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Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris
Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris (Hydrangeaceae), the so-called climbing hydrangea, is only one of four Hydrangea species with aerial rootlets, a feature that allows them to climb.
Climbing hydrangeas in the David C. Lam Asian Garden include the rare Taiwanese evergreen, Hydrangea integrifolia, the familiar Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris from Japan, Korea, Sakhalin and Taiwan, and its less well-known Chinese counterpart, Hydrangea anomala subsp. anomala. The remaining species are frost-tender South American evergreen climbers (Hydrangea seamanii and Hydrangea serratifolia). Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris is commonly cultivated to cover walls and grow over stumps and up trees, but it also performs admirably as a groundcover or as a free-standing shrub.
