Limelight Hydrangea Tree Winter Tips

Today I’m showing you what my Limelight Hydrangea Tree looks like in mid-January with bare stems and dried flowerheads. Now is a really good time to get a close up look at the branches and stems on your own Limelight Tree or similar panicle hydrangea tree you might have. If you pruned it last Spring, this is a great way to see where you made your pruning cuts and just how much it’s grown in one season. If this will be your first time pruning, I’ll show you what to look for, even though you don’t need to prune until early Spring. I also share some blooming flowers - yes in mid-January I have some flowers!
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🌱 READ: LIMELIGHT HYDRANGEA TREE CARE GUIDE 🌱
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“Thank you, Laura, for the best advice, descriptions, and photos regarding limelight hydrangea trees. The photos of your tree throughout the seasons, its growth, and pruning are invaluable. I have, as of yesterday, become the caretaker of two of these wonderful trees and can now look forward to gardening with confidence.”
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[@susantodd6963]

So nice to hear your voice and see your garden! After some bitter cold and snow here north of Seattle in December, we have had a very mild January. My hellebores are also budding! Does anyone else get spring fever as soon as Christmas is over?😅

[@GardenSanity]

Yes Susan, I get Spring fever after Christmas too! We had a deep freeze 🥶 in late December followed by temps in the low 60s a week later. Talk about confusing! 😂 At least it’s more normal now. I need to remove the latest round of oak leaves from the backyard to occupy my Spring fever. 🙂 What kind of hellebores do you have?

[@susantodd6963]

@@GardenSanity Wish I could say I remember, but....😅 I have several dark red from the Winter Jewels collection, and one I just planted in the fall, Penny's Pink, which has lovely foliage that stands up to winter lows very well. I hope to increase my collection this year!

[@GardenSanity]

@@susantodd6963 Those both sound very pretty! I definitely want to get a pink variety, I’ve had my eye on Pink Frost, but I need more room for more hellebores! 🤣

[@willaerley7140]

My hellebores are waking up, too. I thought I killed them. Definitely gonna buy some more this spring!

[@GardenSanity]

And if I remember correctly, you have the Pink Frost variety? I want that one! Always a nice surprise when a plant survives and thrives despite our “best efforts” sometimes! 🤣

[@mdwalker3034]

I’ve seen several KZbinrs recommend two pruning events on a standard/tree form lime light hydrangea to limit late summer flopping. I am in MD 7a. First prune when buds swell, similar to your video (late February/ early March for me) and again in late May/ early June (when leggy/wispy growth take off). I am year 7 on on my standard LimeLight…so frustrated with the floppy growth (and tying up the floppy growth in July/August). Would love your thoughts.

[@GardenSanity]

When I get floppy and droopy flowers and stems in the Summer, I just cut those stems back as needed. Yes, I end up removing some flowers, but at least the tree looks better and I don’t have to worry about branches breaking. I did a short 3-part video series on what I do, if that helps. I also tend to prune fairly judiciously in mid-March, so I take the height down a bit. I agree these trees can be frustrating. After I lost half of the tree breaking off in a tropical storm, I realized I need to keep it smaller than I used to. How tall does yours get? 🙂

[@willaerley7140]

My little limes were pruned that way last year. Kind of like the Chelsea chop. The blooms were smaller and a couple weeks late, but it was nice to have hydrangeas at different stages. I’ll probably do it this year.

[@mdwalker3034]

@@GardenSanity I’ve kept the main standard trunk to it’s original purchased height …about 3 ft tall. The overall top growth height growth in late summer is about 6|7 tall and wide. Full sun from 8 am - 4 pm, April - October. So very floppy every year. Thinking about limbing up two lowers branches to four feet tall trunk. And double pruning March/May. Appreciate your thoughts. Thank you so much!

[@mdwalker3034]

@@willaerley7140 thank you! i love the Chelsea chop for many of my perennials. Thank you, Britain, for the Chelsea chop ❤️. So brilliant. Makes sense to consider a similar approach for some woody shrubs.

[@GardenSanity]

@MDWalker That’s a nice height for your tree. My pruning usually tops out around 6-ish feet, and I’m always amazed at how much growth occurs during the season. I hope the double pruning works for you. Perhaps a skinnier (i.e. thinner) tree will flop less. Please keep me posted on how your tree does this year. 👍

[@cg4582]

Hi there I love your videos on limelight hydrangeas. I do have a question, newly planted a limelight hydrangea last year, little dwarf, tree, it wintered well… wondering if you would prune it in it’s first spring in our garden or leave it alone? Thanks so much for your help!

[@GardenSanity]

Hi C G, I would not prune the tree in its first year, other than to prune any dead stems (if there even are any of those). Those stems might be tiny pieces on the ends of long stems perhaps that held onto the flowerheads at the ends of each stem. The tree will still be getting established with its roots underground. Put some Holly-tone slow-release organic fertilizer down around the drip line of the tree, work it into the top of the soil and then water it in well. Cover the soil with some type of mulch (if you haven't already done so) as this will protect the soil from drying out so fast plus will reduce the amount of weeds you'll have to deal with. 👍Please keep me posted during the season on how your new tree is doing! 💚🌳😃

[@cg4582]

@@GardenSanity thanks responding and for the advice! That’s exactly what we did…just trimmed off a little where the dead flower heads were, exactly where you show in your videos…(didn’t go overboard lol), and it looks great! Great tip about the fertilizer and mulch. Thanks again.

[@mattlloyd9054]

Sadly I butcher my 2 limelight in my driveway entrance beds every spring. I'd tree form them but I have 2 butterfly acer palmatum acting as the tree next to each one. So they take abuse quite well. Also the 2 butterfly jap maples no matter how far along, how low the temperature gets, or how long the freeze lasts are completely spring freeze proof! I'm not sure how but are I'm trying to get cuttings to breeders but no one listens or believes me lol.

[@GardenSanity]

Well it sounds like you've found something that works for your Limelights and Japanese Maples -- even if you're calling the Limelight pruning "butchering" instead. 😂 Limelights -- whether shrubs or tree forms -- are very hardy and can take pruning well...as you obviously know!

[@mattlloyd9054]

@@GardenSanity I'm almost cruel to them and it seems the meaner I am the more panicles they give me. Every few years I take them down to a stump bout a foot tall I feel bad about it but they come back stronger than ever.

[@GardenSanity]

@@mattlloyd9054 Ok I'm laughing out loud because this works for you so well -- but I'm imagining you frowning at them as you prune, no smiles or gentle words of encouragement from you. No way. Just mean and cruel pruning. 😂

[@mattlloyd9054]

@@GardenSanity your absolutely correct I did their annual torture just the other day. Lol I'm so ocd about cutting back each and every stem to the buds as well so theirs no nubs. I literally cried like a baby when I had to cut my upright atlas cedar cuz the sap sucker woodpeckers killed it. Sadly I'm an autistic weirdo and my plants are my kids. Depending on the plants demeanor I either spoil or torture them. Lol sadly the limelight are 2 of the ones I abuse they will murder me in my sleep one day.

[@GardenSanity]

@@mattlloyd9054 Now that would be an interesting movie: Attack of the Killer Limelight Hydrangea Trees! 🤣And of course then you're saved by one of the plants that you spoil! I just finally pruned my own Limelight Hydrangea Tree this week, and am working on a video showing me doing that. Spoiler alert: I wasn't too abusive to my tree!