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Climbing hydrangea not blooming

jtirenna13714jtirenna13714 Posts: 4
in Plants
Hello all,

We have been living in our home for six years and I’ve never seen this climbing hydrangea bloom. I assumed that it was a variety that just didn’t flower? But beginning to wonder if it is the location. Is it possible that this hydrangea is not getting enough sun? 

Our neighbors told us that the previous owners had it there for as long as they can remember, and they do not recall it ever blooming? 

The hydrangea is certainly old enough to bloom, we could also be trimming it at the wrong time. We have our gardens hedged in the spring. 

Does anyone have any insight on climbing hydrangeas? I believe this one is a Polaris.
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  • jtirenna13714jtirenna13714 Posts: 4
    Here are some photos 
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    edited September 2023
    Yes, I would leave it alone for two three years and see what happens. It is self-clinging so doesn't need the trellis to support it - it can splay left and right, if you want it to. It looks happy to me.


  • jtirenna13714jtirenna13714 Posts: 4
    Fire said:
    Yes, I would leave it alone for two three years and see what happens. It is self-clinging so doesn't need the trellis to support it - it can splay left and right, if you want it to. It looks happy to me. 

    Thank you!! I am unsure how to remove the lattice? Do you think it’s necessary? We trim it because it gets taller than the house and much wider than the wall! I didn’t even know it was a hydrangea the first few years we lived here!! We will let it go this year and see how it does!

    Have you ever propagated a climbing variety? 

  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Yes, the trellis is doing no harm. 

    My understanding is that climbing hydrangeas take a long time to settle in and then to flower - so propogation is a very long term game. Others who have done it will know more.

    With a new plant Jimi Blake says it's best to peg down strands to the earth so that it layers itself and puts down roots along the length. It then sends shoots upwards along the length and gives you a much wider plant, much faster than growing the main stem vertically up and out.


  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    They have to grow out as well as up, so you're possibly cutting off all the potential flowering stems, as @pansyface suggests. Just leave it to do it's own thing, and only trim off anything too wayward. As she says, they take a while to establish, but it's clearly been there a while so that shouldn't be a problem    :)
    They don't need sun to flower which is why they're so good for north facing sites. Just make sure it isn't getting dried out either - they do best with loads of moisture.
    It also might not be the best plant if you don't have enough room for it - they easily cover walls - and entire houses!!   :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • McRazzMcRazz Posts: 440
    edited September 2023
    Petiolaris are notoriously slow to get going - it looks like its just hitting its stride.

    I've had one in the ground for three years and whilst it does make feeble attempts to flower its only in the past few months that its started to put on any sustained growth. 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I think it's been there a very long time, so it's certainly established.  :)
    If they're moist enough, and the soil is decent, they establish within a few years no problem.
    The soil may not be brilliant for it - lots of other planting there, all competition for moisture and nutrients. Flowering potential is affected when there's restrictions or stress of any kind. The plant tries to preserve itself by not putting it's energy into buds/flowers, but simply keeps itself alive. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • ViewAheadViewAhead Posts: 866
    Right by a wall with a slight building overhang above might mean it is short of water.  They are very thirsty plants - hence the moniker "hydra"! 🙂
  • thevictorianthevictorian Posts: 1,279
    We have one that covers the front of our house and just a couple of things, one the roots will be going far out into the surrounding soil if it has been established for a while (they have deep and long roots because they are more tree like) and two, it looks like the potential flowering wood is being removed. They can grow quite deep and with ours, the flowering stems grow several feet out from the house, it's perhaps 5ft deep in places. It is possible to tie these shoots in so that they flower closer to the wall and keep the plant tighter but if you remove any outward growing shoots then you are less likely to get any flowers because they flower on last years wood.

    As mentioned above, they don't need a trellis as they cling to the brickwork and then become woody enough to support themselves. The trellis will do no harm but you don't need to maintain the plant to the size of the trellis unless you have limited space, which isn't ideal for this massive plant, or at least not to get the best out of it.      
  • jtirenna13714jtirenna13714 Posts: 4
    thevictorian said:
    We have one that covers the front of our house and just a couple of things, one the roots will be going far out into the surrounding soil if it has been established for a while (they have deep and long roots because they are more tree like) and two, it looks like the potential flowering wood is being removed. They can grow quite deep and with ours, the flowering stems grow several feet out from the house, it's perhaps 5ft deep in places. It is possible to tie these shoots in so that they flower closer to the wall and keep the plant tighter but if you remove any outward growing shoots then you are less likely to get any flowers because they flower on last years wood.

    As mentioned above, they don't need a trellis as they cling to the brickwork and then become woody enough to support themselves. The trellis will do no harm but you don't need to maintain the plant to the size of the trellis unless you have limited space, which isn't ideal for this massive plant, or at least not to get the best out of it.      
    Thank you so much for this valuable info! While researching last night I did notice that in photos the climbers seem MUCH deeper and fuller than mine. We are absolutely over pruning!! I will give it a few years to recover and cross my fingers for flowers!! 

    The base of the hydrangea is very tree like, which is why I didn’t think it was a hydrangea for so long, really thought it was some kind of ivy!! The ‘trunk’ is about 4 inches in diameter, and the neighbors estimate the planting in the early 2000s. So it’s a pretty established tree, excited to see what it will do now that we have identified it!
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