Hello, JK JK. I am making some assumptions that may not be correct. Needed more info about the so-called late frost and things like watering. But here's a guess: If watering the soil does not quickly perk up the leaves then the late frost zapped the leaves. But killed the plant? Weeeeellllll, these are tough plants and death by a late frost is almost unheard of (but not impossible). Late frosts would hardly damage roots but they would affect the growth above the soil line. Leaves would turn papery-like green and dry. Or they may turn dark green, almost blackish. To find out the condition of the stems or the main trunk, you can lightly scratch the cambium (sp.?) layer with your nails to see if you see green. And if the green stays green. Covering the tree will provide s-o-m-e protection from frost buuut not enough if things get "frosty" enough. If the leaves got zapped by the frost, you should get new leaves later on (wait as this is not an overnight/quick process though). But has something ELSE has occurred? If the late frost happened recently, you should get new foliage after several weeks of waiting. I would be concerned about the main trunk after waiting for leaf out and getting none in 2-4 weeks. If something has happened that killed the main trunk, it sure did not affect the suckers. They look just fine so I have the same hope for the main trunk. But you could kill a main trunk other ways... if temps fluctuated a lot, stayed high enough to break dormancy and then the temps crashed well below freezing; new growth would start from the bottom as new suckers. Or something else happened like borer insects damaged the main trunk. Etc, etc. The suckers appear to be several years old and are looking fine. So hopefully, if this pic is recent, it looks like the frost got to the upper parts of the shrub and not to the suckers. Something frost sometimes does. In the meantime, keep the soil as evenly moist as you can, keep the soil well mulched to conserve soil moisture and keep the soil amended/fertilized as usual (not need to go overboard with more ferts or with more amendments; the regular amts should be fine). Paniculatas develop new stems (suckers) from the base at times. Like yours is doing. Assuming that all is well with the main trunk, these suckers can eventually be pruned off like you would if this was a peach tree producing suckers. In the unlikely event that something did happen to the main trunk, the suckers can be used to re-grow the tree from selected suckers. But that is another story and I think you should first get confirmation that all is well (or not) with the main trunk. Luis

I wouldn’t want to. An established plant will grow to quite close to its original height in just one season, even from a hard pruning down to just a few feet in late winter or very early spring. And if one prunes after growth starts in the spring you may remove the flower buds. Also, every branch would need to be cut by hand, so this would be a time consuming task. Nurseries are in the business of selling and may not be beyond telling you what you want to hear. I would return or find a different spot for Limelight and look at some of the genetically smaller ones that will stay close to the size you want.

Perfectly shaped trees are the exception, not the rule. Imperfect or irregularly shaped features become part of the character of that tree. And in that way, each tree is unique from any other, making it a very special part your garden. :-) I had an Ash tree by the house that the cats would scratch on. The tree finally got so big it didn't bother the tree anymore and the cats moved on.

You will want to watch the ”trunk” of your Limelight. By nature these are large shrubs formed into tree shape by training as they grow. Because the top growth is so damaged, you may find some of the dormant buds further down the trunk wanting to sprout. Just rub them off if small or prune them off if you catch them larger to retain your tree form. Protect it next winter with a tall circle of fencing.