White Wedding Hydrangea vs Limelight Hydrangea: Two Beautiful Varieties of The Stunning Flower

Written by Sandy Porter
Updated: October 6, 2023
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We admire hydrangeas whether in an outdoor space while sipping a cup of tea or at a wedding in a bridal bouquet. Finding the perfect varieties for your flower box or garden can be challenging though, even when you know the species you want. So, we’re taking a look at two types of hydrangeas — white wedding vs. limelight — to help you discover which one might be the perfect one for you.

limelight hydrangea growing in field

Glorious limelight hydrangea showing off their green and white colors together.

©Mari_Piman/Shutterstock.com

Comparisons: White Wedding Hydrangea vs. Limelight Hydrangea

White Wedding HydrangeaLimelight Hydrangea
Classificationhydrangea paniculata ‘LeeP1’ WHITE WEDDINGhydrangea paniculate ‘Limelight’
DescriptionWhite wedding hydrangea reach up to 15 feet in height, with plants as wide as 8 feet, with dark green leaves and vivid white, round blooms.Limelight hydrangea have huge 10-inch pale green blossoms with dark green leaves, The plant grows up to 8 feet in height and width.
UsesWhite wedding hydrangea may be used for privacy “fencing,” specific decorative purposes, dried flowers, cut flowers, ornamental garden plants, and may have medicinal properties to help with liver and kidney issues.Limelight hydrangea has specific ornamental uses, thanks to its green blooms that shift from cream to pink throughout blooming season. The flowers may also be used in cut arrangements, dried flower settings, and possibly herbal remedies.
Origins and Growing PreferencesWhite wedding hydrangea originated in Asia and eastern Russia as panicle hydrangea, ultimately being patented in Louisiana. They do best in nutrient-rich soil that’s medium moist, in full sun.Limelight hydrangea was patented in the Netherlands in the late 80s or early 2000s and does best in nutrient rich soil and full to partial shade, depending on the climate.
Special Features and Fun FactsWhite wedding hydrangeas are celebrated for their vivid white color.Limelight hydrangeas are particularly appreciated for their unique color shifts through their lifetime, which supposedly helped to rejuvenate the hydrangea in the landscaping industry.

Key Differences Between White Wedding Hydrangea and Limelight Hydrangea

Obviously, there are a lot of similarities between the two flower varieties, since they’re both hydrangea. However, there are some distinctive differences between white wedding hydrangea vs. limelight hydrangea. Let’s take a look and see which variety might be the one you’re looking for.

White Wedding Hydrangea vs. Limelight Hydrangea: Classification

white hydrangea shrubs

Vivid white hydrangea shrubs

©Inga Gedrovicha/Shutterstock.com

White wedding hydrangea, or hydrangea paniculata ‘LeeP1’ WHITE WEDDING is a variety of the panicle hydrangea species that are considered a deciduous shrub. This variety thrives in Zones 3 to 8, offering blooms from July to September, and coming in white blooms. Many other hydrangea species come in other colors but the white wedding variety is particularly known for its vivid white blooms.

The word ‘hydrangea’ comes from combining hydor (meaning water) and aggeion (meaning vessel), referencing the need the plant has for plenty of water and the cup-like shape of the unique flower. Panicle refers to the particular arrangement of the flowers into a panicle, which is a loose cluster of flowers. The white wedding variety is a particular upright selection of this type of hydrangea.

The limelight hydrangea variety is also a panicle hydrangea. This variety’s name is hydrangea paniculate ‘Limelight’. This means this variety is also a deciduous shrub. This variety also does best in Zones 3 to 8 and blooms from July to September. This particular variety is known for chartreuse to lime shading, however, earning it the name “limelight.”

White Wedding Hydrangea vs. Limelight Hydrangea: Description

The white wedding hydrangea grows to heights between 8 and 15 feet, with bright white blooms popping out between July and September, thriving in the warmer temperatures. The shrub is an upright, rapid-growing plant with somewhat coarse textures, with oval to ovate dark green leaves and sharply pointed, upright flower panicles (clusters) of vibrant white blooms. The plant specifically has rounded dome-shaped inflorescences of sterile white flowers that each typically grow to 6 inches in size, on sturdy stems. The plant often has a 6- to 8-foot spread.

Limelight hydrangeas have even larger panicles of flowers growing up to 10 inches. The leaves are also rounded with deep, dark green coloration. The flowers cluster in the same concept of panicles, in pale green, thus earning the name for the flower variety. The flowers change colors throughout the season, though, shifting from pale, creamy green to white, and even into pink shades before the leaves fall off as the season shifts to wintertime. The leaves turn from green to shades of red in autumn.

Limelight hydrangea is a little more compact than white wedding, though, growing up to 8 feet tall, though as wide as 8 feet.

White Wedding Hydrangea vs. Limelight Hydrangea: Uses

limelight hydrangea blooms

Bold green limelight hydrangea blooms showing off their namesake color.

©Mike Russell/Shutterstock.com

The main difference between how these two beautiful flowers are used is based on their color and plant height.

Since white wedding hydrangea typically grows taller than limelight hydrangea, white wedding makes for a great privacy “fence” plant in season. The plant is also preferred by folks looking for that vivid, distinctive white flower.

Limelight, however, is just as wide as white wedding and has unique pale green blossoms that have their own aesthetic purposes. Many folks choose to grow both varieties together for some color variation.

Hydrangeas in general are great for cut flowers, container gardens, traditional flower garden beds, and show gardens. The plants are also typically large enough when mature that they function well as privacy plants, borders, and similar.

