This is just a guess, but if the Encores were doing well there, I think Limelight would do fine. Mine is planted near several large native trees, is on the further edge from the sprinkler system and is doing beautifully. (It gets aLOT of sun too).

Thanks for all the responses. Just wanted to update in case anyone is wondering...My decision was made for me when I was able to get six 'Honey Maid' hollies that I had had my eye on for $4 each. We planted them as a short hedge in Site "A", because this site is more protected, and I thought would be more suitable for them, in addition to being more effective as a year-round screen because they are evergreen. The 'Limelights' went in Site "B". I think the fun is in seeing how they will do! According to my research, oaks are more deeply rooted than some other trees, so there is not as much concern about underplanting. In my neighborhood, which is unofficially named "Oakwood", you can see many old oaks with shrubs/trees planted underneath. I am very concientious about making sure things stay watered while being established, and we are going to put grass clippings and shredded oak leaves on as mulch on both areas this fall. In the spring we'll put hardwood mulch over these borders, to help hold in moisture. Thanks again for everyones input. Nora

Well, I can only speak from my experience. As you can see from my pictures, I did a really hard prune. I am shocked by how beautifully it has grown back and prolifically bloomed. I don’t think removing them will hurt the appearance of the trees. If you want them to maintain a tree structure I would recommend cutting those suckers off either late fall or early spring. Most people say to prune in early spring but it can also be done in fall. Basically, the suckers are taking energy away from the development of the main tree trunk. Removing them will let the energy go into producing the tree, branches and flowers. Also, downward branches, weak/thin branches and crossways branches should be removed. Hope this helps! debra

From afar, I could not detect subtle symptoms of any glaring problems except for the one without blooms. Its foliage in the picture looks to be too yellow. I would normally not expect the problem to be caused by interveinal leaf yellowing as East Texas soil is usually acidic but, since here in the Dallas/Fort Worth area it is alkaline, that degree of yellowing popped right away. There are two flavors of yellowing: interveinal leaf yellowing and complete leaf yellowing. Too far to identify it. Maybe it is just the camera and sunlight but the others looked green. You may just want to confirm that the soil is acidic using a soil pH meter from just about any plant nursery or HD/Lowes. Alkaline soil can cause the leaf veins to remain green but the space in between turns light green, yellow or even white. To correct interveinal leaf yellowing, you can amend the soil forever using some garden sulfur but, when testing the soil acidity in spots, try to test the area where the roots are probably growing into your garden soil instead of testing the area with the original potting mix which is normally not alkaline. To help with that, imagine the circumference of your original plastic pot around the base of the stems and test soil samples beyond the circumference. Complete leaf yellowing may be caused by: too much direct sun exposure (panicle leaves cannot tolerate full sun in Texas: the leaves will not be pristine by the time our sub 100°F temperatures arrive in September so the leaves may need yet more late afternoon shade regularly... or one-time only this summer); the soil is too wet (maybe the roots are therefore oxygen deprived; cannot absorb some nutrients; etc.) in that spot; or the soil is not draining well there. You can also try to research it has sunk in the planting hole hole and is now lower than the surrounding soil. Panicles also like to show their feet and drop foliage by yellowing due to the typical summer heat stress but that is usually limited to an area close to the crown/base of the stems; some of the leaves there would completely yellow out and drop. A word of caution: I have not tried planting Limelights here in Texas, only the more compact Little Lime, as Limelights tended to get rather large 10 to 12++ feet tall in the New Hampshire area at maturity (10+ years), though plant labels still claim they get as low as 6 feet tall and wide. So, I am not sure just how tall and wide they will get down here in Texas. Thus, monitor their size as they may be too close to other greenery/tree/posts in the picture. The rather shallow (4") root system will be quite vigorous and may compete for water with other plants/trees. As for watering, I maintain 3-4" of organic mulch (no rocks), test the soil almost daily in the summer mornings and water the soil as soon as the soil is almost dry at a depth of 4" in spots under the canopy. Try to use enough gallons of water to ensure you use enough water; the soil should be moist at a depth of 8" after letting the water percolate. If the soil at a depth of 4" is already wet before starting to water, I skip watering. Aim to keep the soil as evenly moist during our summer months of mid-May through September, not dry nor wet. Sometimes, you have to give a pass when they fail to bloom in year 1. I would not be concerned as it has happened to me with other panicle hydrangeas in their first summer. I assume there are no nutrient deficiencies or toxicities in the soil there or debris but you may want to run a soil assay if you wish.