I have a row of 8 Limelights that are four years old now. I'm south of you and am in the midst of at least the second brutally hot dry summer since I put them in. All of these plants are in full sun with only a couple hours of sort of filtered light in the morning from a couple trees. Basically it's sunny all day where they are. I fertilize them with Osmacote to make sure they're fed well and have strength to withstand the heat. I try to keep them watered, especially when it's hot and dry. My plants started as one gallon plants and now they're all six feet tall (and some a little taller) so just hang in there--your yearling will take off. Last summer was tough--the leaves will wilt and drop off when it's hot. Just keep watering, especially if the pannicles start to wilt (that's when the plant is really suffering). All the leaves won't fall off and the blooms won't die. Limelights are tougher than other varieties. They can tolerate full sun. We're just having some unseasonably hot weather. If you're really nervous about the location, make sure there's slightly more sun than shade where you move the plant just to be sure it gets enough sun.

thanks for the tips...I suspected that might be the best choice, the downside is that the north facing side of my GH is really isolated and out of view from about everything. So they wont get many "looks", but maybe I can figure a way to position them on the corners so that they can peek around from each end and be seen.

Hello, Jorge. May is the start of summer in Texas. Hydrangeas that are planted this year have not had much time to acclimate and develop large root systems so, they suffer from transplant shock and these wilting episodes. Not helping either is their root system that has been cut to fit into a pot. They try to get moisture from the soil as best as they can. Works fine in a greenhouse but not in some gardens. So compensate by giving them soil that drains well (do not plant in caliche soil) and soil that is as evenly moist as you can, meaning no periods of dry soil, followed by wet soil, back to dry soil and so forth. When the big leaves loose moisture faster than the roots can absorb moisture, the leaves wilt and the plant looks "sad". Windy days can also contribute to this problem. So can winds of as little as 5-10mph when you take into account the 100-degree temps we sometimes get daily. So be advised that until the shrub has acclimated to your weather (usually 1 year but it can take up to 3 years) and until its root system has grown some more, it will have these wilting episodes on windy days and between May & when temps go down in September. If you see an extreme wilting episode, immediately give the plant about 1 gallon of water from the base/crown outwards and make sure it has 3-4" of mulch a little past the drip line at all times. But if it is not an extreme wilting episode, check the soil to see if is moist: insert a finger into the soil to a depth of 4" and see if your finger feels dry, moist or wet. If the soil is dry, give the plant 1 gallon of water. If the soil feels moist or wet then let the plant recover on its own. They tend to recover by nightfall or by the next morning. To make sure that the plant can handle our summers, use the finger method daily for 2-3 weeks and write a note on a wall calendar. After 2-3 weeks, review the notes and determine how often you had to water... say every 3/4/etc days. Then set the sprinkler or drip irrigation to provide 1 gallon on that same frequency (every 3/4/etc days). If the temps go up/down by 10-15 degrees and stay there, consider using the finger method for 2-3 weeks to see if you need to tweak things. As we get to the 90-100+ range, increase the amount of water to 1.5 gallons per watering and keep watering when the soil feels almost dry or dry. During this time of high temps, also inspect the leaves weekly to see if the ones in direct contact with the sun are turning all yellow/whiteish (including the leaf veins). This means that the leaves/the plant are getting too much sun. You then could erect some way to give it more shade and transplant it in the Fall when the temps have gone down. I would NOT transplant anything during our hot summers. Give it temp shade yes but not move it. The sun in the summer is too intense here in Texas and hydrangeas of all types should get some respite from the sun starting at around 11am-12pm (latest). No sun afterwards. You can also grow them in a location that is shaded full time, provided that it is "bright" shade, not dense shade. I have tinkered with hydrangeas and camellias positioned such that they get about 2 hours of sun at around lunch time only and I ended with the top leaves yellow and the inside leaves dark green (or burnt looking leaves with camellias). From that, I came with another option for what to do in those cases: put some 30% shade cloth on top of the shrub to provide it with some, but not much, light. Around Sept, temps should go back down and you can revert to watering 1 gallon per watering. Then once the plant goes dormant and the leaves dry out, water 1 gallon per watering weekly or every 2 weeks, depending on how much rain you get. Continue this until approx March-April or when the plants leaf out, that should be when regular Spring rains also show up. If you can, let Mother Nature do some of the watering for you. But remember to water during the winter months weekly or bi-weekly if it is dry. Hydrangea leaves can develop some fungal issues with overhead watering so it is best to water the plants via sprinkler or by hand very early in the mornings (5-6am). If you think that transplanting to a differently shaded place now is what you want to do, you can try that... or wait until the Fall. I do not know how tall the plant is but, you could put an outside chair, an umbrella, whatever, to provide temporary shade in this first summer. Next year, it will not be as bad. Only during the July-September time would I expect wilting episodes. Weather info: in the press, they are speculating that, this summer, we will be under the effects of a La Nina Weather Pattern. That means that we in Texas may get less rain than is usual. Just a f.y.i. Good luck, Luis

Last year Android had Southern Blight, and I treated it with Bayers. It looked ok this spring except for short petioles and rounder leaves, but once the weather got hot, the leaves twisted and then turned brown on the edges. Maybe it's an after effect of southern blight - although Flemish Skies had blight, was treated, and is fine. While hunting for help online, I read that you should re-treat for Southern Blight the next year or two. By then Android was looking horrible, so I dug it up, potted it, and sterilized the shovel. I doused both hostas and the spot Android was planted. It's down to one leaf now. None of this is particularly helpful or comforting. If I find something that works, I'll post. Now I'm wondering if the Bayer treatment has side effects on some hostas.