Japanese Hydrangea Vine is a very large woody vine native to Korea and Japan. It has large clusters of showy white flowers and the shedding bark provides additional winter interest. This vine is an early summer bloomer and is excellent for a massed effect on brick or concrete walls, arbors, gazebos, or almost any free-standing garden structure. It clings and/or climbs not only by twining but also by disk-like aerial rootlets. This woody vine has an almost shrub-like appearance due to its lateral branches and is native to wooded valleys, stream banks, and on rocky mountain slopes. It is little known in the U.S. but is common in the deep forests of Japan. This is a shade-tolerant plant that grows everywhere in full sun to full shade and rich, moist, well-drained soil; it will flower best in dappled to partial shade. It is drought-tolerant once established but is intolerant of wet sites with standing water. It is somewhat slow to establish and slow to begin flowering after transplanting, potentially taking up to 7 years. Compared to the species, this cultivar has silvery-grey leaves and large white flowers. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Once established, it has no serious pest problems. More information on Hydrangea hydrangeoides .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day) | Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight) | Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
6-feet-12 feet; 12-24 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 15 ft. 0 in. - 30 ft. 0 in. | Width: 8 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in.
Leaves are coarsely toothed, a darker green above, paler green below, 2-5 inches long, oval to broadly cordate. Leaves have a silvery cast. The veins show under the leaf as a pale-green. However, young leaves and leaf stalks are reddish.
Fall color
Gold/Yellow
Flower color
Cream/Tan; White
Flower value
Fragrant; Good Cut; Good Dried; Showy
Flower form
Corymb
Flower shape
Dome; Wheel
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Flat corymbs 6-10" wide– the peripheral flowers are showy, white, and sterile, 1-1.5" across, while the center flowers are very small, fertile, and off-white to cream. Very fragrant. Blooms from late spring to early summer.
Petioles are reddish-brown (just before the leaf blade). The leaf stems are light green. Buds greenish-brown with a slight reddish tinge, acute, scales imbricate.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Korea, Japan
Distribution
Woods and forests in the mountains of Japan.
Play value
Attractive Flowers; Fragrance; Screening
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall
Fruit type
Capsule
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Recreational Play Area; Riparian; Rock Wall; Slope/Bank; Vertical Spaces; Woodland
Landscape theme
Asian Garden; Cottage Garden; Drought Tolerant Garden; Shade Garden