The fab five of climbing hydrangeas
Margaret Griffin
We all have that dark shaded wall in our garden that we find difficult to camouflage. The climbing hydrangea is probably one of the best climbers for this spot and will brighten up any dull corner.
These large plants sometimes reaching 50 feet tall or more at maturity. They are usually slow to start off and then once the roots have matured they are fast growers that will not take long to cover a large space.
This is a climbing hydrangea and will cling to wood or bricks with aerial roots to climb up trees or buildings. It is a great alternative to ivy. It's a self-clinging deciduous climber that is low maintenance and will reward you with beautiful showy white flowers.
An unusual and quite rare climbing hydrangea discovered at Crûg Farm Nursery in Wales is the Crug Coral. It has beautiful shiny bronze leaves and as the name portrays, coral flowers.
These open dusky red in early summer, fading to coral-pink, then pink-flushed cream. Climbing hydrangea Crûg Coral is slow-growing to start with, but will then take off and again it is self-clinging to a wall.
The name says it all. This climbing hydrangea has large flat white flowers. These super-sized, flat panicles of creamy white flowers make a spectacular sight from June till August.
Also known as the pink Japanese hydrangea, the flowers are spectacular, having large flattened heads of tiny flowers, each floret being tipped with rosy pink petals that flutter in the wind. It can be grown over an arbour, into trees or covering a large wall and it will quickly cover a large area.
This is a relatively new variety of climbing hydrangeas grown for its beautiful foliage as well as its flowers. Easy to grow in even the toughest of locations, it produces dainty fragrant flowers all summer long. I love this new variety and think it will make a beautiful addition to your garden. Happy gardening from all the team at Griffins. By popular demand, we have changed our opening hours. Griffins Garden Centre and Homestore is open 9am-6pm Monday-Saturday and our garden restaurant is open from 9.30am-5pm Monday-Saturday.
Phone 021-7334286 for more information or gardening advice.