Limelight Hydrangea Tree Drooping (Part 3): A Quick Solution During Heat Waves

In this video, I share a quick solution you can do during heat waves if your Limelight Hydrangea Tree is drooping from rain, since it’s best to limit your gardening time in extreme heat and humidity. This is Part 3 of my series on Limelight Hydrangea Trees drooping. Part 1 explains why it happens and Part 2 demonstrates what to do. These videos are linked below for you.
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🌱 LIMELIGHT HYDRANGEA TREE PLAYLIST 🌱
This playlist includes 9 helpful videos including how to prune; top heavy issues; plus tropical storm damage and Winter protection.
Watch here: • Limelight Hydrangea Tree
🌱 LIMELIGHT HYDRANGEA TREE CARE GUIDE 🌱
Read my free guide here: www.petscribbles.com/limeligh...
🌱 LIMELIGHT HYDRANGEA TREE FALL COLOR 🌱
See my Fall photos of this tree here: www.petscribbles.com/limeligh...
🌱 TOOLS USED IN THE VIDEO 🌱
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#limelighthydrangeatree #limelighthydrangeatreeflowers #gardensanity

[@Mavi-de2mv]

Thank you for this KZbin video. A year later I found it but very helpful

[@bruh_hahaha]

Your garden is exceptional. I love it so much! I’m just starting my garden journey and trying my luck at hydrangeas. I live in Texas so this tip of removing the blooms during hot weather is super helpful. ☺️🌹

[@mohammadzia8099]

This is Insane!!!

[@lisaf7688]

Oh how I love how you share your gardening talent and your exaggerations of temps and humidity levels 😆🤣

[@GardenSanity]

Thanks Lisa -- and thanks for getting my humor too! 🤣 Wait until my next video I'm working on: an acorn hit me on the head...I think it was a squirrel that threw it at me on purpose! 😂🐿

[@lisaf7688]

@@GardenSanity 😆 can’t wait! 👍🏻

[@GardenSanity]

My new video is up! 🙂❤️

[@deborahwerner807]

Thank you ! You are awesome💕💕💕

[@GardenSanity]

Why thank YOU Deborah! I appreciate it! 💓💞

[@willaerley7140]

This year, I used some green twine to create a web supporting my hydrangea blooms. Basically, I wrap the twine around a lower branch and then around a stronger upper branch and then back down to a lower one and so on. It’s one piece so all the stems support each other. So far, so good. The one I didn’t do totally flopped to the ground, but the others are good. 🤞🏻 It sounds complicated, but it only took a few minutes each. It helps to have someone on the other side so you can pass the twine back and forth.

[@GardenSanity]

It sounds complicated, yet it also makes total sense! 👍 I doubt I could do that with such a tall tree, but with shrubs I can see that working! But luckily my panicle hydrangea shrubs don’t flop. I think next year I will go back to the hard pruning a did a year ago on the Limelight Tree. This year I didn’t prune as far down, and I think the tree is “almost” getting too large again. 🌳

[@dannyspitzer1267]

Great info, our LL hydrangea tree is getting huge, despite having pruned it several times. It looks much better now that we pruned it a few months ago (with help from your video). And yeah, here on Long Island where we are we have it all, too: drought, high heat, high humidity. We had no rain for 27 days, then 1 morning of light rain, and now no rain again for another 9 days....brutal summer, and hard to work in. When I have to water, I do it early in the morning, before it gets really unbearable outside....

[@GardenSanity]

Thanks Danny! It’s amazing how much these trees grow in just one season! And the season isn’t even close to being over either! Although…if this weather continues, I won’t mind rushing through the rest of the Summer to get to cooler weather. You’re right: it really is a brutal Summer, and it’s definitely different trying to get all my gardening (and filming) done early in the morning. My fingers are crossed that we get rain tomorrow, however most of the recent storms have missed us except for one. I hope you get some rain soon. Hang in there! 🙂🥵

[@lepen4652]

I have just ordered my limelight standard tree, hope mine in few years looks like yours,

[@GardenSanity]

If you follow the steps I outlined, you should do just fine with your tree and will probably avoid some of the mistakes I learned from along the way too -- which means yours will look great as it grows and matures! Please keep me posted! 🌿🙂 (I have an entire Limelight Hydrangea Tree video playlist, and will continue to add to it!)

