You should not have to fasten this Hydrangea to your rock wall. It grows roots from the stems which sucker on to any surface it meets. Mine grows on lattice and up the wooden veranda, but I have friends who grow it on their chimneys (this one is impressive and reaches to the top), vinyl siding, etc. Great climber since the roots don't go in the substrate like English Ivy.

I'm thinking that the reason it may not be wanting to root/sucker to the surface is that it may be in full sun? Is the rock wall dry all the time? If you could change that then it may start to do it's thing.

Mine is east facing so it gets morning sun until 11 am. Gives it enough shade so that it will do it's thing.

Could you tie it to the surface and encourage it to produce it's suckers by wetting the rocks?

Just thinking here...

Also, if you keep it away from the surface you want it to follow it will never have a chance to climb naturally so it's not a climber I would support away from a structure.

The photo below shows the roots/suckers on the stems. Not my photo. :O) My plant is STUCK to my house!! :O)

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:204412}}

Thanks for the suggestions. No, it's not in full sun; it's probably about 20-30% sun and the rest of the time shade. A few branches are firmly fastened, but the bulk of the plant is flopping over. I think the problem is that the hydrangea wasn't adequately trained when it was first planted--a few years before we moved into the house. So when we arrived it was already flopped over, and we tried for the last two years to just prop it up against the wall to encourage it to fasten itself. That didn't work (we couldn't get it consistently close enough since it wanted to keep flopping) so now we want to tie it against the wall in the hope that it will then fasten itself more securely.

So, any thoughts about how/with what material to tie it to the surface?

How tall is it? You may be better off giving it a good pruning to a size that stands without flopping. The new growth can then be trained up against the wall. Because it climbs via roots once it falls it is difficult to train it back up.

That said the NJ Botanical Garden at Skylands has a climbing hydrangea and a Schizophragma flanking the doors of their big old Tudor mansion (I believe they named them grandma and grandpa). One year one of them partially fell off the stone wall after a rough winter. I believe they reattached it with screw eyes embedded into the wall and a heavy gauge wire. You may want to thread the wire through some rubber tubing first.

It isn't very clear in this picture but if you look closely you can see some of the wire supports.

{{gwi:204413}}

I had this same problem. A large wind storm ripped my 10 year old climber off my rock wall : (.

I used masonary screws and a combination of panty hose, tubing and fabric strips to hold mine back in place until it took hold itself again. I found that using wire or twine would cut into the vines and if if came loose again, it snapped/kinked at the point were it came in contact with the wire. I ran the fabric strips (ect) horizontal and tucked the vine beneath it, so it was not really attached to the fabric but the fabric mearly kept it pushed against the wall.

I did this every 12-18 inches and the following year, the vine was holding on its own again.

I hope that helps...

Oh also... I kept the fabric up because I can't see it and it is really not harming the vine... and just incase I get another big wind storm, I wouldn't have to worry about it.

Keriann~

I just found a picture of the two plants I was talking about earlier at the New Jersey Botanical Garden at Skylands. For the life of me I can not remember which one is the Hydrangea and which is the Schizophragma but here you go.

{{gwi:204414}}

lalala,
At the very most it will take one growing season for the floppy upper growth of your vine to attach to your stone. It just needs some help by way of being tied/strapped to the stone surface. String,long legged u-shaped staples,waterproof tape, ect whatever you think will hold up for a year. This spring I transplanted a three year old Schizophragma hydrangeoides 'Moonlight' so it is climbing up a stone fireplace. I am using plastic staples used to hold down landscape fabric (yes I learned my lesson with that horrid stuff)wedged between the stones to hold the vine in place. You could even make your own u shaped staples out of an old wire coat hanger. Katy

Thanks for the great suggestions, everyone! clematisintegrifolia, thanks for the amazing pictures...something to aspire to.

I love those pics.

I also have a climbing hydrangea, going on three (?) years now, or is it four? I don't remember. I have mine in full sun, I know...I know...

But, I was told to encourage it to sucker by periodically cooling the bricks, it likes a cool surface, so I spray my brick wall periodically, especially on hot days.

Climbing Hydrangea take 4-6 years to establish themselves, and don't do much until then, but when it gets going, it really takes off (I have a couple friends who have them, theirs didn't move until the 5 year mark).

It's possible it's not fully established yet. Mine have the suckers, nice foliage and some blooms, but the suckers are not all attached to my brick, while others are.

I have one of those wire plant stakes, the kind used to keep plants standing up, holding it against my wall, but not between the plant and the wall.

Good luck.

Old post but wondering how this fared. I have two of these... one on the north side of my brick home and another on the south wall. The north wall took a few years to attach (like 5) and I already knew that in speaking with others. Even so, don't even think of snow blowing on that wall (a neighbor did this) because whatever attached during the previous growing season will detach and you'll be back at square one in the spring. That neighbor moved, the new neighbor doesn't Snow blow my house, so this one attached nicely, but it took years for this to happen. So, be patient. The one on the south facing brick and mortar wall - going on 10 years and I just have to say .... forget it. Too much sun and the darn thing will attach but it will only be temporary. Too much sun in the heat of summer; not good. It's beautiful and full but just won't climb. So if you can plant this anywhere but west and south facing walls, you'll probably have good luck but you will have to be patient. Climbing vines attract insects - beetles and centipedes. You've been warned.

Hello after 6 years! I went through with the plans and my climbing hydrangea is now fully attached to the wall. (nb this is not the wall of my house, but a stone retaining wall in my back yard). I screwed some eye hooks into the mortar between the stones, and ran wire horizontally between them. I then used green velcro plant ties to hold the hydrangea to the wire. Within the first year it was starting to attach to the wall better, and six years later it's now fully attached and huge--at least 3 or 4x the original size. One of the eye hooks eventually fell out, but I don't think I even need to replace it because the hydrangea is so well attached.

Now, if only I could get the darn thing to bloom....I know they are notorious for testing gardeners' patience; just would love to see a few blooms this decade!

Hi guys! I am having the same problem with my climbing hydrangeas (I have 4 of them and they all don’t stick well and flop over) I am Wondering if adding a taller trellis between the plant and the brick wall I want it to stick to would help?