Hydrangea 'Petiolaris'

Hydrangea anomala petiolaris is an attractive, vigorous self-clinging climbing Hydrangea originating from woodland areas of Japan, China, Korea and the Himalayas. It tolerates many soils, even heavy clay, but needs good moisture retention and should be watered well in dry spells, particularly during establishment.

It takes a little while to establish, but once it has, it supports itself with aerial roots as it climbs walls, fences and even quite large trees. Once settled in, Hydrangea petiolaris produces masses of showy white corymbs (flat white plates of tiny white flowers) that last all summer and the foliage is fresh green with good autumn colour. As climbing plants go, It is also a very strong grower, and ideally should have plenty of space to expand although it can be kept within bounds with a judicious hack-back in autumn. Left to its own devices, H. petiolaris can reach 30' to 50'. It should be dead-headed, and pruned if necessary, immediately after flowering.

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Great for your garden:

Hydrangea 'petiolaris' is the perfect climber for a north or north-east wall as it prefers a bit of morning sun followed by some shade although it will tolerate dense shade. It is strong and vigorous and needs a wall, tree trunk or solid structure for support. It is ideal for difficult shady areas where the prolific white blooms will provide highlights in the gloom. It is a magnificent climber covering large areas with good bright green foliage and abundant flowers. It will grow in other sites but does not like full sun and windy dry spots. Altogether an easy plant to grow and very rewarding. The growth rate of Hydrangea petiolaris varies enormously depending on position and soil, but while it is not the fastest climbing plant, once established it moves deceptively quickly.

Hydrangea 'petiolaris' characteristics.

Large white blooms
Good bright green foliage
Partial to full shade - north and north-east walls
Vigorous and will grow to 30' - 50'
Mild fragrance
RHS Award of Garden Merit

Look out for:

Hydrangea 'petiolaris' is healthy and generally disease free but can suffer from chlorosis if starved of nutrients when the leaves will become very yellow. A general purpose fertiliser will solve the problem. Occasionally it can be susceptible to rust and mildew both problems that can be avoided if dead and dying leaves are removed from around the plant.

Trivia:

The hydrangea is a very ancient plant and fossils of between 40 and 65 million years old have been discovered. Roots of hydrangea were used by Native American medicine men to cure lung infections and kidney stones but please don't try this at home! Many varieties of hydrangea have been cultivated in China and Japan for several thousand years.

In 1829, Philippe Franz von Siebold, a doctor and botanist, was expelled from Japan where he was working. He was accused of spying for the Russians and asked, politely, to leave. He did so, but with several varieties of hydrangea in his possession, including Hydrangea 'petiolaris'.

Hydrangea petiolaris Care

How to plant Hydrangea petiolaris

Position your plant where it will be shaded for at least part of the day and where there is adequate support as it grows. Take out a hole a little deeper than and twice the diameter pot in which it arrived. Clean up the soil from the hole, removing debris and weeds and make a planting mixture by adding and mixing in about 10-15% well-rotted garden compost or manure. Place the plant so its branches rest against the surface up which you want it to grow. Sprinkle Root Grow around the roots and then backfill with planting mixture, firming gently as you go. Water well and keep watered until the plant is established and growing away.

Pruning Hydrangea petiolaris

There is no need to prune climbing hydrangeas on a regular basis, but once established, they may need cutting back if they outgrow the space (or the support) available to them. If this happens, the best time is immediately after flowering when you simply remove the offending branches. There is no right or wrong way to do this, but we would suggest cutting them back enough so it will take a couple of years before they need pruning again. The best thing is to make sure they have enough space at the outset.

Ongoing Hydrangea petiolaris care

There is no need to dead-head as the flowerheads dry on the plant and are decorative until well into winter. Some last until spring and can then be removed as new buds begin to burst into life.

Your plants will respond really well to being mulched in the autumn. Well-rotted compost or horse manure is ideal for the purpose.

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Delivery: The basic delivery charge for orders of bareroot plants is £6.50 + vat, which increases to £12.55 + vat if you add any pot-grown plants, standard trees or fruit trees to the order.
Because couriers sometimes experience delays, we schedule delivery by week, not by day. Therefore, please plan your planting day for the weekend at the end of the delivery week or for the week following delivery, at the earliest.
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Guarantee: If any plants die within a year, we will replace them. We only ask that you follow our planting & growing instructions and sent us clear photographs of the dead plants in situ, so we can help to make sure that the replacement plants succeed. You only pay for the delivery of the replacements.

Please note that our guarantee is void if there is a hosepipe ban in your area: your newly planted hedging must be watered in dry weather while it is establishing. The best way to water is very thoroughly every few days: at least once a week if there is no heavy rain.

Our nursery has been supplying container grown and bareroot hedging plants to gardeners, farmers and town planners since 1949. Our website started in 2003, so we do understand the concerns that you may have about buying hedging plants online. If any of your plants are damaged when they arrive or if you are otherwise not satisfied with your order after you inspect it, please repackage it and contact us. We will give you a refund or send replacements and send a courier to come and collect the unwanted plants.

Misc	RHS AGM, Wildlife Value
Shade	Partial Shade
Area	Frost Pockets, Scotland & The North
Soil	Acidic
Colour	White/Cream
Type	Climber or Rambler

	NUMBER OF PLANTS Inc. VAT
SIZES	1-2	3+
3 LITRE POT	Plenty of Stock£11.99	Plenty of Stock£10.79

Climbing Hydrangea petiolaris

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