I have Limelight in various conditions and have never had a floppiness issue. If you have that many, you might want to consider a gas-powered hedge trimmer. Mine's a life-saver -- I have lots of hydrangeas (mostly Annabelles, Incrediballs and Limelights), they need pruned in their locations, and I'd never do them all by hand. You're really not supposed to use hedge trimmers, but it's worked out fine and if needed I follow with a little hand-pruning here and there.

Thank you both so very much for your detailed answers. Truly appreciate it. Will keep you posted on what I end up with. Thank you, thank you!

Limelight is not droopy whatsoever. Holds its panicles upright. Vanilla Strawberry and Firelight are newer selections that give a great range of color as well.

No experience with Firelight, but all the VS I've seen had branches pulled down by the bloom weight.

Sometimes I think a lot of these large growing, large flowered hydrangeas benefit from a few years to regain a strong structure after being released from the pot they were grown and maintained in. I've seen some early plantings of VS, that did flop some, become stunning specimens.

I have one VS and so far love it. It is relatively young and floppy and hoping it will grow out of it with age. Thanks for your comments and help everyone!

Beautiful pictures.

I assume all of these beautiful hedges and borders are fenced for deer? NHBabs, what is the blue in your first photo?

No fencing, Kitasei, but there's so much else for the deer to eat in the surrounding fields and woodlands that they don't generally bother things. I've only had deer issues a couple of times in the last 20 years, but even if they were an issue, I couldn't possibly fence all my gardens without breaking the bank since I live on a farm. I do have quite a number of strong-scented/flavored plants around the edges, and we allow hunting, so our deer tend to avoid areas where we tend to be often. My only real critter issue is voles, though some years we have to get rid of woodchucks in the veggie garden. At my inlaws' I've used a combo of strong scented soap with a webbing of high-test clear fishing line around a hedge that the deer were eating in winter.

The blue flowers are Clematis 'Little Bas', but there are several other clematis that I grow into my two big H. paniculatas, just not blooming in the photos. I like growing into various stiff-branched shrubs some of the looser growing clematis that have long internodes and so won't create too much shade, and I use type 3 hard prune so I can cut them down each winter. There are a lot of them that suit this use well, but I really like the combo in the photo enough so that when the voles ate Little Bas I replaced it, but in a buried wire basket to protect it.

Hello, I live in Mid-Coast Maine, zone 5. I have both Quick Fire and Pinky Winky, by far ( in my opinion) Quick Fire is superior. Have had it in the ground for 6 years in light shade/ slightly sandy soil and it has never failed to produce healthy beautiful strong stems/leaves and blooms without fertilizer or extra "help" aside from bagged mulch. It stands 4-5' and similar spread. This is one tough shrub!! Freezing temps/ 3 plus feet of snow and occasional 90 plus temps in summer and it always shines in my garden- I love this shrub ( no drooping at all) hope this helps!! Happy Gardening!! (FYI Iam a Master Gardener)

I just thought of something.. NHBabs, are you sure you don't have a Pink Diamond on your hands? Not trying to be smart, but I've never seen or heard of anyone's PW getting that large. Mine started from one-gallon in 2010 and is only 5x5'.

But as for a hedge I think in the end it comes down to bloom time. QF is one of the earliest (early June), so take that into consideration.

Also, it is from personal experience that QF I believe is more likely to grow to maturity a little faster than PW, thus it could be more useful in filling a 70' fence line.

Springwood, I'm pretty sure, though not 100%. The bloom time is early (a full month before PW) and the panicles have the color, lacy structure and more rounded shape of Quickfire. I grow in pretty much ideal conditions for H. paniculata with classically moist, well-drained soil, good sun, and good fertility courtesy of my neighbors' horse manure. It's more likely I am not good about size estimates, though it is 6' tall, since I'm 5 1/2' tall and it's just over my head. Mine was planted fall of 2009.