Varieties of Climbing Hydrangeas

• Hydrangea can can be trained to climb walls, brick and fences. Alison Miksch/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images

  Hydrangeas as a species are known for their romantic, profuse blossoms. In addition to gracing the landscapes of homes as shrubbery, climbing hydrangeas provide extra ornamentation to homes and structures. The huge, striking blossoms of a climbing hydrangea escalating up a red brick home, wooden trellis or pergola will accent the landscape distinctively and memorably.

Anomala Petiolaris

• The anomala is a mid-summer flowering and climbing hydrangea with aerial roots. This makes anomala a good choice if the goal is to have the hydrangea attach itself to a brick or wooden home. Anomala is hardy to United States Department of Agriculture Hardiness Zones 4 and 5 and can reach a height of 60 to 80 feet, or as tall as the structure to which it is attached. Alternatively, anomala can be pruned to keep a shorter height or trained to become a ground cover or shrub. Flowers are creamy white and lightly scented. Its dark green leaves turn a rich golden yellow in the fall. Anomala adapts well to soil conditions, but thrives in moist, well-drained soil. In hot areas of the South, it should be planted in a location that will receive a fair amount of shade.

Schizophragma

• Schizophragma are cultivars of the Japanese climbing hydrangea. Roseum and Moonlight are popular varieties in the United States, according to Sustainable and Urban Gardening. Roseum bears an ongoing color show in the South. Blossoms are initially pink, and then turn to white as temperatures rise during the summer months. Moonlight has silver leaves, grows a bit slower than Roseum, and requires a shady site. Shizophragma is deciduous and grows best in USDA hardiness zones 5 to 7. To foster its climb it should be planted near a wall or tree so that it can attach to something. Otherwise, it will be slow to produce blossoms.

Arborescens

• Commonly referred to as "smooth hydrangea," arborescens produces fluffy mounds of smooth blossoms in the late spring and early summer. Pruning arborescens, even cutting it back to a height of 10 to 12 inches, in the late fall and winter will help promote sturdier stem growth in the spring. In comparison to other climbing hydrangea, arborescens will not be as aggressive in its climb, maintaining a height of 3 to 4 feet. This makes it a good consideration as a climbing hydrangea to attach to shorter structures such as wooden fences, arbors and trellises. Arborescens can tolerate full sun conditions as long as it is watered to maintain soil moisture. However, in he South it will require at least partial shading. A slow-release fertilizer applied in the spring will also enhance its growth and production of flowers.