How to Keep Limelight Hydrangea Tree Small

Limelight Hydrangea can grow to 6 to 8 feet. It is big enough for a flower tree. You may want it to remain small. But, how to keep the Limelight Hydrangea tree small? We have the answer for this question and you are able to get the answer below.

Pruning Limelight Hydrangea Tree to Keep It Small

As we mentioned above, Limelight Hydrangea can grow to 6 – 8 feet tall. If you leave them on their own, they can grow as rangy, unkempt shrubs and they will have a lot of stems. However, you are able to keep it small by pruning it.

Limelight Hydrangea is usually trained to a branch-headed standard. There are a lot of people who consider it as the best way to show the awesome beauty of Limelight and cone shaped blooms. But, what is the branch-headed standard? It is a tree or shrub which is pruned and trained to be able to have a rounded mop head of branches on a clear stem.

The panicle hydrangea including Limelight bloom on new wood that develops in the current season, so you are able to prune them any time of year. You are able to do that without having to cut off future flower buds. If you want, you are able to prune it in late winter where the shrub has no leaf yet. So, you will have the best view of the branch structure.

By pruning it, you can reduce the overall size so that it can keep small. If it is larger, you can reduce it to a three to four foot sphere. Do that before the growing starts so that you will not damage any of the coming flowers.

How to Prune Limelight Hydrangea to Shape It Like A Tree

If you want to prune your Limelight Hydrangea to shape it like a tree, the first thing that you have to do is to choose the strongest and straightest upright stem to be the central leader. And then, you are able to remove any other wannabes. If you have a good sized plant, you may already have a suitable central leader. But if not, you may have to use a stake to be able to keep the anointed stem to grow straight up. Then, you are able to tie it to the stake every few inches.

After you choose the stem, it will not have competition. So, it will grow faster and stronger. And then, it will be a genuine trunk. You are able to remove any other shoots which appear from the ground. You are able to shorten the side branches which grow from the primary stem to some leaves and you have to leave it until the primary stem can reach the height that you want. Here, these leaves will function as an energy provider to the growing primary stem. At the end, this central leader will be clear of any side branches for about two or four feet. It may take about one year or two to shape it.

If then the central leader reaches the height that you want, you are able to cut the tip to stop its growth. If you want your Limelight Hydrangea to have a rounded crown on a smooth straight trunk, you have to remove side branches on the lower two thirds of the primary stem when they appear. Once in a year, you have to shorten long branches which grow on the upper third of the primary stem by a third of their total length. When you cut it, at least there will be more branches which will grow below.

The Things to Prepare For Pruning Your Limelight Hydrangea

To prune your Limelight Hydrangea, you need pruning shears. Before you use it to prune your Limelight Hydrangea, you have to make sure that you disinfect it and other tools that you will use for pruning the Limelight Hydrangea.

You have to clean dirt and debris from the blade or shears. By using ethanol or isopropyl alcohol, you have to wipe the tools. You can also use a household cleaner such as Lysol if you do not have ethanol or isopropyl alcohol.

For your information, Hydrangeas are susceptible to some pathogens and diseases. Those include rust, bacterial wilt, and bud light. So, when it is time to prune your Limelight Hydrangea or any other Hydrangea, you have to make sure that the tools that you use for pruning are clean. So, the pathogens from your landscape will not spread to the other tree.

The Other Things You Should Do As A Maintenance

If then you have had a Limelight Hydrangea tree that you want, you have to maintain it so that it can keep small but pretty. So, here are several things that you have to do as a maintenance.

• You have to cut the old flowerheads which are still remaining from the previous season. By doing this, it will encourage new flowering.
• You need to cut the dead branches.
• You have to cut the branches which are crossing or interlocking.

To prune a Limelight Hydrangea into a form of tree and to keep it small is not easy. It is because you have to make sure that the shape is a tree and then you also have to keep it small. However, when you see the result of what you have done with your Limelight Hydrangea tree, you will be satisfied since it will be a beautiful small Limelight Hydrangea tree.

The Other Things Which Must Be Considered To Have An Awesome Limelight Hydrangea Tree

This plant tolerates partial shade. However, it will be better to give it sunlight when it grows. The full sun can mean more flowers. But, if you grow it in the hottest areas, you have to give this variety afternoon shade. At least, it needs four hours of sunlight in a day.

More info: How to Care for Limelight Hydrangea Tree Well

How about the soil? Actually, this plant can adapt to any type of soil, but you have to note that it must drain well. Also, you have to water it regularly especially when the tree is young and during generating flowers.