Emmie, what I know about them is that they are the only hydrangea that can take full sun...that being relative depending on your location, obviously far south locations would need some shade. They open lime, fade to white and age to pale pink. The pictures I have seen from other gardening friends are very promising. A beautiful plant.

I planted one last fall as a bare root and I do believe it is dead. Sigh...I'll have to purchase another.

MeMo

Awwww, MeMo, how sad to lose it! D'you think it was the plant, or was it the weather this winter?

Thanks for the info; full sun is something I missed. Maybe I could plant it with peonies, which is another perennial I would like to add. I have heard hydrangeas can be invasive, have you found this to be the case?

Emmie, I'm in love with 'Limelight' too! Sorry I can't tell you about it from experience, it's still on my wishlist, but I've studied quite a bit about it and it seems like a great plant for us in the colder zones. I never heard of hydrangeas being invasive and can't believe they would be so here in the North, but I really don't know.

MEMO, don't give up on your hydrangea!!! My 'Forever & Ever' is just now emerging and I'm in a warmer zone than you AND mine is in full sun for the moment so the ground is very warm.

Hee.....we should be so lucky to have invasive Hydrangeas, lol! Noooo....don't know who would have said that. I don't have a lot of experience with this one as I just bought it last spring but it did bloom beautifully.....to keep the green tones longer I had it in full morning sun/afternoon shade but it can take full sun. Pink Diamond is another that is a beauty.....FAST growing, gorgeous blooms and full sun as well. Unfortunately the deer found my Limelight in the winter and took her down to l/2 size...I moved it to a more protected location. It is also the first Hydrangea to leaf out in my yard.

'Limelight' is in the class that some people call 'Pee Gee' hydrangeas. They're among the hardiest, I think to zone 3a.

I never thought of hydrangeas as invasive. Oakleaf Hydrangeas are native plants here. They do get large. They're hardy to about zone 4b.

{{gwi:684293}}
Oakleaf Hydrangea

For a small pink/blue hydrangea, I'd choose H. Serrata which has blooms similar to the 'Lacecap' hydrangeas, but smaller.

Nell

Nell, is that your garden? Lovely! I'd like to see more.

Hi, Wishful,

So as not to hijack Emmie's thread, I invite you to see my garden at the 'old site' starting with Hydrangeas. Just wander around and enjoy.

Nell

Here is a link that might be useful: Hydrangeas at Foxes Earth

Thanks Nell, its beautiful!

I haven't had much luck with limelight hydrangea either. Mine has been a twig for the past 3 years with a few leaves. I keep hoping one day it'll spring into action. All my other varieties of hydrangeas are doing well and budding like crazy at the moment.

I owned a huge limelight hydrangea (until I moved)and I can tell you, this is by far the best hydrangea I've ever owned. Very easy to grow. Can take full sun. Very full panicled blooms. You will love it.

Ianna

Emmie -

I absolutely love my Limelight and would highly recommend it. It blooms continuously - and not on old wood, like other hydrangeas. That's what I like about it, because I love to bring them indoors.

I'm gonna try and link to my picture.. here goes

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/cobbpd/2dacff98.jpg

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:684294}}

TNGardengirl, That is gorgeous! And so is your baby. What a sweet picture. Thanks for posting it.

MeMo

Kind of a late post for this thread, but... I have what I thought was a PeeGee which looks a lot like an Oakleaf. It has panicules up to 10 or 12 inches long. They droop very little, maybe because I prune each Spring about a third of the height of the shrub. It is nowlate fall and the shrub?tree is about 12 feet tall. When I prune in the Spring I take out all the smaller branchs and leave the larger ones. The shrub after pruning is about six feet tall.It blooms nicely all summer. My Oakleaf, has, of course, the oak leaves, but the flowers are very much like the PeeGee flowers. Has anyone else found that to be true? It is also leggier and has a bit of a scraggly growth habit to it. But it will tolerate lots of shade. Someone mentioned that )PeeGee is the tree form of Limelight. Is this true? I have two smaller limelights (O think) which have moptop flowers that are huge, but the shrub itself is smaller. Any info on these three varieties and their comparative feaures would be appreciated. Thanks.