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Hi everyone,

I have a question that I would love some help with!

I live in Brooklyn, NY, and have a large deck where I grow a lot of plants in containers.

I am a fairly new gardener (see my introduction post), and last summer I bought 2 climbing hydrangea vines, each one about 2.5 feet tall.

I transferred one to a very large pot against a wall. The plants weren't growing much, however after using a bit of HollyTone in July, the one against the wall started immediately sprouting a few thick green vines that indeed began climbing quickly up the wall (to my extreme delight)!

The plant overwintered wonderfully (another first for me, as I'm not from the east coast). In March a added a bit of chicken manure to the soil and in April sprouted its leaves again. The plant grew back in amazingly lush! I feel so proud and am just in awe of how happy and vibrant it is. I never realized it could be so full of large green leaves! So much so, I can barely see any of the bark.

Here is my issue: it seems that the foliage is so bountiful, it is tilting sideways. Whereas last year all the vines grew straight up, this year, a few are going out to the sides and the entire plant is tilting towards my window. I have tried placing the vines so that they start growing up again and not out, but it seems that it's going where it wants to go and isn't going to take my suggestions.

I see a lot of new green vines starting to grow out of the old woody growth-- should I just trust that those New guys will redirect back upwards? Is there something I should do, like use stakes or ties or something to lightly redirect it and help it not tilt under its own weight?

Ive attached photos. The bushy one is of the plant right now (early May). The other shows it just sprouting its leaves last month, growing upwards.

Hello, Cbells. When potted, you regularly and quickly need to nip CH in the bud, so to speak... prune the aerial rootlets that this vigorous climber develops when it tends to go "the wrong way". So, plan to prune in the winter -when you can see its skeleton- and after it blooms. Then maybe a few more times too after it blooms, basically, the minute it goes the wrong way.

Trying to grow such a vigorous shrub in a small pot may be unrealistic. I have never attempted potting it at all but, I would use huge pots always. I mean, this shrub can swallow a fence 60-85' in length (or climb that much) eeeeasily so, if you do not regularly prune to keep it under control, God, it will take advantage of the situation and take over the wall surfaces in the pictures plus 10 more above your structure. ;o). Easier vines are clematis and honeysuckle. But I do love the look of a CH in bloom against the walls, fence, trees, fireplace, etc. It is just awesome.

You may want to trace the problem "ends" of a shoot growing outside of the wall (or most of the ones growing left) to its origin (they are usually lateral shoots) and then prune it there.

I am not sure why it is tilting left. It is a clinging, not twining vine, that should easily attach to the house walls but why lean left... hmmm.... I do not know if winds are forcing growth to the left or if there is more sun on the left side. But very curious, indeed.

Here is more pruning info on CH:
https://www.landscapeadvisor.com/how-to- ... hydrangea/

Just to give you an idea how big they will get. But of all the different climbers I have, the CH is the most well mannered. Mine shows the most growth to the warmer side of the fence. Of course that's where my walk gate is, and need to prune it back constantly.

Very nice, Licenter. How old is this CH?

luis_pr wrote:Very nice, Licenter. How old is this CH?

Thank you. She'll be fifteen this year.