Oakleaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers'
Hydrangea quercifolia 'Ruby Slippers' · Hydrangeaceae
A compact oakleaf hydrangea whose large, upright flower heads open white and quickly turn pink and then deep ruby red. The leaves turn mahogany in autumn.
- Size
- 3½ ft tall, 5 ft wide
- Zones
- 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Mid June to early August
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around oakleaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers'
The planner designed this bed around oakleaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers' when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why oakleaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Oakleaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers' × 1, white
- 2 Lingonberry × 10, pink
- 3 Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' × 32, yellow
- 4 White mugwort × 4, cream
- 5 Swamp milkweed × 3, pink
- 6 Wild geranium × 5, pink
- 7 Asiatic lily × 3, yellow
- 8 Easter lily × 3, white
- 9 Camassia × 5, blue
Why this plant
- The only bold leaves here. The rest are fine and medium. A change of leaf keeps plants distinct when nothing is in flower.
- The only dense clusters. The others are bells, daisies, plumes and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So does lingonberry.
Why here
- At the back. At 3½ ft it is seen over Asiatic lily (3 ft) in front of it, and has nothing behind it to hide.
- A step in the back row. Next to white mugwort (5 ft) and Easter lily (3 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for 9 weeks. From mid June to early August.
- Part of the bed's peak. With swamp milkweed, Asiatic lily and Easter lily in early July: 4 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as an English border: 7 of the 9 groups (78%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Cool colours (pink and blue) with yellow as the warm note, and white and cream to calm things between them. Pink runs through the planting: 3 of the 9 kinds grown for their flowers have it.
The planner's own design check: 10 Excellent, 7 Good.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where oakleaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers' goes in a border
At 3½ ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is moderately tall (3 to 4 ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
Half the size of the species, with stronger flower colour. The ruby stage lasts for weeks in late summer, against leaves that are still green.
- An oakleaf hydrangea for smaller gardens
- Mass planting in part shade
- Autumn colour
What to plant with oakleaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta 'Halcyon': its blue-green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; spires rising out of its mound; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Japanese forest grass 'Aureola': its chartreuse leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; fine leaves against its bold ones; low enough (16 in) to stand in front of it.
- Autumn fern: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; medium leaves against its bold ones; low enough (22 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about oakleaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers'
Does oakleaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers' need sun or shade?
Oakleaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does oakleaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers' grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 9. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does oakleaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid June to early August. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 5 | Mid June to early August |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Mid June to early August |
| Zone 7 | Early June to early August |
| Zone 8 | Early June to early August |
| Zone 9 | Late May to late July |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should oakleaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers' be planted?
4 ft (120 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 5 ft (150 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 3½ ft (110 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many oakleaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers' plants do I need?
Usually one. At 4 ft (120 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 4 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is oakleaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers' poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: mild toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. Leaves and buds can cause vomiting and diarrhoea if eaten.
Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Do deer eat oakleaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers'?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What flowers after oakleaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers'?
Oakleaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers' is over by early August. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Japanese anemone: from mid August to early October, 3 ft tall.
- Lilyturf: from early August to mid September, 16 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Little bluestem 'Standing Ovation': from early August to mid September, 3½ ft tall.
What does oakleaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers' look like in winter?
Oakleaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers' drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
Is oakleaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers' good for bees and butterflies?
Oakleaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers' is visited by pollinators, butterflies and songbirds.
It is native to the United States (this is a named variety of the native plant).
More Hydrangea
- Bigleaf hydrangea Hydrangea macrophylla
- Bigleaf hydrangea 'Endless Summer' Hydrangea macrophylla 'Bailmer' (Endless Summer)
- Bigleaf hydrangea 'Nikko Blue' Hydrangea macrophylla 'Nikko Blue'
- Lacecap hydrangea 'Twist-n-Shout' Hydrangea macrophylla 'PIIHM-I' (Twist-n-Shout)
- Mountain hydrangea Hydrangea serrata
- Mountain hydrangea 'Bluebird' Hydrangea serrata 'Bluebird'
- Mountain hydrangea 'Tuff Stuff' Hydrangea serrata 'MAK20' (Tuff Stuff)
- Oakleaf hydrangea Hydrangea quercifolia
- Oakleaf hydrangea 'Alice' Hydrangea quercifolia 'Alice'
- Oakleaf hydrangea 'Munchkin' Hydrangea quercifolia 'Munchkin'
- Oakleaf hydrangea 'Pee Wee' Hydrangea quercifolia 'Pee Wee'
- Oakleaf hydrangea 'Snow Queen' Hydrangea quercifolia 'Snow Queen'
- Panicle hydrangea 'Bobo' Hydrangea paniculata 'Bobo'
- Panicle hydrangea 'Fire Light' Hydrangea paniculata 'SMHPFL' (Fire Light)
- Panicle hydrangea 'Limelight' Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight'
- Panicle hydrangea 'Little Lime' Hydrangea paniculata 'Jane' (Little Lime)
- Panicle hydrangea 'Pinky Winky' Hydrangea paniculata 'DVP PINKY' (Pinky Winky)
- Panicle hydrangea 'Quick Fire' Hydrangea paniculata 'Quick Fire'
- Panicle hydrangea 'Tardiva' Hydrangea paniculata 'Tardiva'
- Panicle hydrangea 'Vanilla Strawberry' Hydrangea paniculata 'Vanilla Strawberry'
- PeeGee hydrangea Hydrangea paniculata 'Grandiflora'
- Smooth hydrangea 'Annabelle' Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle'
- Smooth hydrangea 'Incrediball' Hydrangea arborescens 'Incrediball'
- Smooth hydrangea 'Invincibelle Spirit II' Hydrangea arborescens 'NCHA2' (Invincibelle Spirit II)
In these guides
- Plants for dry shade
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Native plants for shade
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants that feed garden birds
- Shrubs under 4 feet for small gardens
- Plants with purple and burgundy leaves
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 3½ ft (110 cm) tall, 5 ft (150 cm) wide
- Plant
- 4 ft (120 cm) apart
- Height class
- Moderately tall (3 to 4 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Mid June to early August; dense clusters; white, red
- Leaves
- Bold texture, deciduous; dark green, burgundy
- Shape
- Rounded, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Hydrangeaceae
- Comes from
- Southeastern USA
- Attracts
- Pollinators, butterflies, songbirds
- Stands up to
- Drought
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.