Tips for Creating Your Own Incrediball® Hydrangea Hedge 

Yay! Your hedge is going to be beautiful. Happy Gardening :)

Thank you for the kind feedback!

Yay!! Thank you so much for the kind feedback :) You will need to send us photos of your hedge once you get it planted :)

Hi there how did making your limelight hedge go? I’m about to start! How far did you space?

So far so good! I planted 8 of them about 3 feet apart. I started with 3 gal plants so hopefully I won’t have to wait as long for them to be full sized. They look great so far and I can’t wait for them to flower

*I planted them 3 feet from the center of one plant to the center of the next

So excited to hear this! The cone shaped flowers can add so much shape and texture to a garden :)

So glad you had an opportunity to see this and the garden! It is truly stunning! 🤗

That is fantastic!! So glad you were inspired by this video, it sounds like you have an awesome hedge going! There are a number of factors that influence flower size. The most crucial is maturity - once a plant is well-established, it then has the energy to put into flower production. We've found that Incrediball plants usually need around 4 years or so to begin to achieve maximum flower size. Second, pruning: you should go ahead and prune your plant back by about one-third its height each spring. This ensures the growth for the season will come from the thicker buds lower down on the stems rather than the thin buds at the top - the larger the bud you cut back to, the bigger the flower will be. Finally, water. If a plant is stressed or not getting enough water, it will definitely influence flower formation. Fertilizer and mulch will help too. We'd love to see photos of your hedge if you ever wanted to share them! If you post on social media and use the #pwccshrubs. We'd love to see it :)

@@pwcolorchoice - for the last three seasons I've been adding 3 gallon Incrediball for a total now of 45. I've lost about 6, meaning I had 51 bushes. But the ones that I planted two seasons ago are BIGGER, beautiful, stronger, and thriving. And from your explanation above, I'm confident that my incrediball fence will look like your magnificent video. I'm not going to stop until my hedge looks beautiful like yours... :) Yes, I cut them back every spring. This year I'm installing my drip line, probably this weekend. I do fertilize early spring with rose tone. And I water them well to keep the soil moist. Just yesterday morning when I watered, I used Hydrogen Peroxide in the water to combat root rot, and to help with oxygen. And, yes, they are full sun. I discovered that I had a gift with all sorts of hydrangeas during COVID. Now it's a complete obsession / hobby. I've got the Endless Summers on the east side of my house. Last fall they turned dark red. I learned how to turn them blue. I purchased some powder Aluminum alkaline, and for the last three months I water in the Aluminum Alkaline on the first of each month and they're turning purply... I've learned that it could take a couple seasons before they turn the BEAUTIFUL BLUE that I'm working toward. LOTS of blooms on these bushes... I have the Strawberry Vanillas in my front yard landscape and they are blooming beautifully. I'm working on getting those more pink. And lastly, I have my limelights. I'm having fun with Hydrangeas, and my landscaping is blowing me away, and my neighbors are complimenting my landscaping. I added different varieties of Cannas and elephant ears dressed with sweet potato vines... I'M TRULY HAVING FUN in my garden. I'll come back in a couple weeks and share photos. Thanks so much for your response and perfect advice. Now I'm aware that TIME and cutting them back in early spring will make them more beautiful once they're fully established. That's my goal, to make them show stoppers... lol. God bless you.

Thank you so much for the wonderful comment! The trees planted next to this hedge are Amelanchier (serviceberry) trees! Your birch idea sounds like it is going to be gorgeous and love that you're helping out our pollinator friends! We do not have a drawing of this bed but will look to create one in the future, thank you for that suggestion! Stacey is great! She is indeed a horticulture expert and actually has written a book, not on hydrangeas but still a fantastic one :) www.amazon.com/Edible-Spots-Pots-Small-Space-Vegetables/dp/1609619595

@@pwcolorchoice Fantastic!!! And great to know about the serviceberry trees. Another idea that just dawned on me would be to use Redbud trees. Lovely but fleeting color in the Spring for us. Also, I’m considering mirroring your amazing hydrangea hedge design on the other side of the garden using Natchez Crape Myrtles and Reeves spirea. Perhaps even vitex/Chaste trees in the middle? Ohhhh how I am inspired by your wonderful videos! All the best to you all.

