How to prune new limelight into tree form?

9 years ago

I've just purchased these 2 limelight hydrangeas from the garden center. I'm very new to gardening and part terms on plants. So please forgive me if I should be calling certain areas of the plant, by different names. I tried to pick two limelights that had thick single bases. Now my question is, do I trim them further to get the tree shape going, or keep all new growth off of the base stem area and in a few years it will get taller and form the tree? Im not concerned with flower production this year, so pruning now and removing buds isnt a concern.

The option to purchase limelights already trained as a tree was not in my budget. Being in the northern VA/DC metro area they want $80 plus per small tree. These two were only $16 each, much more budget friendly. Im sure it will take a few years, but I dont mind the wait. I've included a photo of one of the bushes.

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Comments (5)

October_Gardens
9 years ago
1. Often Home Depot / Lowes will have trees 5+ feet tall by 3-4' in diameter for no more than $40.
2. That plant's base in the photograph will not get taller.
3. You'd need to pick a single branch that is the most upright, shear off everything else, plant in ground with nothing but that branch above the soil/mulch.
4. Each year, lop off any new growth that isn't forming near the top of the trunk.
5. Apply one or two stakes tied alongside the trunk to keep it from leaning one way or another.
6. Good luck!

What I don't know is how many years it takes for the selected new main trunk to get x" thick. To produce 20+ good branches up to, the trunk should be nearing 2" thick to a) support the weight and b) transfer water / nutrients. I personally recommend starting the selected trunk at a height of 3-4', as Limelights normally don't exceed 8-10' in total.
Ruth_MI
9 years ago
Three or four years ago, when Vanilla Strawberry was new, I was enamored with the glowing descriptions and thought it would be fun to try to grow a tree form. VS in not known for its strong stems, but of course I didn't know that at the time.

I got a great deal on a one-gallon plant with a strong center branch so decided to experiment. I didn't have a spot where I really wanted or "needed" the finished product. I'm glad.

For one thing, even if you don't pinch the main stem, next year it will want to branch at the top (at least mine did) and you have to pinch off one side of that growth and try to get the remaining stem to grow straight up.

Mine does NOT have a nice straight "trunk" look. I don't know if that will get better as years go by. Also, I seem to have a couple places where the bark looks injured. I'm not sure if I (or the deer) ran into it, or if it's from pruning off side branches.

This is the first year I'll have blooms, so I'll see what it does. But the bottom line is that I have three or four years invested in a something that may always have an unattractive trunk, or may have problems from its bark issues.

I'm still glad I did it, but my goal was fun and experimentation, and I think I have under $10 invested.

I'd think about growing those as shrubs (and I love Limelight!), or returning them and keeping an eye out for a sale on the tree form.
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macgyver2009
9 years ago
If you can live with the look, you could consider a multi-trunk tree rather than a single trunk. I can't see for sure in your picture, but it doesn't look like there is a strong single center stem to work with. I planted a one gallon limelight in summer 2008. I"m not good at imagining final size. Although I thought I allowed enough space, by 2013, it was too big. Mine had a natural divide between the top of the shrub and the bottom, so last fall I pruned off the bottom leaving a multi-trunk tree. It's not ideal, but it works a little better in its space. No matter how you do it, it will likely take 3 or 4 years before it starts to look like a tree.

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BungalowMonkeys
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you for the responses. Once I sat down to trim them, it didnt take long to realize I was about to butcher them. 40$ is a doable price for something that will be a focal point, 80$ just hurts. I've found that even typical homedepot and lowes prices are a good deal higher here, than say where family lives in AZ, or even KY. It's aggravating.

I love how you did the multi trunk, that looks really good. I think im just going to plant them in the back and then do a multi in a few years when they get bigger. Its pretty crazy how little you see them out here in Virginia. Ive already had a few people stop in the neighborhood to ask what they were.

When you did prune yours as a shrub, how did you do it? Did you cut it down to a certain height, back to the ground, or just thin it out?

The picture is what I originally wanted to do around my deck. Think it will look better as a multi trunk.
macgyver2009
9 years ago
I never pruned my Limelight at all until last fall. I only ever snipped off the dead flowers each spring. It filled in nicely on its own.