[@chrismarchetti-olson6632]

You did a great job!! I feel so bad for you for this crazy heat!! The last 2 days I’ve been leaving the house at 7:30am with 53 degrees outside!!! I wish I could send you a jar of fresh air!! 🌷🌷

[@GardenSanity]

Thanks Chris! I am so jealous of your 53 degree mornings! That would be heavenly to me! 😇 I think my flowers and shrubs would also enjoy it! 😀

[@chrismarchetti-olson6632]

@@GardenSanity hopefully you will get it soon too my friend!! But what you do NOT want are Wisconsin winters…….. even your thoughts freeze to death 🤣🤣🤣

[@GardenSanity]

@@chrismarchetti-olson6632 I just spit out my tea laughing at "your thoughts freeze to death" -- well, didn't truly spit, but came close! 🤣🤣🤣

[@chrismarchetti-olson6632]

@@GardenSanity the sad part is that it’s the truth!!! 🤣🤣🤣. My brother lives in Russia and I think I could go there in a sweatshirt and be like “ meh, it’s not even that cold” 😂😂😂😂.

[@GardenSanity]

@@chrismarchetti-olson6632 Well, when I'm having hot flashes I could probably do the same thing! 🤣

[@patriciapeters9087]

Oh my gosh so glad I found your channel. Such great info. I’m having big issues with my Firelight standard. I live in Michigan zone 5. Hubby and I planted it about a month ago. Yes it was hot. Should’ve waited until Fall. It was so beautiful for 2 weeks. Now the leaves are yellowing and brown. I water every 2 or 3 days when no rain. Can’t figure out the problem and nobody seems to know what’s wrong. I’m so bummed. Hope you can help.

[@GardenSanity]

Hi Patricia -- sorry for the delay in responding. Don't fret about planting it in the Summer -- we all do it, and yes the trees/shrubs suffer, but it happens. Now we try and fix it! 🙂 I realize you left this comment a month ago. How does the tree look now? Any improvement or worse? Let me know and I'll try and help you!

[@hydad8086]

Love your videos! I don’t have tree form but a bunch of limelight hydrangea shrubs that i planted in May. They all droop after a rainfall. The stemmy ones are so bad they look like a mess laying flat on the ground. Supports don’t really help and costed me $100 dollar. I got fed up today after another rainfall and took all the supports out and cut all the blooms off. I even cut one to the ground because it looks like it’s growing horizontally in all directions but up. Does pruning makes the stem stronger? Am i going to lose them cause i was suppose to prune them in early spring and not now in mid August? Thank you.

[@GardenSanity]

Hi Hyd, young Limelight hydrangeas are notorious for flopping. As the plant matures and the stems get stronger, the flopping will be much less. 🙂 No worries that you did anything wrong. Limelights bloom on new wood, so anything you removed now won’t hinder next year’s flowers. Yes it’s best to prune in Spring but you can also prune in late Fall too if you prefer. I know it is frustrating - especially after it rains! 🌿

[@dkn.2480]

Looks amazing! How many years did it take for the tree to get that size?

[@GardenSanity]

We planted this Limelight Hydrangea Tree in the Spring of 2013, and it was about 5 feet tall in its pot. So, this was the tenth year in the garden! I didn't even realize it until reading your question...I should have had a celebration! 😃🎈🎈

[@Cathy_MidwestHome_Hens]

Do you not compost your garden trimmings? I haven’t been but i’m going to start when i clean up my garden in early spring. Also we have tons of mature trees and have mountains of leaves in the fall. I’m going to use the leaves for mulch this year instead of sending them to the yard waste bins

[@GardenSanity]

Hi there! No, in part to avoid spreading any fungus or diseases that could be on the plants and shrubs. For example, the Knockout Roses having occasional Black Spot. I honestly don’t have time to inspect all the clippings. I do, however leave some leaves in the garden beds in the Fall to decompose, although not as much as I used to due to voles and mice using the leaves to hide their nests and tunnels made during the Winter. 🐭 Same with rabbits. 🐰 For compost, I use composted cow manure like Black Cow - it really helps condition and improve garden soil! 🐮🙂 Thanks for asking! 👍

[@coxmfrank]

It's October in Atlanta. I have an 8 ft LL tree that's pretty much flopped to the ground from excessive rain back in the summer. Is it too late in the season to prune some of it now? Help!

[@GardenSanity]

Hi Mark -- My apologies for this delayed response. If you haven't yet pruned your Limelight Tree, I'd wait until early Spring. However, you can deadhead the dried flowers off the tree now and that will greatly eliminate the flopping of the branches, since much of that weight is from rain on the flowers. You could keep those flowers indoors and use them as Winter interest arrangements in a vase, or some gardeners will use them as part of their holiday decorations. I hope this helps, and again - so sorry for the delay in answering you.

