Thank you, Rb!

I checked the soil - indeed, it was still moist at about 4 inches below. Therefore, I have stopped watering the tree completely.

I am just kicking myself completely - when I planted it, it was absolutely fine for weeks, until the last couple of weeks... if it were transplant shock, wouldn't it have started immediately after I planted it?

I think that I have (hopefully ALMOST, but not quite) murdered the beautiful thing.... SIGH.....

I guess all I can do now is to keep my fingers and toes and everything else crossed, and hope for the best, right!?

I am just kicking my own behind as I write...

Rb,
You said,'Annual pruning back to the 2nd leaf bud on each branch will produce larger, but fewer flowers. No pruning will produce more, but smaller flowers.'
Agree, but would like to add that not all paniculatas created equal in their habit and in a some landscaping situations you might want to see an arching shrub and in another more upright one will be more to your liking.
By using the difference in responces to the different type of pruning you may create more upright PG-Limelight and arching Kuyshy-Tardiva...
...or create a semi-arching to semi-upright hybrid by pruning some branches to 2nd and some to 4-5th leaf buds.
Here is the illustration to the above thesis

Rb and George - I checked the tree this morning. The very wilted leaves were OK again. I think the incredible heat (90F!!!) yesterday made them wilt. However, there are many more yellow leaves now.... when the plant is in distress like this, should one prune off the flowers and some of the leaves??? Please advise! Thanks.

George, thanks for sharing your pruning techniques. That's very good to know.

ostrich,

Sounds both to be heat distress and root problems. As a rule I would always remove blooms, excess leaves and branches to help with root establishment. If it starts to droop again, you have to suspect the roots are probably not processing properly. So keep it evenly moist but not overwatered. When the heat gets too harsh, can you put up a shade tent? I once covered a Nikko hydrangea with netting during it's first season to help it survive our harsh summer heat. It fully recovered by teh second season.

Ianna

Ianna

ostrich...One of my P.G. trees has lots of yellow leaves, but they are due to lack of moisture. That one has received
only rainfall this summer, which has been a Grand Total of 3½ in. during a consecutive period of almost 5½ months.
About 20% of our normal rainfall. We are sitting under a tremendous High pressure dome, that extends from east Tex, across the Atlantic to southern Europe. It keeps the Hurricanes at bay, but doesn't allow Low pressure systems and rainfall to penetrate this far south. I don't worry about it (the P'G'), as it will be back next year. If we don't have any rain before first freeze, I will water it.

George, I agree that the multistem shrubby type requires a different pruning technique, than the standards (tree type).
I have 3 old P.G.'s (at least 25 years old and the only type panics available around here, at the time), that I trained into standards. If not hard pruned each year, I get a tremendous amount of dieback underneath the canopy each year. The canopy is about as wide as the plants are tall and there is no sunlight reaching the lower branches. At least I surmise that is causing the dieback. Any opinions? or is it just old age?
I have 4 or 5 of the modern cultivars that I am growing as shrubs and haven't had that problem with them, even though they have never been pruned.
My recent attempt to train a 'Chantilly Lace' into a standard failed. It reached a height of about 8' and suddenly died. I will not tell you what stupid mistake I made that caused that untimely demise!
Rb

Rb, you don't tell us because you don't want us to know or because you don't know?
Just kidding (gggg).
Re: dieback.
It's my understanding that PG trained as a standard and left to its own for years (typical example would be old PGs growing at cemetaries) could become very unkemp looking by the reason I call 'visual dieback'. I have an unsubstantiated theory about this and would be glad to have everybody's opinion about it.
As branches become thicker and thicker bark on them become thicker as well, leaf buds can't penetrate it and new growth occures only at the tips of the old long branches. Some adventurous buds that still will be able to grow thru the old bark spend most of their energy to do so and are not productive. Since new growth is not produced anymore neither from the base of the tree nor from the most of the lenghts of the old branches you'll see new growth and flowers only on outside part of the plant.
That is creating how I call it a 'visual dieback' effect.
In a PGs trained as a trees this effect could ruin the whole appearance while in a shrub form it doesn't play such role.
Hope you remember this pictures I posted here a few times
{{gwi:394979}}
{{gwi:245335}}

Obviously nobody pruned this, planted in 1978, shrub for at least last 20 years. I got a chance to see it very close. Upon close inspection the main trunk become a 6 or 7 trunks growing together sometimes splitting, but sometimes growing one into each other. Nevertheless, of all 15-16' width of it, only outer 4 to 5' has viable buds in a spring, but that is enough to cover all ugly insides and create the most stately and gorgeous PG I ever saw.