Looking great!

I will post progress as it changes. it will still be changing in September!

debra

❤️ it...its perfect!

What zone are you in? Yours is quite abit ahead of mine. Or maybe it’s due to mine being young?

Beautiful!

Stunning!! Seems a little ahead of mine, too, though mine is in part-shade, so maybe that’s why.

Beautiful. How big do you expect it to be? My limelight bush is huge tall and wide.

Gardenho, thank you…. I am in zone 5b Milwaukee, WI, not too far from Lake Michigan. My tree is a dwarf version and is 8 years old.

lovemycorgi, mine is in pretty much all day sun.

frankielynnise, mine should not get any bigger as it is a dwarf variety.

debra

That is BEAUTIFUL! I love it. I often wonder what these hydrangea trees would look like when more mature, and you have a gorgeous specimen there!!!

Do you do any pruning or anything special to keep it looking so spectacular? I love how even and rounded the whole thing is. Very beautiful indeed!!!

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks ostrich! I don’t think it will get much bigger. A couple of years ago, I realized I had never trimmed it and I probably should. My yard slopes down and in the mext picture you can notice it was not planted straight or braced by the nursery from which I purchased it. As a result, the tree had grown a bit lopsided.

So I trimmed back every branch, hard. My small yard was covered in branches and spent blooms. Afterward, I feared I had gone too far and the tree would not come back well. But ==> it did! Just as beautiful as ever. I haven’t trimmed it since. Maybe next year.

debra

ps the pots are place holders for hostas I ordered in February and still haven’t received.

adorable!..I love the "petite" size..if I had any sun I'd get one..

"A couple of years ago, I realized I had never trimmed it and I probably should."

IMO that's why it developed that nice stout trunk that makes it look so good and able to support the foliage.

People get into a hurry to have a 'tree' or nurseries make a lot of standards long before the thin 'trunk' is able to support a full canopy in heavy bloom. Letting the plant gain some size before it is limbed up is key to a really nice looking standard and this one sure is!

debra, how tall is your Limelight tree now? I am really curious to find out!

Also, when you say that it is the dwarf variety, is that much smaller than the regular Limelight tree then? Thanks!

Ostrich, I think it is about 10 feet, maybe 12…….

I am not sure how to answer that….I don’t know. It may just be when you buy it young like me and gardenho, it’s considered drawf………better question for the tree people.

Gardenho, yours will get bigger over time. I don’ think I would do any trimming for a while. Mine was 6 years before I cut it back hard. Good luck!

debra

Can you take a bush form and trim off all but one branch and make a tree? I have a young one that I would love to make a tree form.

Debra, if it's 10 ft tall, that is very nice! In that case, I think it's the full size Limelight, and not the dwarf version....

Mine was at least 15 feet tall. All the trimming was done by the deer.

Wow, Annette, that is HUGE! V beautiful indeed!

I guess since you're in zone 7a and Debra is in zone 5b, that's the main difference for the mature height?

That well may be the difference. In the warmer climate, I imagine they do grow higher.

Annette, your tree is fabulous!

Frankie, I am not sure the answer to your question. That said, I believe one must start with a bush form that has been shaped and trained on one main trunk. I am not sure how I would do that. I bought mine in tree from. You could pose that as a separate post to the tree and hydrangea forums.

debra

The list the mature height of Limelight as 6-8 feet. I've seen them bigger than that in MN when left unpruned. Probably in the 10-12 foot range. My shrub form with little pruning is about 7' tall after 8 years or so.

Yes I was told full height would be 10-12 feet at maturity. Maybe it really was not called ”dwarf” and I just made that up!! hahaha! ;-)

debra

Here’s the best shot of the tree: second story window

debra

Wowza!!! Its loaded and just beautiful!

I was hoping you‘d post a new one, you must have read my mind lol. Thanks and keep them coming!

Everyone seems to have a different POV on trimming your trees.

6 Years before a hard cut . The answer might be slighting different based on branching, but I think once the primary stems are around 3/4-1 inch thick or so and of decent length , I start cutting back hard. Don't think it would be 6 years though. I let the subsequent stems from that grow out, get a bit thicker and to the length I want, and then continue to cut back hard once thick enough . The second round of stem framework may be around the 6 year mark, but not the 1st IME, the thicker the stem, the new wood that comes out and blooms is strong enough to not be a flopper.

With all this WFH time, I've been kneeling/crawling on my back to see how the new wood comes out of (old wood) stems to get some understanding on how energy flows......I've yet to form a consensus though.

I only skimmed this thread but FWIW, there is a supposedly dwarf Limelight called 'Little Lime'.

That may be true david, but I don't know if it could be in tree form???

debra