Why I Oughta...

I've TOTALLY neglected my climbing hydrangea this year.  Compare it with last year - August 2023 - and what you see below and you'll see that this thing is NOT thriving.    This leads me to wonder:  is it better to stress a perennial like this one out drought-wise - which may lead to a stronger, more resilliant shrub long-term?  Or...is this just drought-stress that is tough on this climbing vine?  

100-or-so days after planting a 5-gallon Climbing Hydrangea ( Hydrangea anomala petiolaris ) back by the firepit, we're seeing some real upwards leader growth.  Or...what I plantsmen call "aerial rootlets".   We have this climbing, flowering vine going up a Hackberry tree and the R O U G H bark sure seems to be helpful in giving those aerial roots something to grab on-to. See below for the current mid-Summer form of our Climbing Hydrangea:  There are a few, sparse blooms on it this year, too.  So, that's kinda nice, right?   I'm hoping that this will wrap around (and not injure) the tree, so that it can be viewed from all angles. This also has me wondering:  where else could I plant one?  I've long talked about espalier'd trees along the garage, but maybe this is a better answer there, too?  Or...what about both? Last year, I saw one of these at 50% off the end-of-year sale at the Growing Place .  I'll have to pop back over there again...

Last year, I started to think about a climbing hydrangea in our garden.   I came across one in two of the places I turn to when I want to get educated:  Hinsdale Nursery and Erin the Impatient Gardener .  I was sketching out what I wanted to do with the firepit area and included (in my thinking) one that could climb up a Hackberry tree back there.   Last fall, I found one at The Growing Place - the tag read: Hydrangea anomala petiolaris .  I've had vines like these on my mind for a few years, but haven't pulled the trigger.  Until this Spring.  Nat's Mom - who has gifted us a bunch of plants including all of our Disneyland Roses - gifted us a climbing hydrangea.   I knew it would go back by the firepit.   #15 on 2023 to-do list was to 'upgrade the firepit area' - so this goes towards helping there.  Here are a few photos showing the vine below. When it arrived, it was just starting to come out of dormancy. ...

I spotted this Climbing Hydrangea - retail price at $50 - at the Growing Place this past weekend and I've now put it on my 'plant wish list' for the Fall.  Assuming that these things will go on late-season sale, I'll try to come back and grab one of these to plant back near the firepit so it can climb on one of the Hackberry trees that are large enough to support this.  See below for a photo of the container that shows the name:  Hydrangea anomala ssp. petiolaris.  It works in 'part shade' - which is nice. If not this Fall, then perhaps something to watch next Spring at the Morton Arboretum annual Plant sale. 

Today marks the fourth in the running series of exploration posts around how I am thinking and planning for shrubs this season.  Getting going on shrubs - both deciduous and evergreen - is my #1 priority for this growing season and I've taken the past few posts to talk thru - on the blog - my thoughts. The three previous beds that I walked thru are: 1. A 20' area where I need to replace some lilacs with an evergreen layer and three Tardiva Hydrangeas . 2. An adjacent spot that calls for a similar (but different) evergreen layer fronted by three dwarf Little Lime Hydrangeas that are planted in a way to NOT foreclose a potential path. 3. The area that lays at the feet of the pair of Greenspire Linden trees along our fence line close to our patio that calls for some formal evergreens. Today I wanted to talk about the fence-side of our fire pit.  Here's what the area looks like currently below.  The annotated photo shows what is currently in place:  Red = existin...