HYDRANGEA PANICULATA 'LIMELIGHT'
Hydrangea paniculatas including 'Limelight' are in full bloom in my part of the U.S.
The majority of early season shrubs and
perennials have finished flowering so hydrangeas have taken center stage. Sure,
there are later season stunners like perennial hibiscus with their dinner-
plate size blooms that are traffic stoppers. And there is no mistaking the delicious fragrant flowers from clethra that perfume the garden like this Vanilla Spice seen here.
Take a look at this photo of my 'Limelight'.
Even after days of pounding rain which added weight to the huge flowers, the stems are still strong enough to hold the flowers up. No, I don't have a magic wand. BUT, what I do without fail is give this plant a MEDIUM pruning each season in early spring when I can get out in my garden without breaking an ankle.
What is a MEDIUM pruning? According go the Royal Horticultural Society which did a fabulous study of hydrangea paniculatas from 2004 through 2007 (https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/plant-trials-and-awards/plant-bulletins/hydrangea-paniculata.pdf), a medium pruning is cutting the stems down to four buds. Here is what my 'Limelight' looked like this past April after it got its annual haircut.
Notice just the strong stems remain. Anything thinner than a pencil got cut and then some. Always remember how big the flowers are and ask yourself if a stem will grow big enough to hold up a typical flower, especially after a summer rainstorm. If the answer is no, then it goes.
England
https://www.chicagobotanic.org/sites/default/files/pdf/plantinfo/hydrangeafinegardening2011.pdf
If you don't prune your 'Limelight' for whatever reason, some stems most likely will not grow strong enough to hold the huge flowers up and they will arch, even without rainy conditions.
You can do this pruning anytime the plant is dormant in late autumn, winter or early spring. Dormancy is critical. You don't want to stimulate it in any way. Once the leaves have naturally fallen from the plant, be courageous and cut it way down. You won't be sorry next year when your stems stand tall and hold up those magnificent flowers.
continue to produce their repeat blooms like the
one in this photo. Fortunately, we
have had generous unprecedented mid-season rain that has helped to keep all
the flowers coming and colorful.
plate size blooms that are traffic stoppers. And there is no mistaking the delicious fragrant flowers from clethra that perfume the garden like this Vanilla Spice seen here.
But I can't deny that my
heart still belongs to hydrangeas.
Yet not all is well in
hydrangea-land, especially if your stems aren't strong enough to hold up the
big panicle flowers of your 'Limelight' and others like it. Which brings me to
the subject of this post. It is the second most frequent question I get, only
surpassed by "Why doesn't my hydrangea bloom?" That question is,
"How can I get my 'Limelight' hydrangea stems to grow strong enough to
hold the flowers up straight?"
Take a look at this photo of my 'Limelight'.
Even after days of pounding rain which added weight to the huge flowers, the stems are still strong enough to hold the flowers up. No, I don't have a magic wand. BUT, what I do without fail is give this plant a MEDIUM pruning each season in early spring when I can get out in my garden without breaking an ankle.
What is a MEDIUM pruning? According go the Royal Horticultural Society which did a fabulous study of hydrangea paniculatas from 2004 through 2007 (https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/plant-trials-and-awards/plant-bulletins/hydrangea-paniculata.pdf), a medium pruning is cutting the stems down to four buds. Here is what my 'Limelight' looked like this past April after it got its annual haircut.
Notice just the strong stems remain. Anything thinner than a pencil got cut and then some. Always remember how big the flowers are and ask yourself if a stem will grow big enough to hold up a typical flower, especially after a summer rainstorm. If the answer is no, then it goes.
https://www.chicagobotanic.org/sites/default/files/pdf/plantinfo/hydrangeafinegardening2011.pdf
If you don't prune your 'Limelight' for whatever reason, some stems most likely will not grow strong enough to hold the huge flowers up and they will arch, even without rainy conditions.
You can do this pruning anytime the plant is dormant in late autumn, winter or early spring. Dormancy is critical. You don't want to stimulate it in any way. Once the leaves have naturally fallen from the plant, be courageous and cut it way down. You won't be sorry next year when your stems stand tall and hold up those magnificent flowers.