@@neenahjohnson7960 Redbuds would be quite a spectacular show when they are in bloom and with their fall color! You could even plant other plants accordingly so you have different seasons of interest :) All of your ideas sound so amazing! You will definitely need to keep us updated with what you choose! :)

Wahoo! Make sure to give your hydrangeas a good 2-3" layer of mulch to help keep the roots cool :)

Well hey there neighbor! :)

This hedge is planted on an elevated berm that is around 1-2' high. The hedge runs east to west :)

@@pwcolorchoice Thank you for your reply. I thought it looked like it was elevated. Do you have drip tubing under the mulch?

@@rhondaduncan7602 Of course! There is not drip irrigation for this, just regular sprinklers.

@@pwcolorchoice 👌👍

So glad you found this helpful! For your underplanting, it really will depend on what color scheme you're wanting. Once you have a good idea for the color then you can think about whether you'd prefer annuals, perennials, or shrubs! If you want to change it up each year you could go with annuals and try out a few different ideas, with shrubs and perennials you'd be able to keep those in and not have to get more each year. There are so many different looks you could go for so it's hard to say just one haha! Here's a link to our Gardening Simplified catalog that will give you a lot of different ideas with shrubs you could use, digitaledition.qwinc.com/publication/?i=690731 We also have a video playlist for this catalog where you can get even more ideas :) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-eE_hdSZX_P8.html If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to reach out :)

Sorry for the delayed response, I just saw this question! If you are planting against a fence you don't need to plant two hydrangeas side-by-side, you only need to do this method if you're wanting the blooms to cascade over both sides but because you will have a fence on one side this isn't necessary for you. You don't need to plant them on a slant either, the blooms will drape on the side that doesn't have the fence naturally. I hope this helps!

So glad you found this video helpful! 🤗

They will still have flowers on all sides of the plant, so they will have flowers on the side that faces the fence. How close to the fence you plant them will be determined by if you want them to grow right up to the fence or have some space - if you want them to grow right up to the fence then planting them about 3' from the fence would be good. For a continuous hedge, you want to plant the center of each plant half the width size so Quick Fire Fab grows to be 5-6' wide. meaning you would want to plant the centers of each plant 2.5-3' apart ☺

I would suggest planting them in separate holes but back-to-back with one another :)

There are a lot of great hydrangeas to use for hedges like this :)

For planting, you will do two plants back-to-back so that the hedges have a full look on both sides - because they are the same width apart from the plantings on either side, you will plant those two back-to-back hydrangeas 3-4' from the next set of back-to-back ones and so on. Yes, the established cedars would definitely compete with the hydrangeas for water. However, if you have an irrigation system that runs regularly, it's unlikely to be an issue in the long run, though I would recommend giving them supplemental water for their first season to really help get the roots established enough to begin competing effectively. And of course, a good 2-3" layer of shredded bark mulch will be really helpful.

@@pwcolorchoice Amazing - thank you SOO much for this information!!!! I just planted the cedars a few weeks ago, so not sure if that makes a difference?! Looking forward to getting my hydrangeas in the ground :)

@@Aphilla4 Of course! Your idea sounds beautiful! 😍 With all of those plants just getting established I would just make sure to keep them well watered while they're getting established 😄

That is exciting! I would say to have the center of the plant 4' from your porch, similar to how far apart the hydrangeas are planted from one another in this video :)

Pruning can help to encourage stronger stems - we recommend you do this in early spring when the buds begin to swell noticeably. You will want to cut the whole plant back by one third, making cuts just about 1/4 of an inch above a bud.

For us here in West Michigan, Incrediball usually starts blooming within the first ten days of July. Since it does depend on how hot it is, this can be pushed into very late June in some years, but July is more typical. In USDA zone 7, I'd expect you'd be at least two weeks ahead of us, if not three or more, so I'd say early-mid June would probably be typical for you. 🙂

Good question! There are two plants that are planted side-by-side with one another so you get the draping effect on both sides of the hedge.

Thank you!

@@pwcolorchoice how far apart do you plant the two of them that are side by side(one to the front one to the back if you are looking straight on)?? We have just purchased little lime punch and little lime to do this exact hedge.

