Ruby Slippers Oakleaf Hydrangea

Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’

Plant Details

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 5a-9b Find Your Zone

Plant Type: Deciduous Flowering Shrub

Height at Maturity: 3-4′

Width at Maturity: 3-5′

Suggested Spacing: 3 to 4 feet apart for solid hedge; 8 feet or more apart for space between plants

Growth Habit / Form: Mounding

Flower Color: White fading to Ruby Red

Flower Size: Large -up to 9″ inches long

Flowering Period: Late Spring Through Summer

Flower Type: Single in large, long clusters

Fragrant Flowers: No

Foliage Color: Green shades

Fragrant Foliage: No

Berries: NA

Berry Color: NA

Sun Needs: Part Shade (morning sun with afternoon shade or all day filtered sun)

Water Needs: Average, low when established

Soil Type: Clay (amended), Loam, Sand (amended), Silt

Soil Moisture / Drainage: Well Drained Moist

Soil pH: 5.5 – 7.5 (Acid to Slightly Alkaline)

Maintenance / Care: Very Low

Attracts: Visual Attention

Resistances: Deer – more info, Disease, Drought (when established in part shade), Heat, Humidity, Insect

Description

Ruby Slippers provides the same four-season appeal and lavish flower production as its larger growing Oakleaf Hydrangea cousins but in less than half the space. LOADS of large, elongated flower clusters open to white in late spring or early summer and change to a dazzling ruby red as the season progresses. But the color show doesn’t stop with the flowers. The bold, oak-shaped green leaves turn a magnificent mahogany red color in fall. The dried flowerheads and the peeling rich brown color bark provides interest in the garden throughout the winter months.

Landscape & Garden Uses

Growing in a mound to only 3 to 4 feet tall and 3 to 5 feet wide, Ruby Slippers Hydrangea is an excellent selection for smaller garden spaces where larger oakleaf hydrangeas won’t fit. Ruby Slippers is ideal for use as an accent or specimen, in groupings or mass plantings, or as a low natural hedge in landscape and flowering shrub borders or home foundation plantings. Its smaller size makes it perfect for use in pots, planters and other containers of 14 inches or more in rim diameter. Right at home in the partially sunny woodland border or cottage and cut flower gardens. Also a nice addition to white color themed gardens and tropical-look gardens.

Suggested Spacing: 3 to 4 feet apart for solid hedge; 8 feet or more apart for space between plants

How To Measure Total Square Feet Of A Planting Area

How Many Plants Needed To Cover A Planting Area?

Note: For our customers who live and garden north of USDA Cold Hardiness Zone 5a, where this Hydrangea variety is not reliably winter hardy, you’ll be happy to know that it can be grown in containers that can be brought indoors during winter and place back outside when temperatures warm up in spring.

Growing Preferences

Ruby Slippers Hydrangea is very easy to grow in most any moist but well-drained, soil with average fertility and full sun to part shade in northern zones where it will grow and shade to part shade (morning sun with afternoon shade or filtered sun) in southern zones. It prefers a soil rich in organic matter. For best flowering, we suggest 6 hours of direct sun light per day. As with so many other ornamental plants, a constantly soggy or wet soil is problematic. Highly resistant to pests and diseases.

Note: Ruby Slippers is a Hydrangea quercifolia (oakleaf) species that produces its flowers from buds that formed on “old wood” (during the previous year). Oakleaf hydrangeas typically require little to no pruning. They are best left alone. That said they can be pruned to remove a stray branch or to reduce size.

For proper pruning time and techniques on various types of Hydrangea see: How To Prune Various Types Of Hydrangea

Helpful Articles

Click on a link below to get helpful advice from our experts on how to plant and care for Oakleaf Hydrangeas.

How To Plant Hydrangeas In The Ground & Pots

How To Prune Various Types Of Hydrangea

How To Fertilize And Water Hydrangeas

Plant Long & Prosper!

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Questions? Contact Us

I’ve ordered several plants from Wilson Bros for myself and for gifts (4 were Ruby Slippers hydrangeas). All of the plants were shipped quickly and arrived in excellent condition. The packaging was top notch!—————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy your purchase for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and wonderful review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

With some concern over ordering plants on the internet (live plants!), I researched this nursery and read their reviews and decided to order. My beautiful plants arrived quickly and well packed – So exciting! They are thriving and are beautiful! I will continue ordering from this amazing business – and recommend them highly! The Ruby Slipper Oakleaf Hydrangea is gorgeous!———————————–Wow!! Thanks for the kind words and awesome review! We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

Very happy with the items. I ordered 2 and they were packed great. No problems with them. Planted and doing super.——————————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

Here again, I’d have bought a larger pot, but all they had was 2 gallon, So it’s destine for the nursery for a fall planting to beef it up some. It is loving the transition from spring to summer. Even before I got around to repotting it. Real potting soil may have given it a boost over the course bark it was in. I ordered two and one arrived dehydrated due to a shipping malfunction in the packaging. Wilson Brothers were quick by to reply by e-mail and it was pleasant experience. Unlike the “Fast-Growing” something or other company. Their prices are a wee bit high, but their service and product are very nice. I wish they had an additional bulk discount when buying multiples of different plantings.———————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

The plant arrived timely and was well packaged. I was so impressed! It was in great condition. I planted it right away at the South end of the backyard where it got the afternoon shade. With the high temperatures here in St George Utah (so far 108 degrees) I have been covering my new plant with some landscaping material to keep the leaves from scorching. So far my new hydrangea healthy and has grown more new leaves. I just love !——————————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

This plant arrived in excellent healthy condition and is a very nice hardy size. Shipping was much faster then expected and packaging was excellent to keep plant stable and protected. I will definitely purchase from here again and can’t wait to see this bloom next year!——————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

Ruby Slippers arrived in great shape, a beautiful plant…will order again if I’m shopping for more hydrangeas.————————————-We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the great review! Beth | WBG 🙂

First time ordering from Wilson Brothers. Ordered 2 Red Slippers Dwarf Hydrangea. So pleased with the obvious care given to selecting and shipping healthy plants that I immediately ordered more!——————————————————-We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

Dwarf variety, beautiful fall color, deer resistant, take care of themselves after initial establishment. Wilson Bros produces quality stock and a great warranty. A Must Have in the yard!——————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG