Finally - a no fuss Z5 Hydrangea!

I have purchased some Hydrangeas over the last few years such as Endless Summer, Forever & Ever, Annabelle, Blushing Bride, Grandiflora Peniculata (sp?) and got 'Big Daddy' because it is suppose to be "drought resistant" but hasn't been for me. It seems that most of my Hydrangesa wilt very easy, don't bloom much or grow slow but 'Limelight' is doing very well for me despite a very dry summer.
When I got Limelight last summer it was just a little squirt but has tripled size and as you can see has a lot of blossoms and doesn't wilt when it is dry and it has been very dry here this summer. I am definately going to buy more Limelight and would like to hear from others in Z5 that have found no fuss varieties that do well for them.

I love all my paniculatas. Limelight and Tardiva being the most proven so far.

I got a Limelight this year in Zone 4 - hope it does well!

Just wondering... does your Tardiva have any blooms yet in WI, bigcityal?

Yes, it's been open at least a few weeks now. Tardiva is starting to open now.


Limelight - 5 year old plant.

Beautiful plant.

Oh boy! Can't wait for my LL to grow up!
Please post pics of your Tardiva.

Thanks peony01.

C R- I will, there are other paniculatas posted in this thread.
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/735362/

Bibcityal, your limelight is beautiful, I have several Limelight plants (3 years) doing very well. I was wondering, how tall is your 5 year year old plant? I'm tryig to hid a fence.
Thanks

It's about 5' tall, about a 5' diameter also.

I planted Pink diamond and found it as wellbehved as limelight.JOY

Thanks for the Pink Diamond recommedation!

Ooo, nice! This looks like something I could use. Are the flowers of Limelight white (like they appear in the pictures) or do they have a light green tint as the name implies?

Yes they do have a light green tinge but also develop some pink as they age at least for me.

This is 'David' no problems ever

oops this is my phlox, trying again, they are3 in back of the phlox

I am new to these. I only have a small Endless Summer and it did poorly this hot summer. It wilted badly and no blooms. I am looking for one that will do better. Can you propagate with cuttings?
Thanks,
Teresa in KY

I've no idea what I have. It came with the house. It gets about 5'-6' high and does very well every year. I have been in my house since 1999 so that is a lot of years with different weather conditions. Just what type is it? Any ideas?

Here is a close up of the flower

Smooth,Annabelle,arborscens - all the same.LOL Nice winter interest plant.

I got 2 limelights this year and they are looking pretty good even though we had an aweful summer. I don't know about your soil but mine is sandy and weak!

What does look great are the morphous hydrangeas I planted last year. I dug the hole the recommended size for a 5 gal pot and put in a 3 gallon pot with a good 60+% spagnum peat moss/compost mix. It was a ton of work but it was totally worth it I hardly have to water them at all. During the drought it was twice a week, and now that the rain has started again I don't even remember where my hose is!

Great thread, CR, thank you.

A great trader sent me two Limelight and two Pink Diamonds to add to my collection - from the size I see in Al's photos I guess I'll be moving them to allow for the size they become.

Can Limelight be trained more as a tree than shrub?

Limelight and Pink Diamond both make great tree form hydrangeas.

Polly how do you do that?
LL is multi branching.

Thanks, pollyk. Do we just continually remove the lower branches?

Yes. You also might need to tie the branches upright for one year, to train them that way. The branches will harden in the postition they are in, creating an upright plant.

Thanks.

My Limelight grew upright pretty well. I will need to tie up Little Lamb that wants to be a ground cover.

Al,

Little Lamb would be a lovely groundcover. I had that happen with The Swan.

Not sure if I really want that. The Swan certainly is floppy, I have it in a loose cage already. Unique that I got this year is growing strongly upright already.

Just kidding, I doubt you do either. My Swans were very floppy until I tied them up. Now the structure seems fine, but the flowers still flop. Any new growth seems to flop. But I still love the plant. Those huge flowers just really get to me.

Here's a funny one. A neighbor friend stops over and asks what I am going to do with the flowers on all my hydrangeas at the end of the season because she wants them all for a craft project. I told her I could get her a FEW.

I saw them on eBay for nice money!

I like nice money ;)

.......and green, too, like your turf!

Really, Pirl. I'll have to look at that.

I use them a lot for floral arrangements in the house, but have been thinking of contacting our local florist to see if he wants some. With my own, and a nursery full of them, I have thousands of flowers. And I have to trim them off, so the plants look nice in the spring.

I was a bit shocked by the price they were asking. It makes me appreciate mine even more.

Harlequin, at this time of year is so gorgeous! I'll still wait before I snip the heads off to bring them inside.

You bet Pirl.

I leave mine on all winter, but thought I'll cut off the ones on the floppers.

You mean you don't have floopers?

Legally I own one yes ;)

I found a pic of The Swan