@@dakemabesemer9481 They are planted back-to-back in the hole, so if you're looking at straight on, one in front and one in back 😄

Yay!! I would contact your sales rep for that question, springmeadownursery.com/pages/contact-us#accountManager

At this point I would just go in and remove any full dead branches. Come next year, you will want to prune the plant in early spring - when the buds begin to swell noticeably. To do this you will cut the whole plant back by one third of it's total size and make your cuts just about 1/4 of an inch above a bud. ☺

That is very sweet of you ☺ The maintenance required would be to keep them watered if she does not have irrigation set up and then it is recommended to prune the plants in early spring. When the buds begin to swell noticeably, cut the whole plant back by one-third. Make cuts just about 1/4 of an inch above a bud. If you wanted to avoid having to prune, you could go with a type of hydrangea that doesn't require pruning like our Let's Dance hydrangeas, www.provenwinnerscolorchoice.com/lets-dance-hydrangeas/

Sorry for the delayed response - RU-vid didn't notify me about your question! You will want to plant them side-by-side :)

So glad you enjoyed the video! They should do just fine, both of those plants like sun to part sun. Just be sure to keep them well watered and give them a good 2-3" layer of mulch to help keep the roots cool. You'll need to send us some photos once they get established :)

@@pwcolorchoice thank you for the advice, now I'll just have to plan and take action to make it happen. I've collected most of your panicle hydrangeas though, moving on other types, obsession or addiction with PW hydrangeas is my personal issues 🤣

@@pc0086 Hahah! I can imagine that you have quite a beautiful garden :)

@@pwcolorchoice I'm trying, just started last year, still baby step 😃

@@pc0086 Gotta start somewhere right? :)

Thanks so much! To help the hedge have a more full look, there are two hydrangeas that are planted side-by-side with one another - one for the front of the hedge along the driveway and one along the back along the garden walk. So it is still all in one big row, with two plants side-by-side for each planting space. Does that make sense?

@@pwcolorchoicehow wide will it get if you plant it back to back like that

@@sokhombin9493 Around 8-10'!

They likely wouldn't produce quite as many blooms, and their stems may be a bit weaker due to the lack of energy from the sun.

Wow, your garden sounds very impressive! It is a good idea to prune these hydrangeas in early spring, just as the new growth begins to emerge. Remove up to one-third of the height each year to encourage vigorous new growth and strong stems to support the flowers. :)

If you have the patience and want to try it, buy one healthy nice sized hydrangea and take cuttings and try to propagate it. Mike Kincaid has several helpful RU-vid videos on this. It's not hard. Just takes patience, knowledge, care, and a little luck. I'm trying to propagate my little lime and oakleaf hydrangeas.

@@SX-sv6vo Thank you, I will give it a try after I watch his videos.

That sounds really beautiful! As long as you are growing them in a space that fills both of the plants growing requirements and keep them well-watered while getting established, you should be good to go ☺ I'd also recommend adding a good 2-3" layer of mulch

We suggest pruning these hydrangea in late winter/early spring so you're not cutting off any new flower buds. Sometimes hydrangeas need a little time to get established so I would just keep them well watered and make sure they have a good 2-3" layer of mulch and the prune them back by 1/3 of the total plant height in the late winter :)

Proven Winners ColorChoice Flowering Shrubs I really appreciate you taking the time to give me some feedback. I cannot wait until this hedge turns huge :)

@@chrisolson1755 Of course! Always happy to help :) You will need to send us some photos of the hedge once it fills out :)

Proven Winners ColorChoice Flowering Shrubs I promise I will and I will tell everyone who is willing to listen that they need one too 😁

@@chrisolson1755 You are wonderful!

This should be fine - it's not unusual to plant a hedge like this that's staggered instead of in a straight line, it's a good way to get more coverage with fewer plants. ☺

@@pwcolorchoicethank you

@@Lisasharp76 Always happy to help! 😄

They do! This hedge is actually located in West Michigan ☺

Yes, for this hedge there are two hydrangeas planted side-by-side so that it would have a more full look and blooms cascading on both sides. This isn't necessary to do but if you're looking to make a large hedge it works very well :)

@@pwcolorchoice can we jeep 2 plants in one huge pot for 3-4 years ?

