Hydrangea 'Limelight'

Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit

This new Hydrangea 'Limelight' is so amazing that it might as well be a whole new type of shrub. Not only is it much, MUCH cold hardier than most—happy all the way through Zone 4 in the north—but its blooms open green and then progress through 4 different colors.

Hydrangea 'Limelight' begins its show in early to midsummer when plentiful flower clusters of rich chartreuse-to-lime arise all over the large shrub. As they mature, they first turn pure white, then darken to all shades of pink, finally settling on a rich rosy hue. Cut them at any point in the color show and they'll remain that shade, of course—so you can get a 4-color bouquet from a single shrub, and a fully blooming plant has every color present at once.

Now, the flowers arise in big, fluffy domes packed with little florets, and when I tell you that these domes reach 8 inches across, you're just going to have to take my word. The most remarkable thing is not the size of each cluster but the NUMBER of them—they dot this shrub like dewdrops at dawn. And they keep arising for months—well into fall in most climates. Now that's flower power and then some!

Now, Limelight is more than a pretty face. It's easy to grow, and once established is one of the best choices for xeriscapic (water-saving) gardens. It also puts up with heat, humidity, poor soil, and a bunch of other annoyances. Just give it plenty of water the first year or two to get it feeling at home in your garden, then leave it be. You'll be astonished at how carefree and lovely it remains, year after year.

Space these shrubs about 6 feet apart in sun to light shade.