This is a different type hydrangea than h. macrophylla Endless Summer.

Paniculata: peegee hydrangea, should be hardier than any of the macrophyllas and will need more sun to do well. Blooms on new wood, or growth produced the current year.

I enjoy the photographs from your source, but it's been many years since I've purchased from them. IMO, there are better sources for well grown plants.

Ugh! I knew that about paniculatas, i guess i didnt stop long enough to read that. Silly me! I have been wanting a hydrangea for full sun as my shade bed is full. Do you happen to have one of these? If so, how does the actual plant look? I cant seem to find pictures of anthing but the flower. How does it perform?

I tend to buy from my local nurseries rather than magazines or the web but saw the picture in that site. Thanks!

I just figured I'd post an update on this. I'll be getting a nicer phone that will serve as my camera in a few weeks (and I will post pics then).

Anyhow, my Great Star is I don't know how far into blooming, as its panicles and flowers keep getting larger and larger.

As with most hydrangeas, the largest flower heads are on the thickest stems and these are astounding, at least one foot tall and wide(-at the base), and the sterile flowers are approaching 4" across as noted. This from a 3-gal pot planted in May! The shrub is easily 4-5' tall at this point.

Look forward to it. This paniculata as well as 'Bokratorch' aka Mystical Flame looks quite intriguing.

I never jumped on the Limelight, Pinky Winky or Vanilla Strawberry band wagon. My top three choices remain Quickfire, Tickled Pink and Little Lime.

I saw this one yesterday at a nursey and I love the flower on it. I also saw the Strawberry vanilla in it's white stage and it looks lovely. I would like to get tickled pink someday and definately little lime, maybe also pink diamond and Quickfire and... lol. I am moving next spring and am seriously considering planting just hydrangeas and hostas in my new yard.

whaas, do you have any pictures of little lime?

Springwood, I cannot wait to see your pictures and loved to hear that it grew fast for you. My limelight so far is a slow grower and it is good to know that this one will be faster.

I planted a baby one on Mom's Day in a full sun foundation bed ~ doubled in size pretty quickly & promptly produced clusters & flashed good sized florettes (for a baby that he is) - each petal is about 1" long.

Collapses & wilts easily w/ the heat in f/s ~ hopefully will toughen as he gets older & canes thicken. Blooms are pretty but not yet that fantastically-impressive ~ perhaps in time as well. This may have been the last H paniculata I planted!

I'll try to post pix later.

I got a limelight and It's gorgeous! Here are some pics:

Oooops ~ got so busy pursuing a war against rose blossom munching JBs I forgot all about my promise to posts Great Star pix.

Thanks for bringing this thread back Melaroma & Congratulations on Lady Limelight ~ I love mine ~ now a good 6'x6' & full of blossoms & did not buckle down to heat-wave (internal yellow leaves, I mean) like the other H panics did!

Here is a link that might be useful: 1st season Great Star

second full year in my full sun garden. Cant wait to see them in full bloom.

It sure is a lanky plant and has been a bit hard to tame. But I like it anyway. Mine's about to pass 6' in height and buds are beginning to form at different rates.

Some tips... It does need some pruning. Keep the main stems no more than 3' in height. The new and old stems are on the flexible side and even just rain on the leaves will begin to weigh down the branches. New stems seem to grow 2-3' before blooming, so you know they're going to bend a bit in rain, especially once it has flowered.

I also get rid of the small stems that grow out and lay along the ground. They don't really get any thicker or bloom down there. This promotes fuller growth up top, and allows space to grow stuff underneath Great Star's canopy. I've got two dwarf macs under mine. :)