'Ruby Slippers' Hydrangea

"There's no place like home" when this exciting new dwarf 'Ruby Slippers' Hydrangea is waiting in the garden! Developed by the National Arboretum from a hybrid of the classic Snow Queen Hydrangea (rated the best shrub for American gardens!) and the dwarf Pee Wee, 'Ruby Slippers' Hydrangea offers astonishing 9-inch inflorescences packed with florets that turn from white to pale pink and finally to rich ruby-red over their long summer season.

'Ruby Slippers' Hydrangea is a magnificent year-round addition to any landscape, with large oakleaf-shaped leaves that turn from deep green to russet-mahogany in autumn, adding another season of glory to this petite shrub. (In mild climates, they remain on the shrub throughout winter.) And the blooms are ever-changing and so long-lasting, as stunning in the vase or dried as Everlastings as they are on the plant.

'Ruby Slippers' is easy to grow, even in the hard-packed clay soils of the south and southeast. It needs plenty of moisture -- that "Hydr-" at the beginning of its Latin name means "water"! --and appreciates a bit of shade south of zone 6, but other than that, it is quick to establish and very long-lived. This will be a landmark of your garden, treasured for decades.

Expect 'Ruby Slippers' to reach just 3½ feet tall and to spread 5 feet wide. Perfect for the foundation, along the driveway, in the front of the shrub border, or as an accent just about anywhere, 'Ruby Slippers' also makes a great specimen planting in smaller landscapes. So versatile, so easy, so endlessly beautiful! Highly recommended. Zones 5-6 in full sun, and through zone 8 in part shade.