I'd be really cautious about planting climbing hydrangea around a telephone pole if it is still in use. They can get to 40 ft. I've read, and that would put it up into the wires, potentially doing damage, especially if the top wires are power, not just phone. You'd have to be OK with the line guys tearing it off when they arrive to do any work. I'm also not sure if it would cling to the creosoted surface of the telephone pole. Climbing hydrangeas are great plants, but I'm just not sure that this is the best solution for this problem.

It's tough to figure out what to do with a phone pole . . . I guess my tendency would be to camouflage a bit (a tall skinny arborvitae type plant in front of it from the most common viewpoint in the yard or house, but several feet away from the pole itself) or to distract - plant something really attractive far enough away that it would catch the viewer's attention and pull it away form the telephone pole rather than try to make the pole itself look attractive.

Marie,
Yes you can cut off the rooted stems of your climbing hydrangea but you may want to pot them up in potting soil baby it through the summer and plant at it's permanent location in the early fall.

I totally agree with babs if your pole is owned by the phone or electric company growing anything on it would be futile as they will come by and spray or wack your lovely vine down. Do I remember correctly that you have a stone wall in that area? Your vine might look lovely running along that.

Oh but you have to see this telephone pole! It is the first thing you see when you approach the house from the street. It leans. I'm sure talking to the power company is futile because we have 100 double poles in this town that they've not bothered to fix.

I hear you.....I'm thinking....