Plant in well-drained to moist, amended soil. Care Notes. Description. CareGrow against a wall, fence, or large tree, at least 24 inches away from host plant or support, in moderately fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil. The leaves are deciduous, ovate, 4–11 cm long and 3–8 cm broad, with a heart-shaped base, coarsely serrated margin and acute apex. I had one in my last garden that grew less than 6" in the 7 years I lived there. This is a beautiful plant, and a great complement to Climbing Hydrangea, but it grows excruciatingly slowly. Schizophragma hydrangeoides, commonly called Japanese hydrangea vine, is a deciduous, woody-stemmed, climbing vine which is valued for its toothed, heart-shaped, deep green leaves (3-5" long) and large, flat-topped, lace cap hydrangea-like clusters (8-10" across) of white flowers which bloom in early summer. Foliage turns yellow in fall. Hydrangea petiolaris is a vigorous woody climbing vine plant, growing to 30 to 50 ft (9 to 15 m) height and 5 to 6 ft (2 to 2 m) wide. The plant will take off eventually, but only if it's in the perfect conditions. Japanese or False Climbing Hydrangea, (Schizophragma hydrangeoides), tends to produce blooms faster and grow more vigorous than the true Hydrangea vine with white and pink flowering varieties, also variegated leaves. Noteworthy CharacteristicsRelated to climbing hydrangea, this plant is slow to mature, taking 7 years or so to put on a good show. Update: My Schizophragma has finally bloomed, after four years of settling in. However the Climbing Hydrangea has four petals or sepals around the white flower while all cultivars of the Japanese Climbing Hydrangea has only one sepal around a white flower). It grows up trees and rock faces in its native Asian habitats, climbing by means of small aerial roots on the stems. In the case of the Pink Japanese Climbing Hydrangeo the color of the single sepal can …