@@kingston5885 It is possible, but there are a few things to consider to ensure this would be successful - here's a helpful article that covers that information! www.provenwinners.com/learn/container-gardening/how-grow-hydrangeas-containers

They were planted as three gallons and yes, very close to one another - back-to-back but make sure to not top the root balls on one another ☺

Hello! You will want to plant the center of each hydrangea 6' apart :)

That is fantastic! Really, either 4' or 6' wide for the mulch bed would work. The hedge in this video is around 6-8' wide so if you really wanted to hide the mulched area, 4' would work. However, if you're using landscape fabric, you'll need to make sure that the fabric isn't laid directly around the base of the plants or it could overheat the roots of the plants. So it might require you to go up to the 6' to ensure you have enough space away from the plants. The plants in this hedge were planted directly side-by-side and I'd recommend keeping them close so you get a nice full look and no spaces in the middle between the two :)

@@pwcolorchoice Hi - I’m doing something similar to Zach and planting a 130ft hedge but with proven winners limelight hydrangeas. Just had a couple questions if you don’t mind A) Would you recommend planting two side by side for your limelights or do they grow more rounded and two side by side isn’t needed to accomplish that look? B) What distance would you space between them to create a hedge? Was reading that they are bigger then the incrediballs so was thinking 5ft from plant to plant. C) Is there any fertilizer or plant food you’d recommend using when planting? Thank you!!

@@alexegan6963 Yay!! Whether or not you want to plant two Limelights side-by-side will depend on the width you'd like the hedge to be. It grows to be around 6-8' wide so it is larger than Incrediball, which grows to be 4-5'. The hedge in this video was planted with two next to one another because the owner wanted a larger width and to get a cascading look on both sides of the hedge. For spacing, 5' would work well! You want to aim around half of the finished size, so half of 6-8' I'd recommend keeping it around 4-5' apart. It isn't necessary to fertilize, but if you'd like to you can use a Rose-tone fertilizer :)

We are a wholesale nursery so we sell to growers/garden centers who then grow the plants more for sale. As for pruning, it depends on the type of hydrangea you have, some varieties bloom on old wood, some on new wood, and some on both. Depending on the type of hydrangea you go with, this will determine if and how you would prune them, here's a helpful article where it talks about each type of hydrangea and if/how you should prune them :) www.provenwinners.com/Hydrangeas-Demystified

They would do great in full sun! Just keep them well watered and give them a good 2-3" layer of mulch :)

@@pwcolorchoice Thank you so much! Can't wait for their arrival tomorrow!

If you only will see the blooms from one side, for example, if you're planting a hedge along your house, it isn't necessary to plant two plants side-by-side. You would only do the two plants next to one another if you would be seeing the hedge from both sides and wanted each to have the blooms draping over.

They are planted back to back, right next to one another but not in the same hole :)

In this video the plants that are back to back are planted right up against one another :)

It is possible there will be small gaps between the plants. You can always re-plant them and move them closer if you prefer the fuller look :)

If you planted them each 5' apart then they will still fill in nicely with one another for your hedge. This hedge was planted with the two plants back-to-back in order to have a draping effect on each side. This hedge is in a larger space and viewed from both sides. Are you also wanting this draping effect on both sides of your hedge? How large were the plants that you planted last year?

They are planted 5 feet apart on a 50 ft berm that is 7 feet deep. Current plants are only 12” tall right now. But I would like this completely filled in for privacy because it borders another property. I also prefer the look of the hedge in this video. So should I plant new ones back to back, or stagger the new plants in front and in between the existing? I just don’t want to crowd/damage future growth.

@@user-ws7ob9rn2x Got it! Thank you for that information. You wouldn't want to stagger the additional plants in when planting because that would cause overcrowding issues. Planting them back-to-back will help you get the look like the hedge in this video. If you're able to find plants that are a similar size to your existing ones, that would be great!

Thank you so much, appreciate your help!

@@user-ws7ob9rn2x Of course! Happy Gardening! :)

We have a few options for you! Here's a link with search results for hydrangeas that grow in zone 9, springmeadownursery.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 And here is a video we made on tips about growing panicle hydrangeas in the south :) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Pt8fW1amzuE.html

@@pwcolorchoice such a quick support. Before I click to the link i would like to thank you for your details

@@nhannguyen-mc3ym Of course! Happy to help and if you have any other questions don't hesitate to reach out :)

You'll want to look for a granular (not liquid) fertilizer formulated for woody plants, like a rose fertilizer. ☺

The doubling is more so because the hedge is viewed from both sides, so if you're planting next to your house I would just plant one hydrangea in each spot :)

They typically start with a green coloration and then transform to white and stay white for about 3 weeks to a month before they begin to age.

