Climbing hydrangea

Personally Richard I wouldn't have thought it would grow too well over an old hedge, I think they need a wall or a fence as they don't rassle as such they are more tree like in their growth & have sort of tiers... Also the decrepid old hedge will be sucking all the moisture & nutrients from the soil all the time I don't think the hydrangea would ever get started as there would always be a shortage & if you feed & water then the hedge will steal it......!! Well that is my take on it anyway.. :wink:

Also Hydrangea anomala ssp. petiolaris (Climbing) is more difficult to root than h. macrophylla (shrub) especially after the wood has ripened. Non-flowering shoots of soft wood have root initials along the stem that serve as aerial roots to enable the vine to cling to a vertical support. These shoots should be placed in a well-drained rooting medium and roots will develop at the site of the initials.

Or...
If you can go rummage around the older plant & see if there are branches close to the ground. These may already have real roots and will transplant easily. I transplanted my own climbing hydrangea one spring and got three potfuls of new young plants from branches that had layered naturally. I am not sure if the upper branches will root as easily but it is worth a try..:thumb: