Oh, it is gorgeous! What size it grows for you?

Beautiful, and so many blooms!!!

yikes..its going to take over the deck...

ken

Lindaliana, the tree is 10+ years old now. unfortunately I did not date the marker that came with it. It’s fully grown in our zone at 11-12 feet I estimate.

debra

It's simply fantastic. My hydrangeas have suffered from the cold and now the heat. The blooms have been smaller and I've had to water them constantly. My oak leaf hydrangea suffered major damage over the winter and now is about 1/3 the size that it was last year.

It’s starting to pick up now: we had heavy rain the last couple of days so it’s drooping from that.

If I am lucky, it will contine to picken and by mid-to-late September it wil turn lavender.

I will keep you posted!

Please post your limelight hydrangeas too!

debra

It's been a pretty -dry summer- lately. Lucky as so far, it has mitigated the flopping. Hurricane season is right around the bend - so I've been eyeing the stems that are not strong and vert with the heavy bloom. Will de-bloom them when a heavy forecast is called upon. I'd rather have a stem for next year - than flowerheads that will snap it off once the rains eventually make it's way

Here is my Limelight standard. It is only 3 years old and is bursting with blooms. Since this picture, some branches are drooping thanks to a recent heavy rain, but it stills looks gorgeous.

Chrysalids, yours is beautiful! It’s spreading nicely. Now that it’s three it may be a good time to inspect limbs and cut back any that are too long and thin. I don’t know your zone, but in 5b, Milwaukee WI, mine came back beautifully after a hard prune a couple of years ago. As a1lan said, better to have a stem that will flower next year.

debra

@djacob Z6a SE WI, I am in zone six. I prune all my panicle hydrangeas down to a third every spring. I remove all branches thinner than a pencil, remove the branches touching, and clear out all the branches in the middle so air can circulate. I am always terrified that they won't come back as full because they look bare, small, and sad after pruning, but they are fuller with larger blooms every year. I also fertilize with Hollytone which helps. It is time consuming because I have a lot.

I prune sometimes for short and this year, actually pruned it 1/3 leaving 66%, hoping more blooms +small blooms due to decreased energy due to more blooms. And of course, regardless, it still shoots out 3' monster stems .....

So the remine for the LL is just deadhead once the hurricane season is forcasted

Our 8' tall Limelight was beautiful last year, but this years the fall web worms got to it.

In the past I burned them out with a blow torch but these are to high and in a difficult position for that method.

I assume there is some sort of spray for fall web worms.

As crazy as this may sound, if I have the blower on me...and I'm working around the yard, I will give all shrubs, etc a good blast if it wont affect their blooms. Figure I'd keep the pest away by giving them a good -blow- whenever it allows.

Chrysalids—you are doing the right thing for sure! I know I worry about cutting the tree back every time I do it, b but as you say, it comes back more beautiful the following year. Mine needs a good prune this year!. I will have to look for Hollytone to see if it improves blooms. In October we have large box elder that has to come down because it’s rotting, so it will get more sun next year. I am hoping the color will be more intesnse.

debra

djacobz568sewi - re: improve blooms. LL is pretty mantainence free. minimal to no fertz, doesn't need much water, etc. Is it crowded - too close to neighboring plants. IMO, it's all about roots like all shrubs. Root competion kinda dictates the size and growth. My oldest one is actually a wee smaller annually on width. I suspect it's a bit planted too close to another shrub. Even ones planted 3-4 years later, is larger than my -oldest one. Bloom sizes are the same/similar. Just overall yearly growth, it doesn't get crazy wide like

Have to agree that paniculatas are pretty low maintenance and easy. If you want to prune them when they are dormant, go for it. They come back and bloom great. If you don't do much of anything to them, they come back and bloom great. My limelight is so tall I can't reach the top of it, so I only remove the spent flowers I can reach in early spring because I'm sick of looking at them. Some years I'll throw down some 10-10-10 fertilizer.

My limelight standard (year 2) is now in full bloom....

I had to have one after seeing yours Debra.

It’s looking good GardenHo! So glad mine inspired you to plant one!

Here’s mine today after a whole day of rain yesterday, drooping.

It’s not getting any pinker really so I don’ know if it will get any lavender color this year. It has been extremely dry here and I think that makes a difference. The big Box Elder behind it is coming down in October (rotted) so it will get more sun next year. It will be interesting to see how the color changes, if at all.

debra

Debra thanks..yours is beautiful droopy or not!

Dry has been the norm here also, for too many years now....