Unless you want to keep growing it in a container, no reason not to plant it in the ground. Paniculatas are extremely hardy and do well here in the PNW. In our climate, they thrive in full sun but would appreciate a good soaking periodically during our dry summers. More shade will produce less flowering.

Since Little Lime blooms on new growth, you can prune as desired before May. Personally, I would only remove any very thin side branching and maybe any tall, leggy stems that appear out of proportion (I don't see any in the photo). This cultivar is bred to be compact.

If planting in the ground with any decent soil, no fertilizing should be required although, mulching annually with compost never goes amiss :-)

If you DO want to keep this in container, come back for further suggestions. Container growing has very different challenges than do inground plantings.

what she said in toto ...

but here is my thought process ... i found the real name ... and looked up images ... such as here:

https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffcm&q=Hydrangea+Hydrangea+paniculata+%27Jane%27&iax=images&ia=images

and then seeing that though dwarf.. it still can be a 3 or 4 foot plant ... or larger ....

i would free it to mother earth ...

unless .... the goal of the process is to learn about growing shrubs in pots ... with all it attendant repotting and root pruning probably every year.. if you figure out how to grow it well ...

too many peeps see that a plant is a dwarf.. and think its going to remain a small plant ... all dwarf means is that it has a reduced annual growth rate.. as compared to its monster cousins ... but.. over the years.. even at the slower rate.. it can get to be a large plant ... and most large plants need a large root mass to flourish .. and therein lies the limitation of a pot ...

ken

Gardengal, thank you so much. I haven't decided whether to keep it in a container or plant it in the ground. I'm leaning more toward planting in the ground. I always appreciate your suggestions simply because they always work for me.

Ken, thanks for your valuable input. I had absolutely no idea that there were different names for Little Lime Hydrangeas. I still have my tag from 2 or 3 years ago. I always save my tags...

Just checked and found my tag. You are correct Ken, it's called 'Jane' - Dwarf form of Lime Light. I also have Lime Light. It's beautiful 8' tall but flops over when it rains. I was thinking of trying to remove some of the branches and turn it into a tree to use as a focal point in my garden. Of course, I'd have to learn how that is done. lol