mxk3, I hear ya!!! These Japanese Beetles are getting on my nerves!!! You know, I use grub killing products too, but then every year, they just come back. Even if they are not from my lawn (I am sure they are) they will just fly from elsewhere anyway. They are like rain and tax - totally unavoidable!!! Anyway, they do love to rest on Limelight, for some strange reason that I do not understand. They don't really eat them up though, despite a few chew marks here and there. I am not really a pesticide or sprayer kind of guy, but then I hate these things so much that I use the Bayer Rose and Flower Insect Killer for these awful beetles. It works wonders and the beetles are dead within minutes, but you have to catch 'em and spray 'em and that's all this thing does. I am still resisting spraying the entire shrub with some pesticide though. For my susceptible trees (like my crabapples), I use the Bayer Tree and Shrub Protect and Feed during spring and it lasts for the entire season. This is taken up by the trees/shrubs and then the JB's somehow won't eat up the entire tree. There is still some damage done by the JB's but not to the same extent if the tree was not treated. I have not done this for my hydrangeas because JB's typically do not do too much damage to hydrangeas but probably you can do that. BTW, can we see your Limelight tree please? I would love to have one myself!!! Thanks!

Welcome to Hydrangeas Anonymous! We are all addicts here. As to the choice of Pink Diamond or Limelight, the choice for me would be Limelight, though Pink Diamond is gorgeous as well. Quickfire will quickly turn from creamy vanilla to pink to a darker pink. Limelight starts out a pale lime green vanilla then changes to vanilla then to pink and then darker as the blooms age. Quickfire will usually bloom earlier in the season than Limelight, thus giving you a wide range of blooming time with these two. You will enjoy whatever you choose I am sure.

It takes 5 years or more. That is why they are expensive, compared to regular forms. Since somebody has already done the hard work for you, since you will get instant results by buying the tree form shrub, since it sounds like this will not break the bank aaaand since it is marked down in price, I would suggest you buy the tree limelight. Still, call a few other local nurseries to see if they have it for even less. This post was edited by luis_pr on Tue, Sep 24, 13 at 7:56

If you already have a tree-form Limelight, aka a 'standard' Limelight, then yes, it helps to stake it for a few years. Better yet, as time passes while it is staked, evaluate if the location is "too" windy and, if so, move it elsewhere... If the weather gets too windy during a storm and the location is subjected to strong winds, the winds can damage/collapse the tree. If you see the staked tree moving too much during storms, consider if another location might be safer/better. People have posted before saying this has been a problem with tree hydrangeas in windy spots.