I don't have an answer, but just wanted to say that I'm on the prowl for a Firelight "tree" as well! Firelight has quickly become one of my favorites, along with Little Quickfire. I have a Limelight tree too, with the big, wide canopy, but I like it that way. :-)

I think your experiment answered your question. Limelight is a vigorous plant. You could try root pruning it to control vigor. Better yet would be if some growers would take the compact selections that don't have the vigor to make an own root tree form, and high graft them.

Penn -

On the test tree prune, I pruned it very hard. Removed some strong Y laterals, on some singles, I pruned it down to 3 buds coming off the -union-. The canopy was -wide- already due to age of the tree, as it grows - weight of stems, etc over the years go from VERT on the stems and the branching is more outward

New stems are the typical vigorous growth of LL. I would say the same length of the new stems is just the same length as the -newer- LL tree planted as well. Only difference is smaller compact framework that makes it look like a Lollipop. I think if I cut the main stems very short yearly, don't allow any Laterals to Develop, I guess I can potentially keep it more (compact) in a lollipop shape. However, those main stems may start looking like trunks, if I do that ?

Remember that Limelight in shrub form has a lot of vigor and when pruned early in the growing season, it very quickly grows to its original size or close to it. So prune to keep it in a smaller lollipop size with that in mind... or try a Little Lime in tree form instead. I would expect this vigorous growth behavior to continue in the Limelight tree form but I do not have a tree form Limelight to test with. Perhaps you can prune in Spring 2021 and let us know how it went by the end of the season. Now it is too hot to prune and the plants are not leafing out much if they can help it.

This may be a Regional Thing....but I kinda wanna say QF, VS and Lime Light are the only usual species of Treeform at the Local Nurseries. Never have seen a Little Lime Variety. Only figured this out when I did a 80 miles radius when looking for the FireLight last year. And it's only 2 select nurseries I know that also sell the mature B&B LL as well.

Off topic, but I do wonder what -rootstock- is being used on these grafted Panic being sold. Same species or different.

The hard pruned established LL tree with already -wide branching- has it's original framework on new growth already, just the difference is nice strong new stems/large bloom since I pruned out quite a bit of the established Y's back to a single stem.

The LolliPop look in reference - last years planted LL tree is about 1/3 the size in diameter in ovalness .....it's kinda like Skinny Jeans vs. Wide Legs. I like the Svelte Skinny Look quite a bit. It's doesn't scream Paniculata tree. It screams Lollipop Paniculate.

No Little Lime tree form here in Michigan either. In addition to the usual suspects, the nursery I went to today had Firelight and Phantom in tree form. I bought two of the Firelight trees but I was shocked at how costly they were, ouch. But they're pretty and I can't wait to see them mature!

PennLake -

Re: the comment on root pruning. I have root pruned when planting potted stuff or just tinkering with potted stuff and thinking it was too many roots...

Root Pruning a planted shrub in -dirt- was never on my radar as a technique. Wouldn't the shrub still be just as -vigor or attempt to be- but just droop in the currents temp due to lack of water, etc availability due to the root pruning ?

Congrats Corgi. Are you like me when buying standards @ the nursery....I'm the crazy one tilting the pot back, bending down, looking at the established branching, etc. LOL, Honestly, when they leaf out, it's all the (same) when all said of done, irrelevant of me looking for a nice 5 outward branching shape

Ok , I know , but this a QF tree I bought in May....

Regarding the price you're buying with a plant with a longer and more labor intensive production cycle than the shrub form in the same sized pot. Supposedly some growers do grafting but what I've seen in west coast, US production is they are trained up from a rooted cutting so they are own root. The process requires the plants to whip up to a height in one season that is suitable to be topped and turned into a tree form. I think about 4-5' feet of trunk is what's desired. That is hard to do with the compact varieties. They would create trees with shorter trunks with this method.

That's a beauty, hyed! My neighbor has a mature QF tree and it's very beautiful this year with tons of blooms.

a1an, the nursery only had five available, so I grabbed the best looking two. I had debated on waiting until next year when there was more selection, but in casual chat, the gentleman helping me load them into my husband's truck said he was surprised they had any at all and that they usually don't have Firelight trees. The Phantom trees I saw had huge white blooms, larger than Limelight. They were very pretty also!

Heh, the nurseries tend to bring these in when the have leaves or blooms them...which I get for marketability. For me, I'd rather see the bare as a bone - easier to spot the established branching on them. I don't judge by how it looks with the leaves. I'm the crazy one, peeling back the leaves to see the structure, peeking underneath. They establish fast as you can see per Hyed's pic. STAKE them on both sides for at least 2-3 years. They get big and heavy when it rains, so keep those stakes in until its well established IME>

Hyed. It's a great memory tree you have there.

For me, I really kinda like the smaller oval-rounded footprint. I know, wish vs want

Pennlake -

Actually IMO, I did not like any of the $$ B&B ones. Cannot remember the exact reasons why. I kinda wanna say it was the established branching on them versus on a younger shrub, I would control how that branching was from it's infancy.

afan, ok what is it u want ...I have pruned Hys to three form and think there look far better

yes, hyed. Have seen the -multiple stemmed - tree forms you have created ;-)

What I want is the canopy of 4 fee H tx40 inces wide in foliage/leaf. It'd kinda got a -neat edited - look to them