When do limelight hydrangeas "leaf out"?

5 years ago

Hi everyone. I am in 6B (just outside Boston) and have been enjoying all the beautiful limelight hydrangeas in my neighborhood for the last few weeks. I would like to plant one in my yard but, in thinking about placement, I am wondering how early they "leaf out" in the spring/ summer and no longer look like just a scraggly heap of sticks? (e.g., I'm not sure I want it in my front yard if it stays scraggly well into the summer). I am having a hard time finding this information by googling because everything talks about "bloom time," and I realize they bloom rather late--I am more wondering about when they get some leaves. :) It's too bad I can't go back in time for the last few months and monitor my neighbors' plants more carefully, but I am hoping some of you might be able to clue me in. Thanks for any insights! (I am new to doing any kind of gardening and have only recently been remotely observant about what's going on with plants in my neighborhood.)

Featured Answer

rpwoodard

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

I’m in MA. My Limelights are on the same schedule as @Rose Beginner. By May 22nd, our Limelights were full of leaves. Growth hadn’t finished, of course. During June-July, the branches grew much longer.

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Comments (6)

littlebug zone 5 Missouri
5 years ago
I’m in 5b and my Limelights are fully leafed by mid-May.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
5 years ago
welcome newb gardener ....

they are.. as you noticed.. in their glory now ... who cares what they look like in spring ... peeps like yourself are looking at everything else at that time ... tulips.. daffs... spring ephemerals ... spring flowering trees and shrubs.. etc.. etc ....

they will leaf out.. when the soil warms sufficiently to warm the root mass to initiate spring growth ... just like everything else ... so right around the same time as everything else ...with slight modification due to microclimate ....

and that is why you cant find any reference date anywhere ... because its not a variable that is important ... if it lived thru winter.. you are all set ...

this simply isnt a variable any of us would care or note.. because ... we know the glory is now.. not back then ...

worry about performance.. in the important season ...more than how they get there ...

ken
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
5 years ago
They leaf out at the same time most other deciduous shrubs and trees leaf out.....in early spring. Here, that would be in March, creeping into April for those on the later end of the schedule.
djacob Z6a SE WI
5 years ago
I have the tree version of a Limelight Hydrangea. I am in z5b, Mi Milwaukee, WI. Here are some shots of mine so far this year:

This year I don’t know if I will get a good pink color. We jave had drought conditions which may affect the color. It will tirn the lime color and tjen if I am lucky, lavender lavender. Hope these visuals help!

debra
Rose Beginner(MA - 6A)
5 years ago
I’m in 6A, so a bit north of you. I don’t have a complete history, but I have a 2020 picture showing that it hasn’t leafed out by Apr 12, and a a 2018 picture showing it fully leafed out by May 24. These are huge bushes, which I expect to prune down dramatically. Also, my notes for that April 12 picture say that my roses in front of the hydrangea were just starting to leaf out.

The only perrenials I have that I feel are late are my weigelas and my butterfly weed.

I hope this helps.