ground cover in shady areas. Also known as Hydrangea anomala ssp. petiolaris.
A vigorous climbing vine that clings to surfaces by aerial rootlets. It has a slow growing, shrubby habit until established, then becomes quite vigorous, producing long, fast growing stems. Lush green foliage is blanketed with magnificent, white lacecap blooms in summer. Deciduous.
LIGHTFiltered sun, Full shade, Full sun, Partial shade, Partial sun
Size and Method of Climbing:A true clinging vine that can grow 30 to 80 feet long. Clinging vines attach themselves directly to a surface by means of holdfasts (adhesive discs) or by small aerial roots. This type of vine grows best on a flat surface, such as stone, masonry walls, and wood.
Native geographic location and habitat:Native to Japan, Korea, and Siberia.
Bark color and texture:Stems are dark cinnamon-brown with exfoliating bark that splits and peels. Instead of lying flat, the stem develops 3-dimensional branchlets that protrude from the structure it is growing on.
Leaf description:Simple, opposite, broadly oval leaves are 2 to 4 inches long with toothed margins. Leaves are glossy, dark green in summer, and persist into fall before changing to a clear yellow.
Flower description:Produces large, 6 to 8 inch fragrant, lacecap-type clusters of white flowers in late June to early July. New plants may take several years to bloom.
Fruit description:The actual fruit is a dry capsule which is not ornamentally important, but the remains of the dry flower heads that surround it do provide winter interest.