[@SnappyR]

We had massive rainstorms here in Baltimore over the last few days and all my big bloom trees and shrubs (myrtles and hydrangeas) took a beating and flopped. The Myrtles recovered by my Sweet Summer Hydrangea suffered - I had to remove all the broken new stems and blooms 😞

[@GardenSanity]

Oh no!!! 🥺😟 I’m so sorry about your Sweet Summer. I hope you have at least some blooms left on it. 🙏 I know how you’re feeling as it really is upsetting when this happens. How tall is/was the hydrangea? Our Crepe Myrtle is flopping too after finally getting a storm overnight. I removed those Limelight Hydrangea Tree flowers just in time. 💚 Hang in there!

[@SnappyR]

@@GardenSanity The Hydrangea, which seems to be a panicle type was a bit taller than me so a bit over 5'3" and the stems, which were new this year as i chelsea chopped it early this year, were bent totally over to the ground. I have about three stalks left. As I garden over the last few years, I'm finding that I may love certain plants, but if it's a heartbreak or a problem in some way, I look to find alternative plants - the path of least resistance 🙂

[@GardenSanity]

@@SnappyR I agree with you -- in the video I'm working on now -- I talk about plants I love, but that don't love me back! (And how it could be time to move on!) 💔 I think it's possible that your hydrangea stems that grew back from the chelsea chop aren't strong enough yet to provide a good structure so they don't flop. Most flopping occurs from younger panicle hydrangea stems. When it's time to prune next Spring, instead of doing a chelsea chop, try leaving about two or three feet of stems coming out of the ground. Those stems will continue to get stronger as they mature, and will help prevent flopping. 👍

[@SnappyR]

@@GardenSanity I agree on why the stems flopped - I did a hard chop because it had a bad leaf fungus last year and I panicked and thought I'd just chop it and start over. So far - no leaf spots yet this year.

[@GardenSanity]

That’s excellent there’s no leaf spot this year! (Now I understand why you pruned as you did.) 👍😀

[@richardlam6885]

if my tree's entire branch has already grown downward, what can I do to make it upright? Can I tie it to another branch to pull it up and hope that it hardens in that position?

[@GardenSanity]

Hi Richard -- is the branch that is growing downward a large branch, i.e. a thick branch? I'm hoping it isn't, and therefore you can just prune it back to where you think the new growth (from where you will cut it) will grow outward instead of downward. I supposed you could tie it to another branch, but these hydrangea trees put out so many new stems and branches every year that I don't think it's worth it. Plus, anything you tie can eventually cause some of the bark on the stems (where they are tied) to rub away and then you may end up over time having to remove the stem(s) anyway. In my latest video showing my panicle hydrangeas after 5 straight days of rain, you can see a downward growing branch on my own Limelight Hydrangea Tree. (Look in the description area below the video, and you can find a chapter heading to click on to get to that section directly in the video.) I plan on just pruning it out. I hope this helps -- but I noticed you said your "tree's entire branch" and I'm unsure if you mean the large center trunk? Let me know! 👍

[@richardlam6885]

@@GardenSanityI am referring to the latest generation branches that hold the blooms but already seemed to have hardened (turned brown). The nursery where I got this from likes to make the blooms very big so many of the branches ended up growing horizontally due to the weight of the blooms I believe.

[@GardenSanity]

@@richardlam6885 Hi Richard -- I just noticed that I never replied to your question. My apologies. The nursery makes the blooms larger by removing many of the other stems. Fewer stems will result in the plant pushing energy to those stems that remain and the flowers will be larger - versus - many more stems on the plant resulting in many more flowers but some flowers will be smaller than others. It depends on the look one is going for. If a stem is starting to grow downward, it is usually because it is trying to find the sun. I'm always amazed at the end of a season to see what the bare stems look like, as I always have one or two that have twisted this way or that. You can cut any branch that is facing downward to a shorter length to remove the downward shape. New stems will come out of the shortened branch and should grow upward. I hope this helps, and again - my apologies for accidentally missing this question.

[@richardlam6885]

@@GardenSanity yep I cut the downward ones and it ended up growing pretty well

[@zhapunaga7892]

Where is this place?

[@GardenSanity]

I’m in garden zone 7, in southern New Jersey.

[@user-sm2yq7px7e]

😮😢