We actually made a quick video on this topic! You can check that out here :) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-R6cdqL06d8w.html

@@pwcolorchoice Thank you.

@@jerrywhidby. You got it!

These are Incrediball hydrangeas, mypwcolorchoices.com/product/incrediball-smooth-hydrangea/ They will grow great in your zone :)

You can cut off the spent blooms after the plant is done flowering if you'd like :)

Yes, it is good to prune these shrubs back in the spring

They should do fine! Just be sure to keep them well watered and give them a good 2-3" layer of mulch to help keep their roots cool.

So you don't want to plant two of them in the same hole - what this video shows is two plants planted side-by-side so that they would spill over both sides of the hedge. Planting two side-by-side does double the width. I hope this helps!

Unfortunately, deer do enjoy munching on these types of plants. There are sprays some people get to try and detour deer from eating theirs.

Incrediball is a smooth hydrangea, while 'Limelight' is a panicle hydrangea so they are different species of hydrangeas :)

These hydrangeas will grow to be 4-5' wide so we recommend that you plant each hydrangea with their centers 3-4' apart so that they will have a nice full look to them. :)

It will do fine! I'd recommend giving it a good 2-3" layer of mulch to help keep the roots cool and keep it well watered while it's getting established :)

@@pwcolorchoice I have a small yard, so I picked up 4 of them. Can't wait to see how they fill in!

@@Mike_Genisys Yay! You will need to send us some pictures once they get going :)

For this hedge, there are two individual hydrangeas planted side-by-side. This is done so that the draping effect of the blooms happens on both sides of the hedge instead of one.

@@pwcolorchoice hmm, so what’s the spacing between the two? Were they planted root ball to root ball?

@@jtrenda333 For this hedge they're planted right next to each other. This isn't necessary to do - with such a large hedge like this one it helped to ensure blooms draped on both sides.

@@pwcolorchoice So does that mean several sets of two plants planted right next to each other (little to no spacing), with ~ 3 feet of spacing between each set of plants? Are they staggered at all? Thanks.

@@ayikwei388 Yes, that is correct! No staggering. Think of the two planted right next two each other, each as a half of the hedge. Again, this isn't necessary and you can get a great full look by planting one plant and spacing ~3' apart but with larger hedges planting two right next to each other gives a large, full cascading look.

Incrediball is hardy to USDA Zone 3 - 8 (-40°F/-40°C), it would get too hot in zone 10b for this hydrangea.

​ I live in England in Zone 9a so I can't grow this 3 - 8 hydrangea! The zone only signifies average low Winter time temperature.

In order to get stronger stems we recommend cutting the hydrangeas back by about one-third of their total height in early spring when the new growth begins to emerge on the stems.

nursery

Hello! I would suggest going to our "Find a Retailer" tab and searching by your zip code, then you will be able to see what nurseries near you carry Proven Winner plants. Here's the link! www.provenwinners.com/retailers/locate

@@pwcolorchoice thank you!

Two plants side-by-side per one spot

Thank you! I am thinking of doing this exact same thing on a 20’ fence line this spring. I never would have thought to do it this way. I love the strong stems and no flops. What are some good hydrangeas that grow blue that grow about the same size to keep the hedge straight?

@@aaronwilliams9460 This could be a good option for you! www.provenwinners.com/plants/hydrangea/lets-dance-rhythmic-blue-reblooming-hydrangea-hydrangea-macrophylla

@@pwcolorchoice thank you for the help! How far out from the fence do you suggest I plant them?

@@aaronwilliams9460 Of course! :) Rhythmic Blue gets to be around 4' wide so if you plant them 2' from your fence then they could go right up to the fence without getting squished and also giving you 2' on the side opposite of the fence. Super excited for you and you'll need to send us pictures when you get them planted! Don't forget to add aluminum sulfate to your soil so you get the blue blooms :)

Hopefully we will be able to work out a way to do this in the future! Thanks so much for watching the video!

How exciting! There are two hydrangeas that are planted side-by-side so that they each cascade on either side of the hedge. For planting the hydrangeas down the hedge, Limelight Prime grows to be 4-5' wide, so you will want to plant them so that the bases are 4-5' apart :)