Ruby Slippers Oakleaf Hydrangea
Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’ · an oakleaf hydrangea with blooms that age to pink
A compact oakleaf hydrangea from the U.S. National Arboretum, with big upright flower cones that open white and turn pink, then ruby red, plus mahogany-red fall leaves and peeling bark for winter. It suits small gardens, foundations and large pots. It blooms on last year's wood, so prune only right after flowering.
- Mature size
- 3.5 × 5 ft
- 1.1 × 1.5 m, tall × wide
- Hardiness
- Zones 5a–8b
- USDA
- Sun
- Full sun to full shade
- Water
- Dry to moist
- Blooms
- Jun–Jul
- Fall color Oct–Nov
Ruby Slippers Oakleaf Hydrangea at its mature size
A mature Ruby Slippers Oakleaf Hydrangea grows 3 to 4 feet tall and 3 to 5 feet wide.
Drawn to scale beside a 5 ft 9 in person. With VeraScape, you see it at this size in your own yard.
Typical mature size, unpruned. Sources: Missouri Botanical Garden, usna.usda.gov.
Through the year
What Ruby Slippers Oakleaf Hydrangea looks like month by month in a typical zone 6–7 garden.
Dormant · Dec–Mar
Coarse stems with peeling cinnamon-brown bark, some dried heads.
In leaf · Apr–May, Sep
Compact mound of dark green oak-shaped leaves, no flowers.
In flower · Jun–Aug
Large upright flower cones, every one fading the same way: white at the tip, deepening through pink to rose-red toward the base.
Fall · Oct–Nov
Leaves turned mahogany-red, flower cones dried rose-tan.
Growing Ruby Slippers Oakleaf Hydrangea
- Grows well in
- The Northeast, the Southeast, the Midwest, and the Pacific Northwest.
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Good for
- Hedge, small space, foundation planting, specimen, shade garden, drought tolerant, pollinators, fall color, and winter interest
- Leaves
- Drops its leaves in winter
- Native to
- Southeastern United States
Spacing for a hedge
VeraScape spaces plants so their grown canopies just touch. For Ruby Slippers Oakleaf Hydrangea, that’s about 5 ft apart, center to center.
Place a row in your own yard and VeraScape spaces them at their mature width, so you can see whether they’ll crowd the walk.
See Ruby Slippers Oakleaf Hydrangea in your yard before you dig
Visualize it at its true size, alongside the rest of your design.
Other hydrangeas
Ruby Slippers Oakleaf Hydrangea
Munchkin Oakleaf Hydrangea
Annabelle Hydrangea
Endless Summer HydrangeaAll drawn to the same scale.