Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight'
Common Name: panicle hydrangea 
Type: Deciduous shrub
Family: Hydrangeaceae
Zone: 3 to 8
Height: 6.00 to 8.00 feet
Spread: 6.00 to 8.00 feet
Bloom Time: July to September
Bloom Description: Chartreuse-lime aging to rose
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Medium
Suggested Use: Hedge
Flower: Showy
Leaf: Good Fall
Tolerate: Air Pollution
Culture
Best grown in organically rich, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Can be trained as a small single trunk tree, but is best grown as a large, multi-stemmed shrub. May display best shrub form if regularly pruned to a height of 6-10’ tall. This is one of the most winter hardy of the hydrangeas. It thrives in urban conditions. Bloom occurs on current season’s growth, so prune as needed in late winter to early spring.
Larger flower panicles can be obtained by thinning the plants to 5-10 primary shoots. In full bloom, the weight of the flower panicles will typically cause the branches to arch downward.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Hydrangea paniculata, commonly called panicle hydrangea, is a vigorous, upright, rapid-growing, somewhat coarsely textured, deciduous shrub that is native to China and Japan. It typically grows to 8-15’ (less frequently to 25’) tall, and features oval to ovate dark green leaves and upright, sharply-pointed, conical, terminal flower panicles (to 6-8” long) containing both fertile and sterile flowers (mostly non-showy fertile flowers) that bloom from mid-summer into fall.
The genus name Hydrangea comes from hydor meaning "water" and aggeion meaning "vessel", in reference to the cup-like capsular fruit.
The specific epithet paniculata refers to the arrangement of the flowers in panicles.
‘Limelight’ is a slightly more compact cultivar that typically grows to 6-8’ tall and as wide. It is noted for producing large, dense, upright, cone-shaped panicles (to 8” across) of mostly sterile flowers that change color on the shrub as they mature. Flowers emerge creamy white, mature to chartreuse-lime and eventually acquire pink-darkening-to-rose tones before finally fading to beige. As the flower show fades in fall, the oval to ovate, serrate, dark green leaves (to 4” long) turn attractive shades of red. Panicles may be cut for fresh arrangements or for drying, or may be left on the plant where they will persist well into winter. U.S. Plant Patent PP12,874 issued on August 20, 2002.
Problems
Some susceptibility to bud blight, bacterial wilt, leaf spot, rust and mildew. Aphids and mites are occasional visitors.
Uses
Mass or group in a mixed shrub border or open woodland garden. Also effective as a lawn specimen, accent or hedge. Provides late summer bloom when few other shrubs are in flower.
