Paniculata, mophead and arborescens leaves dis not do well in full sun for me in zone 7b/8a so I would suggest afternoon shade or use a shade cloth. You are welcome to try though. Now will not be an issue but water a lot in the summer and keep an eye then on the leaves/blooms for signs of sunscorch.

From the end of April till early October almost every day is over 90 degrees, reaching up to 114 degrees. I have never used a shade cloth, but am willing to try. Do you think a limelight would fare ok?

@luis_pr Thank you. I'll try the Little Lime. Like you, I prefer the lime green/white coloring over the pinkish shade, and I do have bright shade spot in my yard that would accommodate the smaller size of the Little Lime over the Lime Light. I'm sad to hear that the whites are different between Lime Light and Little Lime. Hopefully I'll like it. Thank you for the great tips!

Hi Tina! I’m in San Jose CA zone 9b and I’m hoping to grow Little Limes but many growers only recommend them for zones 3 to 8 although Monrovia and Nature Hills say zones 3 to 9.

Did you plant your Little Lime? If so how did it do? And if anyone else has grown Little Limes in zone 9 I would really appreciate hearing about your experience! Thanks so much!

Can’t really comment on Z8/9 ..if we get 10 days a summer at 90+( 3days in a row is Heat wave) never mind 100 days... BoBo Hys Do just find in all day sun here

Not sure how well it will do in Zone 9 but, you made me remember a picture I saw a while back. It was Limelights and a red Crape Myrtle, repeated (L, CM, L, CM, L, CM, etc), and it looked fantastic. Somewhere in California... wish I remembered where. Oh well.

I would not expose LL to too much sun in warm locations. In my zone 8 and with my hot summer sun, the leaves suffer so, morning sun & afternoon shade would be my recommendation. LL in plain full but bright shade will stay lime green for longer periods of time than if it had more direct sun. Direct sun tends to trigger color change from lime to white-ish so if you prefer the lime green then give it more shade; if you want the white-ish then give it more sun. LL blooms are a little off white while plain Limelight is a bit more pure white if that makes any sense.

Luis - out of curiosity, are you saying LL does better in more extreme heat than Bobo? I have both - LL is in a container, Bobo and Strawberry Sundae are in the ground. The LL is bigger, both less compact and larger leaves.

No, I do not have Bobo so I could not compare how Bobo does in my zone against LL. SS's blooms trnded to turn pink and then brown, never turning magenta pink.

In San Jose I would either plant any panicled Hydrangea in a spot that already has afternoon shade or choose a different plant. Shade cloth isn't ornamental, and putting in shrubs in a spot that would require it seems self-defeating as far as having a garden that looks beautiful.

Thanks Luis - I planted my SS this year, and when my in-laws purchased it for my wife, it had faded pink flowers, not magenta. However, I expect I'll get a better idea of how it will perform in my yard this summer. As a fan of the bonsai page, I really like the compact form and small leaves of the bobo and ss.

I hear you. I too prefer the compact forms too as I am running out of shaded space. ;0)

Yep - I've lived in the city for a decade, but my wife and I just purchased a home. Despite my love for potted plants that are indoor all winter, we opted to live in an area that was more of a neighborhood - if we have kids, they will have many friends and parks, though a very small yard - rather than living in a suburban/rural area where I could have many plants. So I have to be selective!

Thanks everyone for your help. I was really hoping Tina would chime in saying she had successfully grown Little Lime in Sacramento but no such luck. Yes, I agree afternoon shade would be best. But, like my zone I'm afraid the spot I have in mind is on the borderline and may not offer enough shade. Oh well, I'll give it a try and be sure to report back. Hopefully I'll be posting a pretty photo.

Luis, thanks for the interesting tips on bloom colors of 'Little Lime'. I'll be happy with either the lime green or the white, as long as the plant is healthy.