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I had to deadhead my Limelight blooms today...

16 years ago

I don't know if it's because my Limelight is in a full sun location or what... but after the initial glorious period with all the lovely, erect green blooms, they started to droop and now they are just plain ugly. The blooms started to turn a little pink, but many of them also turned brown too. Also, suddenly, many of the leaves turned yellow and brown over the last couple of days (probably because of this crazy weather this summer - it's suddenly hot, then cold, with very erratic raining pattern too). The entire thing was just plain UGLY. So I just went out there today and deadheaded all the blooms and now it looks a bit less ugly...

Anyway, I am going to prune my Limelight quite a bit as you guys suggested on other threads this coming spring. I really did not do any pruning last year. I can't wait to see how it's going to affect the shrub's shape and blooms! :-)

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Comments (4)

malorn
16 years ago
Sounds like mine...although I just planted mine and I'm sure it's just suffering from planting stress..

I haven't pruned or deadheaded mine..as they still look good, but lots of yellow and brownish leaves..with weak stems...

there is a great link...that I can't find now but read it within the past few days (I know it is on this first page of forums...) that someone posted about how to stake limelights to strengthen the branches for the future..It sounded like something I want to try with mine...

But anyway...sorry about your limelight...might be doing it to mine soon...
ostrich
Original Author
16 years ago
malorn, I think that this has to be the ugliest time of the year for Limelight! LOL

Actually, it was much uglier this time last year (it was planted just last year). It's so much prettier this season already. The late spring/early summer show my Limelight put on was totally glorious. I think that as the Limelight ages, it will just get better looking every year... at least, this is what I am hoping for! :-)
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ianna
16 years ago
It's okay to deadhead in the fall. But more to the problem.

The symptoms seems to point to root damage and so can I ask if this is a new transplant? Is it in dry soil conditions?

Limelights can withstand full sun but prefer part sun area. It also prefers a relatively moist location as mine were.

regarding staking.... I would recommend more to remove the weaker branches and leave behind the stronger stems. I found the weaker (under) branches to be more of a 'sucker' branch. In anycase these plants can grow up to 6 feet tall and so I had removed the lower thin branches and let the plant grow taller. If you really wish to use stakes. Use bamboo stakes and interweave a net using good garden twine, and do this early in the season before the shrubs starts to leaf out.

Ianna

Ianna
ostrich
Original Author
16 years ago
Ianna, thank you for your input. I think that some of the leaves started to turn yellow and brown because of our bizarre weather this year. It was hot one day, then cold the next. It was a drought for weeks and then suddenly we had days of downpour. It was just not good for these poor plants! I did not transplant the Limelight. It was a 3 gallon plant that was planted in the ground last summer. So it really has been in the flower bed for just over a year. It had many yellow leaves last year, but this year, it has done very well comparing to last year.

I will remove some of the weaker branches next spring.

Thank you!

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