Wendy,
schizophragma's are any different than petiolaris in this respect, may take anywhere between 3 to 5-6 years before it start blooming. Waiting time will HIGHLY dependent on amount of sun it gets, in a more sunny location it will start bloomoing sooner than in a shady one.
The whole thing about blooming/not blooming is about old (at least 2-3 y.o.) stems to be mature enough to ripen and produce flowers on an offsets branchlets (not a petioles in a common sense, but short young stems holding the flower chime).
Paradox with schizo/petiolaris is that as soon as they reach blooming age, amount of sun it gets will not influence flower production.
I hope I didn't confuse anyone with my explanation.
Wait and you'll be rewarded.
When? The only God knows.
I have one petiolaris with no single bloom in 5 years and schizo that bloomed for me in its second one.
Patience is a virtue with them.

Geez, I was under the impression that schizo did not take as long as petiolaris to bloom. I guess I didn't read the fine print!

oh-oh offset branchlets??? I may have seen one of these. It was not sticking to the tree trunk. It was going in the wrong direction. Was that a potential flower branchlet? I hope I left it alone. I might have snipped it thinking it was just wayward. I thought about doing so, but I don't remember if I actually did. I wish it weren't dark and rainy right now :-)

Wendy, don't worry and sleep well, those offsets will be formed and become visible in a spring only. They are unmistacably different from the regular branches. You'll know when you'll see them.

I think I see something that might be promising. I just noticed a small pointy bud in stem crotches that are not on the main stems. These might be 'offset branchlets'. Would next year's flower buds be visible now like they are on rhodies? They were very small...about 1/8" and scaly.

If they are future flower buds and I still don't get flowers, I will assume they are not hardy enough here. (and then curse and scream and God knows what else...).

Maybe some wiltpruf in March for insurance? and/or some thorough fall watering.

If you apply wiltpruf this winter, you'll never know if it had anything to do with the copious blooms you're going to see next summer. So, I'd just sit tight, personally!

Meanwhile I'll go look at some of mine and see if I can detect flower buds and/or labels. I've got a bloomer and a non-bloomer (so far); both are in fairly deep shade.

yeah, I thought of that too. I wouldn't want to add an extra chore that's not necessary!!! Maybe I could do half as a control.

copious! I like your optimism

You will be not able to see [future] potentialy flowering buds right now even under microscope, the same way like you are not be able to detect NOW future flower buds on tree peony, but...
if it will decide to bloom next year you'll see them in a naked eye by mid-April or so.
I wouldn't bother with Wilt-pruf because it does absolutely nothing in terms of winter protection for cl.hydrangeas.

darn, I was hoping that was a flower bud. just a terminal bud I guess. on a "branchlet" too.

Wendy,
I recently read a very *charming* article in Arnoldia from 1933 on Schizophragma Hydrangoides and Hydrangea Petriolaris that I thought you might enjoy. The good news about the terminal bud on your vine is your plant is so happy it is still putting out new growth.

Here is a link that might be useful: Arnoldia 1933

kt, Wow! that article was terrific! I'm going to try to put those botanical drawings in a frame, maybe with a little sepia action. Thanks for posting that.

I'll try to be content with terminal buds...

Wendy

how long do their blooms usually last? have you noticed a difference in BLOOM QUANTITY related to shade/sun or age of plant or anything else? we just got 2 15? gal size pots and i'm wondering what to expect......

oh, also, do you see any problem growing one on a stockade fence with chicken wire attached to it for support?(all our others are growing up trees which is what is usually discussed)and one is bounding up the chimney.
th much,
mindy

Those with a more sun exposure will bloom at the earlier age because they'll mature earlier than those that had been grown in a shade.
Once they reach that elusive 'maturity age' (somewhere between 4 to 7-8 years) sun factor will play a minimal/lesser role in a flower production.

"...do you see any problem growing one on a stockade fence with chicken wire attached to it for support?"

I do.
It's not a twining, but a clinging vine, so chicken wire is unnecessary luxury. :-))
But, seriously, I'm affraid stockade fence might be not strong enough to support mature cl.hydrangea beside the point that hydrangea will ruin it eventualy.

th you george.
how long do their blooms usually last? have you noticed a difference in bloom QUANTITY related to shade/sun or age of plant or anything else? we just got 2 HUGE 15? gal size pots and i'm wondering what to expect......

kt, what a terrific article. thanks so much for posting it.
mindy

Is there an echo in here?

I have only 2 of these vines and have not even checked which is which type of hydrangea. The younger one has not bloomed at all yet and the older one bloomed beautifully this year for the first time. So, yes, there is a marked difference in bloom QUANTITY however it would be difficult to say if this is due to differences in exposure;p my guess is that it is due to differences in age. One is in very deep shade and the other is in deep shade; the difference in their ages is a factoid that I will probably never figure out. Katy and Geo may have more experience and more info.

I have flower buds!!!!!!!!!!!! Whoopee!!!! This is the eighth season.

I only see a half-dozen or so, but its a start. This must be the "creep" year. LOL

I wish I kept better track of any fertilizing I may have done, especially last year. It's been sketchy.

Hmmm...I did start a pile of grass clippings about 10 feet away and a general debris pile about 10 feet in another direction. I wonder if it stole from that? There was also a nearby maple that generated a gazillion flowers this spring (helicopters EVERYWHERE) that I have never noticed before shedding anything.

The area where it is growing is woods next to the driveway that is partially cultivated. I've always thought that years of leaf litter and natural debris was creating good soil on its own. It always looked good. But maybe not enough for everyone though...

Or maybe I should stop analyzing and just enjoy the victory!!! yea!!!!

Wow, You are very patient! I guess that's easiest with a plant that isn't occupying center stage.

Just trying to see if this pops back up in the list now...

Wendy, that is awesome!! I've been waiting about the same amount of time for one of my climbing hydrangeas to bloom. Every spring I would think "this is the year", and every spring I would hang my head in defeat! LOL!! THIS year it also put out a handful of blooms! Good spring for climbing hydrangeas I guess!! How exciting! I know exactly how you feel!! I'm assuming now that we've seen some blooms that they'll just start putting out more and more as the years go on. WOO HOO!!!!

Thought I would post some pics to see this monster. This might help someone considering growing it on an 8' trellis (i.e. don't!)

2007 4th year:

2011 8th year:

That one on the right is the typical human scale view that I see from the driveway. I don't know if the flowers will be very showy when fully open. Time will tell. I can't wait!!