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landscape designhydrangeasGardens
cvw_ky

Need 5' tall... "Limelight" or "Little Lime?"

cvw_ky
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago

Hey all,

I have a south-facing wall near my house that I want to put some hydrangea paniculata with some little gem boxwoods underneath. Like the pic below. I'd like the hydrangeas to be 5-6' tall at maturity with big blooms. I see the Limelight get bigger than that, and the Little Lime might get up to that size at maturity.

So what is best, get the bigger shrub and keep it pruned to size or get the smaller shrub and hope it reaches the right size?



Featured Answer
  • stir_fryi SE Mich
    5 years ago



    These are my Little Limes -- about three years old. I love them. They don't bloom until mid-July here in SE Mich.

    • Comments (16)

    • guyground
      5 years ago

      That's an easy one. Always get the right size, thus little lime.


      Limelight grows vigorously, hard pruning in spring does little to slow it down because it will quickly grow back to previous size and then some.


      Since it flowers on new wood pruning done later in season would mean you'd lose the flowers.


      Dont make the same mistake countless others have, go with little lime.

      cvw_ky thanked guyground
    • NHBabs z4b-5a NH
      5 years ago

      ^^^ Exactly!

      cvw_ky thanked NHBabs z4b-5a NH
    • luis_pr
      5 years ago
      last modified: 5 years ago

      Your back will be grateful if you choose Little Lime and choose not adding another annual pruning chore to your list of things to do.

      cvw_ky thanked luis_pr
    • cvw_ky
      Original Author
      5 years ago

      Thanks!

    • PRO
      Ginkgo Leaf Studio
      5 years ago

      There is a new cultivar called Firelight that would be the exact size you are looking for. Another to consider would be Strawberry Sundae. If you are really tied to the "lime" flowers then I agree with the others and go with Little Lime.


      James

    • dfaustclancy
      4 years ago

      I love your little limes! They look to be about 4-5' tall and loaded with blooms! Can you tell me if that is three plants? Also, where on your property are they sited? Full sun, what? What type of care have you given them. (Little to none, I am hoping you'll respond!) Thanks!


    • NHBabs z4b-5a NH
      4 years ago
      last modified: 4 years ago

      Dfaustclancy, where are you? Where I am in NH I can grow Little Lime or other panicled hydrangeas in full sun, but in areas with more intense heat and sun, they benefit from some afternoon shade. I live in an area with regular rainfall and well-drained but moist soil. All my panicled hydrangeas are well mulched and were watered during dry spells for the first couple of years, but none have been watered past that, even during summers when we had spells of several weeks without rain. Likely in drier areas, they may need occasional deep watering. I usually remove old flowerheads in early spring, but this is not necessary. Other than replenishing mulch every few years and deadheading, mine take no other work. Be sure you allow them enough space for their ultimate size since they are not easy to control for size with pruning because they regrow quickly after even a hard prune.

    • stir_fryi SE Mich
      4 years ago

      dfaustclancy -- there are 3 LL plants in my pictures. They are planted to the right of my driveway. The only thing I do to them is cut them back to about 18" in the early spring. They don't get a lot of supplemental water either. As I said, they are mid-summer bloomers for me but they look great mid-July into fall. The plants in the picture are about 3 years old. I'd say they get about 4' and never droopy. One of my favorite hydrangeas.

    • dfaustclancy
      4 years ago

      I am in Metrowest MA, Zone 5. I just planted one Little Lime in the fall and am now watching it leaf out very s-l-o-w-l-y in this wet cold spring. Saw lots of pics on the forum from unprofessional and others who so generously posted pics of their hydrangeas (tho not Little Limes) over the years. One pic shows them at age 9. They can rapidly become a hedge if that's what you so desire. I'm just trying for a stand alone plant in the front of the house, which will get sun from morning till about 1 pm and will get watered by irrigation every other day. First time I've been excited about a plant in a good long while. Thanks for the info Stir-fry and NH Babs. Keep gardening! <3


    • hyed
      4 years ago
      last modified: 4 years ago

      I would also consider Fire Light , blooms, White , Pink and Red also blooms early than Little limelight giving you a longer season. https://www.provenwinners.com/plants/hydrangea/fire-light-panicle-hydrangea-hydrangea-paniculata

    • a1an
      4 years ago

      SFY - That's a lovely pic. Me wonders is it just the density of it, but for the Little Limes I have looked at at the nursery (obviously not fully established, etc), the bloom sizes were nothing too spectacular and I've shrub *height/size* aside, I always thought the blooms on the Little Lime were not even in the same league as limelights.

    • NHBabs z4b-5a NH
      4 years ago

      Dfaustclancy, I would try to adjust that part of the irrigation system so that they don’t get so much water. Panicled hydrangeas are not fond of constantly wet soil. And in all honesty, every other day in zone 5 MA seems like it is likely too short a time and too frequently even for a lawn. Your lawn will have deeper roots and be more resilient if it is watered less frequently but more deeply.

    • R R
      2 years ago

      I’m in zone 8 central Alabama. If I plant Little Limes along a north facing border that does get sun, would they be vigorous growers and reach 4-5 feet like the ones in this photo? Right now I have some in the shade that are still tiny, less than one foot after their second year, with only one bloom.

    • luis_pr
      2 years ago

      They are slower growers than Limelight and may attain 4-5' sizes after 5+ years. They will do better with some more sun instead of shade bloom wise but maybe sun until 3pm or so. If they get too much sun and heat in the Dallas area, the blooms prematurely turn brown from white and-or the leaves may suffer by the end of the growing season too. Try a tad more sun, keep it well watered/mulched/fertilized (I would try one only to see).

    • AG
      last year

      @dfaustclancy - I wanted to ask how those hydrangeas are looking now, 3 years later!

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