Ten years may be a bit long to wait. Mine took 7-8 years to bloom. Any chance of a pic or two?

tj

you arent fert'g it with too much of anything that might favor green growth over flower production.. are you ... too close to a hyper fert'd lawn???

ken

Climbing hydrangeas are notoriously slow to commence flowering but 10 years is a very long time! Any pruning? Do you fertilize? And the vines can take both sun and heat (they actually flower better in more sun) as long as adequate water is provided.

Exactly what kind of surface is it trying to climb? Has it reached the top yet? Are you cutting/pruning it after it has developed flower buds? Have you fertilized the soil so much that the nitrogen now keeps the plant in "grow" mode instead of 'bloom' mode? Have you been able to find a recent picture to see if it gives someone an idea of what else might be going on?

Here is a photo taken mid morning - it is still shaded. I don't fertilize that raised foundation bed, but it does get a layer of chopped fallen leaves every other autumn. I also have not pruned it other than to control its expansion into the surrounding plants a few times - so I haven't touched the central growth IIRC. I also rarely have to give supplemental water there, usually only in a long dry spell (like we had last summer.) It is against the brick chimney, and there is a metal trellis there for it also.

Thanks for the pic. For 10 years of growth, it does not appear to be as large as I expected it to be... it is usually quite vigorous climbing. How big was it when you got it? I cannot see the picture in 3D but it seems to appear as if the plant is not growing up the brick very well and appears to be away from the brick.

That metal trellis appears quite small (2 feet?) for something that can easily get 50 feet high. I think I would have just let it grow up the brick but centered and away from the corner. To get the right size perspective, about what is the distance from the ground to the tallest part of the climbing hydrangea?

The trellis is actually 5' tall, the tallest bit of vine by the window is nearly 6'. The trellis is now leaning somewhat away from the chimney from the weight of the plant, which has always wanted to grow outward rather than up -- it is a good 5' across at the moment. But the base of the trellis is right by the brick. I put it in a couple of years ago to see if that would help it to grow upward. I could probably insert a couple of tall stakes, attach netting and tie up some of those outward growing branches to try to get them to grow upwards.

IIRC it was ~ 2' tall when I got it, and just a skinny start.

However, is the problem perhaps that it isn't getting enough sun? Wouldn't seem so if it likes to grow up trees.

It is not a lack of sun. Mine grows vigorously on the north side of my house. I’d find a way to press it against the brick and get it away from the siding before it trashes it.

tj

I had one for several years and it hardly bloomed at all...I eventually tore it out. My neighbor bought two plants last summer, they get sun all day, and are already covered in buds. We are in southeastern Massachusetts.

I am leaning toward taking it out and putting something else in - like a native honeysuckle.

Wow, that is gorgeous!

Wow Dave7, maybe there is hope for mine? but do I want to wait another 10 years hahaha!