Little Lime® Hydrangea
Hydrangea paniculata 'Jane' (PP22,330)
Little Lime® Hydrangea
Hydrangea paniculata 'Jane' (PP22,330)
How are the heights measured?
All tree, and nothin' but the tree! We measure from the top of the soil to the top of the tree; the height of the container or the root system is never included in our measurements.
What is a gallon container?
Nursery containers come in a variety of different sizes, and old-school nursery slang has stuck. While the industry-standard terminology is to call the sizes "Gallon Containers", that doesn't exactly translate to the traditional liquid "gallon" size we think of. You'll find we carry young 1-gallons, up to more mature 7-gallons ranging anywhere from 6 inches to 6ft.
How does the delivery process work?
All of our orders ship via FedEx Ground! Once your order is placed online, our magic elves get right to work picking, staging, boxing and shipping your trees. Orders typically ship out within 2 business days. You will receive email notifications along the way on the progress of your order, as well as tracking information to track your plants all the way to their new home!
Why are some states excluded from shipping?
The short & sweet answer is: "United States Department of Agriculture Restrictions." Every state has their own unique USDA restrictions on which plants they allow to come into their state. While we wish we could serve everyone, it's for the safety of native species and helps prevent the spread of invasive disease & pests. We've gotta protect good ole' Mother Nature, after all.
About Me
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The “Little Lime Hydrangea” is great new hydrangea that has the rounded mop-head of the blue and pink hydrangeas, but has fashionable lime green flowers that gradually become white, then rose and red as fall comes. This plant is hardy down to minus 40 degrees, so it is the perfect choice for cooler areas, yet it also grows well right through zone 8. It only grows between 3 and 5 feet tall, so it is the perfect long-blooming choice for a smaller garden or for mass-planting in a larger one. It needs no fancy pruning and it is pest and disease free too, making the perfect choice for those partially shaded areas where other plants do not grow so well.
- Hardy hydrangea grows even in Zone 3
- Mop-head flowers in lime-green, white, rose and burgundy
- Just 3-5 feet tall, so ideal for the smaller garden
- Flowers late in the season when other flowers are finished
- Grows easily in sun or partial shade
Your Little Lime Hydrangea should be planted in a sunny or partially shaded area of your garden. It will grow in any well-drained soil, and benefits from the addition of organic material to the soil. With its smaller size it can even be planted in a container if you only have a terrace or balcony to garden on. Not only does it bloom for 3 months of the year, the branches can be cut and dried, so you can enjoy it for the other 9 months as well.
- Plant Hardiness Zones 3-8
- Mature Width 3-5
- Mature Height 3-5
- Sun Needs Full Sun, Partial Sun
Shrubs that flower later in the season are hard to come by, even more when you need something that is not too big, for a smaller garden, or to fill some spaces in a larger one. So we were really excited when we first saw the Little Lime Hydrangea. Not only did this shrub grow to only 3 to 5 feet tall – a perfect fit for a small garden, but it was absolutely smothered in bloom from July to September – three continuous months of blooming. That much bloom period on a small shrub makes it a real work-horse in the smaller, urban garden, where every plant has to earn its keep – so no room for something that looks nice just one week of the year.
Not only that, we soon discovered that this was a four-blooms-in-one shrub. When the flowers first emerged from between the attractive rich green glossy leaves, they are a beautiful and fashionable pale lime-green color. As they develop they become almost pure white. Then as the first cool nights of fall begin they turn pink, and finally, with greater cold, they turn burgundy. When we saw this we just knew that the Little Lime Hydrangea was a real winner.
Growing Little Lime Hydrangea
Gardeners everywhere love hydrangeas, but if you garden in areas colder than zone 5 your choices are pretty limited. Cold-area gardeners often grow the PG Hydrangea, but that is a large shrub that will grow far too large for a smaller garden. However, the Little Lime® Hydrangea is hardy right down to minus 40 degrees, so there really is nowhere in America so cold this plant will not grow. It will also grow well everywhere else too, so everyone can now enjoy this great shrub, no matter where you live.
Size and Appearance
The Little Lime® Hydrangea grows into a dense shrub 3 to 5 feet tall and about the same across. The flowers are mop-shaped, not conical like its parents, and they are about 5 inches across and 4 inches deep, looking a lot like the flowers on the mophead hydrangeas that grow so well in warmer areas. The leaves are about 2 ½ inches long, rich green in color with attractive soft serrations along the edges of the oval foliage.
Using the Flowers as Decorations
As if three months of bloom outdoors was not enough, you can cut branches of the Little Lime® Hydrangea at any color stage, strip off the leaves and hang them upside down for the flowers to dry. Once dry they can be used around the house for decoration that will last for months and months – even years – bringing color indoors during the long winter and reminding you of the promise of spring and summer to come.
Pruning and Maintenance
Unlike other panicle hydrangeas this one does not need the elaborate pruning required for most other forms – just remove any thin, twiggy growth in late winter, before the leaves start to emerge, and shorten back the stems a little. This plant has no significant pests and diseases, so it really is a low-maintenance shrub perfectly suited for a modern, urban garden.
Uses in Your Garden
It can be planted as a single plant, as a group of three, or mass-planted in semi-shaded areas for great summer and fall interest. If you live in a colder area we recommend planting this shrub behind plants of the Endless Summer Hydrangea, the only true mop-headed hydrangea that will survive minus 30 degrees and bloom pink or blue, depending on your soil. This really is a winning combination for a semi-shade area – lime green blended with pink or blue.
Little Lime Hydrangea History
The Little Lime® Hydrangea is a new plant, derived from a special breeding program in Grand Haven, Michigan, in 2005. Breeders took the Limelight Hydrangea, which is already a great shrub, but grows to about 8 feet tall, and crossed it with other forms of Hydrangea paniculata, to produce this winning seedling. It was immediately recognized as something really special, and it was patented in 2011. Because this plant is patented it can only be grown by selected growers, and our plants are produced the correct way, from carefully chosen stem pieces rooted by experts. No other plant matches the Little Lime® Hydrangea, so beware of cheaper plants without that special name.
