Limelight vs Quick Fire hydrangea
'Quick Fire' flowers weeks earlier than 'Limelight' and turns red; 'Limelight' opens lime-green and stays pale until autumn. Both are full-size panicle hydrangeas, about seven feet. 'Quick Fire' has open, lacy heads that pollinators visit, and they turn pink and then deep rosy red, so it is a red shrub by late summer. 'Limelight' has dense cones that open lime-green in midsummer, turn creamy white, and blush pink only in autumn.
 Panicle hydrangea 'Limelight'Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight' | Panicle hydrangea 'Quick Fire' Hydrangea paniculata 'Quick Fire' | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 7 ft tall, 7 ft wide | 7 ft tall, 6½ ft wide |
| Plant | 6 ft apart | 6 ft apart |
| Zones | 3 to 8 | 3 to 8 |
| Light | Full sun to part sun | Full sun to part sun |
| Soil | Evenly moist, average fertility | Evenly moist, average fertility |
| Flowers | Mid July to early October; green, white, pink | Late June to mid September; white, pink |
| Leaves | Medium, deciduous | Medium, deciduous |
| Job in a bed | Anchor | Anchor |
| Pets | Toxic (mild) | Toxic (mild) |
| Deer | Not listed as resistant | Not listed as resistant |
| Native | No | No |
| Spread | Low risk | Low risk |
Rows where they differ are marked. Flowering times are for zone 5.
Which to choose
- On the record they are near twins: choose by the look you want.
Can they grow together?
Yes: they grow in the same conditions. What panicle hydrangea 'Quick Fire' brings beside panicle hydrangea 'Limelight': in flower together for 10 weeks, from mid July; happy in the same moist soil. They share full sun and part sun and zones 3 to 8.
Read more: all about panicle hydrangea 'Limelight', and all about panicle hydrangea 'Quick Fire', each with a bed the planner designed around it.