'Limelight' hydrangea named Louisiana Super Plant

Grand Haven Mich. (June 18, 2018) — Proven Winners ColorChoice ‘Limelight’ Hydrangea paniculata has been honored with the distinction of Louisiana Super Plant by the LSU AgCenter. 

The Louisiana Super Plant program highlights tough and beautiful plants that perform well throughout the state of Louisiana, this year selecting the North American garden classic 'Limelight' panicle hydrangea with its distinctive lime-green blooms. 

Heat tolerant to USDA zone 9, ‘Limelight’ hydrangea is a stand out among panicle hydrangeas in its ability to thrive in warm climates. Dan Gill, LSU Ag Center horticulturist, noted this in a recent article on the LSU AgCenter website, stating, “While garden hydrangeas need shade to do well in our climate, panicle hydrangeas like ‘Limelight’ thrive in full sun to part shade (six to eight hours or more of direct sun). It seems odd to plant these hydrangeas in full sun, but they love it.” 

In the article, Gill also praised the performance of ‘Limelight’ stating, “Trials at the LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Station over the past few years have revealed the outstanding characteristics of this plant for Louisiana landscapes.” He continued, addressing its performance in home gardens, with “As people purchased and planted ‘Limelight’ hydrangeas in landscapes over the past years, we have also gotten to see how they performed in home landscapes. And they have been exceptional.”

Bred by Pieter Zwijnenburg in Boskoop, Netherlands, Proven Winners ColorChoice ‘Limelight’ panicle hydrangea features large blooms that are well-distributed across the plant and held up on very strong stems. They start out a refreshing green color in mid-summer and transform to pink and red in autumn, maintaining season-long interest. 

‘Limelight’ panicle hydrangea will add this honor to the list of awards it has earned thus far, including a Gold Medal from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, a 2008 Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit, the 2011 Missouri Botanical Garden Plant of Merit and the 2007 American Society of Cut Flower Growers Cut Flower of the Year.