Limelight Pee Gee Hydrangea

Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’

Plant Details

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 3a-8b Find Your Zone

Plant Type: Deciduous Flowering Shrub

Height at Maturity: 7-8′

Width at Maturity: 6-7′

Spacing: 5′ for solid hedges; 12’+ for space between plants

Growth Habit / Form: Dense, Rounded, Upright

Flower Color: Chartreuse, fading to Cream and then to Pink!

Flower Size: Large – up to 12 inches long

Flowering Period: Summer thru Fall

Flower Type: Single in large clusters

Fragrant Flowers: No

Foliage Color: Green

Fragrant Foliage: No

Berries: NA

Berry Color: NA

Sun Needs: Full Sun in North, Part Shade in South

Water Needs: Average, low when established

Soil Type: Clay (amended), Loam, Sand (amended), Silt

Soil Moisture / Drainage: Well Drained Moist

Soil pH: 6.0 – 8.0 (Moderately Acid to Moderately Alkaline)

Maintenance / Care: Very Low

Attracts: Visual Attention

Resistances: Deer – more info, Disease, Drought (when established in part shade), Heat, Humidity, Insect, Sun

Description

As the dog days of late summer set in and most flowering plants are fading out from their summer performances, one shrub will take center stage in your landscape or garden with a commanding presence similar to that of the Chinese Snowball Viburnum: the Limelight Hydrangea. With its huge, 8 to 12 inch long snow cone-shaped flower clusters, Limelight Hydrangea puts on a spectacular show of color in the garden mid-summer through fall. The flowers of Limelight emerge a chartreuse color turning to cream before fading to deep pink in the fall. Soil pH does not effect bloom color. As an added bonus, Limelight blooms make great cut flowers for use in both fresh or dried floral arrangements.

Landscape & Garden Uses

Growing in an upright rounded form 7 to 8 feet tall and 6 to 7 feet wide, the Limelight Hydrangea makes an impressive shrub or tree form specimen all on its own. That said, groupings and hedges of this cultivar are even more spectacular. Also a nice addition to mixed flowering shrub borders, as an accent in home foundation plantings, as a background in perennial gardens, and in large pots, planters or other containers of 18 inches or more in diameter. A fine addition to white color theme gardens and cut flower and cottage gardens.

Suggested Spacing: 5 to 6 feet apart for solid hedges; 12 feet apart for space between plants

Growing Preferences

Limelight Hydrangea is exceptionally easy to grow when planted right and in the right spot. Almost any moist but well-drained soil of average fertility will do. Limelight can take the heat at our location here in north-central Georgia, but it’s also exceptionally cold hardy, withstanding even the coldest winter temperatures as far north as USDA Zone 3a, where it will also tolerate full, all day sun. In the South, zones 7 and below, it will tolerate full sun, but we think it performs and looks its best with some filtered sun or dappled shade during the hottest hours of summer afternoons. At least 5 hours of direct sunlight per day or all day lightly filtered sun is suggested for best flowering. Too much shade and plants become floppy with diminished flowering.

Note: Limelight is a Hydrangea paniculata species that produces its flowers from buds that are formed on “new wood” (the current season’s growth). This means you don’t want to prune them in late spring or summer when they’re preparing to bloom.

For proper pruning time and techniques on various types of Hydrangea see: How To Prune Various Types Of Hydrangea

Helpful Articles

Click on a link below to find helpful advice from our experts on how to plant and care for Hydrangeas.

How To Plant Hydrangeas In The Ground & Pots

How To Prune Various Types Of Hydrangea

How To Fertilize And Water Hydrangeas

Plant Long & Prosper!

Meet The Wilson Brothers & Staff

Questions? Contact Us

Very happy with my order. It was shipped in a timely manner and was packed with care. Looks healthy and I have planted it and it is doing well. Will be checking you out again. Thanks.——————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

THIS plant was very healthy and is prospering well. Packaging was great.—————————–Hey Janet….We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

Limelight Hydrangea came fully intact with beautiful foliage. Very satisfied!——————————-We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

I recently purchased and planted a Limelight Hydrangea in a 3 gallon container. I was nervous as this was the first time I purchased a plant to be shipped to me. The plant arrived so well packaged that no dirt was disturbed. The flowers were full and the leaves were in good shape. I was so thrilled with the quality of my plant I plan on ordering at least 4 more for the spring. I planted it in my yard and it is thriving. I am so pleased with my purchase that from now on I don’t think I will be buying plants any other way.———————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

Very happy with our purchase! Ordering and shipment was super quick and easy, plant arrived intact, healthy, and very secure, held upright in the box with cardboard and staples, and the pot very well-covered. We planted in late May, first photo was taken a few weeks after planting, second photo taken in early August where we have trimmed a few of the original blooms and you can see the new growth. Highly recommend!——————————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

As always, my shrubs arrived quickly and were a great size and in a healthy condition…….my go-to place for quality——————————Thanks for the great review! Beth | WBG

Just a quick note to thank you for the six Limelight Hydrangeas you sent. They arrived safe and sound-your packing was perfect! I am looking forward to creating a perfect hedge for them.———————————————-Hi Cynthia, Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review of the Limelight PeeGee Hydrangea. We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! 🙂 Thanks for the kind words!
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens

I ordered a Limelight for my mother’s birthday a month ago and it arrived so much fuller than my local nursery purchased plants and already blooming. I am jealous! The staff was also kind enough to type up a gift message for me to include in the package.——————————–Hi Lauren, Thanks so much for taking the time to provide your review of the Limelight PeeGee Hydrangea. We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review!
Beth Steele | Wilson Bros Gardens

I purchased one several weeks ago! It is beautiful and healthy! The flowers are blooming and it is so pretty! ——————— WBG Reply: Hi Patty – Thanks so much for your review of the Limelight Hydrangea. Glad to hear you got to see its amazing flowers and hope you enjoy it for years to come! Let us know if there’s ever anything else we can do for you. We’re at your service! – Brent | Wilson Bros Gardens

Arrived promptly and in great shape. All looked healthy. Planted it and it has been thriving. Thinking of buying another one. Thank you! ——————— WBG Reply: Hi Zach – Thanks so much for your review of the Limelight Hydrangea Tree and we hope you enjoy it for years to come. Let us know if there’s ever anything else we can do for you. We’re at your service! – Brent | Wilson Bros Gardens

Ordered three of these; I’d been wanting them for a while but they were really hard to find locally. I stumbled across the Wilson Brothers Garden site by accident – and thought what the heck. Ordered them – they arrived within just a few days, well packed and in excellent condition. And a much larger size, for less money, than I would have paid if I had purchased locally. Planted them two weeks ago – they are healthy, and happy in their new home and I am looking forward to watching them grow and bloom. Planted them in a spot with deep late-afternoon shade, so the blooms would brighten up that space.
—————– WBG Reply: Hi Ken – Thanks so much for the review and sharing your experience with us and future visitors to Wilson Bros Gardens. Hope you enjoy the Limelight Hydrangeas for years to come. Let us know if there’s ever anything else we can help you with. We’re at your service! – Brent Wilson | Wilson Bros Gardens

Tree arrived very quickly, healthy looking tree with just a few broken leaves from shipping. So far it looks like its thriving. ———- WBG Reply: Hi Ricardo – Thanks for the compliments and taking the time to provide your review. Glad to hear your Limelight Hydrangea is thriving. Let us know if there’s ever anything else we can help you with. We’re at your service! – Brent | Wilson Bros Gardens

These Hydrangea’s look great. They arrived without any problems and were healthier than the ones at the local stores. It’s hard to beat the price and conveniance. I will use Wilson Bros. Gardens in the future for sure!

I was very surprised that my hydrangeas had blooms on them when I got them. A friend in the neighborhood has a full grown Limelight and it is absolutely gorgeous in bloom. I had to have one. Glad I bought from this company because they shipped me very healthy plants that were much larger than I ever expected. I will be back again to order more from you. Thanks!