You can dry and press hydrangeas for dried flower arrangements and unique décor. Hydrangeas are popular with pollinators and are pest-resistant. Hydrangea root has been used for urinary tract issues, while supplements made from the plant are believed by some to help relieve liver toxicity (some studies show this may be a legitimate claim), have anti-inflammatory properties, protect kidneys, and help lower blood sugar levels.

White Wedding Hydrangea vs. Limelight Hydrangea: Origins and Growing Preferences

Close up of green limelight hydrangea flowers

Green limelight hydrangea was first cultivated in the Netherlands.

©Bonnie Taylor Barry/Shutterstock.com

The panicle hydrangea is native to Korea, Japan, southeastern China, and eastern Russia. The plant was brought to Europe in 1736 and the Americas several years later. However, there’s evidence that the plant was in North America millennia ago, due to fossil records, but this is less certain than other evidence.

White wedding hydrangea is a patented variety of hydrangea, named and claimed by Robert E. Lee (not the infamous general) in Louisiana, in 2018.

White wedding does best when grown in organically rich soil that’s medium moisture and well-drained. The plant prefers full sun but handles partial shade. You can train it as a single small trunk tree instead of the wider branching shrub. The plant also thrives in urban areas as long as it is properly cared for and regularly pruned.

Pieter Zwijnenburg, a plant breeder in the Netherlands, created limelight hydrangea by blending two varieties. He crossed these two selections, creating the unique limelight cultivar in 1986. Other records show the cultivar came into existence as late as 2002. Likely, it is that Zwinjnenburg took a while to actually patent the plant after much work and experimentation.

Limelight hydrangea is a flexible cultivar that works with full to partial shade, as long as it doesn’t get too hot. They prefer rich, well-drained soil that’s slightly acidic and kept moderately moist.

White Wedding Hydrangea vs. Limelight Hydrangea: Special Features and Fun Facts

Apart from their distinctive patenting stories, limelight and white wedding hydrangeas share most of the same unique features and stories. They’re both reasonably new cultivars, though, the limelight hydrangea has a hint of a legend surrounding it. Supposedly the plant helped to rejuvenate landscaping in North America.

Closeup of white hydrangea flowers

Closeup of white hydrangea flowers

©t_korop/Shutterstock.com

Hydrangeas were first cultivated in Japan, but there are fossil records dating back millions of years in North America, indicating the flowers were here long, long ago. And their colorful blooms change because of the type of soil they’re grown in, rather than specifically the variety of plants they are. Blue flowers are grown in soil with pH levels below 5.5. Purple flowers have pH soil levels between 5.5 and 6.5, white is in soil between 6 and 6.2, and pink is anything in soil over 7 pH. If your soil has various levels of pH, you could easily have a wide range of colors and shades all in the same plot.

Hydrangeas don’t actually have petals – they have sepals, which are technically leaves that protect the hidden flower bud. Finally, hydrangeas are both hypoallergenic and fragrance-free, yet they still attract pollinators.

Bonus: Hydrangeas Not Blooming? We Have the Answers

photo of hydrangea plant that has not yet bloomed with leaves in the most beautiful balls of green

Hydrangeas that fail to bloom are a sad sight.


Image: Hatice Sever, Shutterstock

©Hatice Sever/Shutterstock.com

If you look forward to seeing your hydrangeas bloom every year, it is a great disappointment when those big showy blooms never come. The leaves are lush and green but either buds never form or don’t develop – what has gone wrong? There are many things that can keep your hydrangeas from blooming – here are some reasons and solutions:

  • Too Much Shade. Depending on the variety – most hydrangeas can tolerate a little shade – but most need several hours of direct morning sun. Consider moving your plant to a better location.
  • Too Much Sun. Apparently, a sweet spot must be found for these plants. Too much direct sun may stress the plants causing them to conserve energy by not flowering.
  • Improper Pruning. It is crucial for you to learn whether your hydrangea variety blooms from old wood or new and prune accordingly. Bigleaf, oakleaf, climbing, and mountain varieties all bloom on old wood. Unless they get too big – it’s best not to prune them at all. The blooms will dry out and be replaced with new flowers next season. Panacle and smooth varieties bloom on the current season’s growth. (Limelight and White Wedding) Prune these in late winter or early spring.
  • Cold Weather. A harsh winter or hard freeze can damage developing flower buds, which may result in a summer with no flowers. Mulch the area around the base of the plants in fall with several inches of leaves or straw to insulate roots. Protect plants with a covering during cold spells or frosts.
  • Not enough water. Hydrangeas need a lot of water to do well. Too little water can result in stunted growth or no blossoms the next season. If plants are drooping or wilting they need to be watered immediately.
  • They are too young to bloom. It can take newly planted hydrangeas up to 5 years before they begin blooming. You can buy larger plants if you want flowers sooner.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Mike Russell/Shutterstock.com


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About the Author

Sandy Porter is a writer at A-Z Animals primarily covering house garden plants, mammals, reptiles, and birds. Sandy has been writing professionally since 2017, has a Bachelor’s degree and is currently seeking her Masters. She has had lifelong experience with home gardens, cats, dogs, horses, lizards, frogs, and turtles and has written about these plants and animals professionally since 2017. She spent many years volunteering with horses and looks forward to extending that volunteer work into equine therapy in the near future. Sandy lives in Chicago, where she enjoys spotting wildlife such as foxes, rabbits, owls, hawks, and skunks on her patio and micro-garden.

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