Foliage Plant
Ruby Slipper Hydrangea is a compact oakleaf hydrangea cultivar developed by Sandra Reed at the U.S. National Arboretum, bred specifically for gardeners with limited space. The plant emerges with pure white flowers that mature into striking deep rose over the season, creating a dynamic color display on sturdy, stocky stems. Hardy in zones 5 through 8 and reaching 36 to 72 inches at maturity, this variety thrives in full sun to partial shade and brings sophisticated color to borders, foundations, and smaller landscapes.
Partial Sun
—
5-8
72in H x ?in W
Annual
Moderate
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Sandra Reed's breeding work created something genuinely useful: a compact oakleaf hydrangea that doesn't sacrifice flower power. The blooms arrive white and deepen to a vivid rose as they age, giving you weeks of color progression. Gardeners report this variety stays relatively clean and disease-free, which is refreshing when you're tired of fussing with problem plants.
Ruby Slipper Hydrangea serves as an ornamental flowering shrub for borders, foundation plantings, and mixed beds where its compact mature size fits naturally. The long-lasting blooms work well for cut flower arrangements, especially as they transition from white to rose. Its modest height makes it useful in layered plantings where you need color at the mid-level without overwhelming surrounding perennials.
No care instructions available yet for this variety.
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“Ruby Slipper Hydrangea came from the careful work of Sandra Reed, one of the United States' most accomplished hydrangea hybridizers at the National Arboretum. She developed this cultivar specifically to address a real gardening problem: the desire for the elegant oakleaf hydrangea's structure and flowers in a more compact form. Her breeding focused on creating a plant that didn't compromise on flower abundance or visual impact despite the reduced stature, resulting in a variety with stocky, generous blooms that gardeners could actually fit into modest spaces.”