Magical® Ruby Red Hydrangea

Hydrangeamacrophylla 'KOLMARU' PP#25104

Nature Hills Nursery

Jewel-Tone Ruby Red Hydrangea Blooms on New and Old Wood for Extended Color
Thrives in Zones 5-9
Grows 2-4 ft Tall, 3-4 ft Wide
Showy Purple, Red Blooms From Early Summer to Late Summer
Pollinator-Friendly Shrub

$72⁴³

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Plant Size

Product variants

Planting & Care

Where to Plant

Sunlight: This hydrangea thrives with 4 to 6 hours of morning sun followed by dappled afternoon shade. Full afternoon sun can scorch the foliage, while too much shade will result in fewer flowers and less intense red color.
Soil: Use rich, well drained soil that stays consistently moist like a wrung out sponge. If you have heavy clay, mix in compost to improve drainage, or add peat moss to sandy soil to help the roots retain water.

Watering Requirements

During the first year, water your hydrangea two to three times a week to ensure the root system establishes properly. While mature plants can handle brief dry spells, inconsistent watering leads to drooping leaves and smaller flower heads. Always apply water at the base of the plant to keep the leaves dry and prevent spotting.

Pruning Tips

This shrub blooms on old wood, meaning it sets its flower buds for next year during the current summer. You should only prune immediately after the flowers begin to fade in late summer to avoid cutting off next year's display. Use sharp bypass pruners to remove spent blooms or dead stems, treating the process like a light haircut rather than a heavy rejuvenation.

Fertilizer Needs

Apply a balanced, slow release fertilizer in early spring just as the new leaves start to emerge. Avoid using high nitrogen fertilizers after mid summer because this triggers soft, green growth that will not survive the winter cold. A yearly application of organic mulch around the root zone will also help maintain soil nutrition and moisture levels.

Delivery and Shipping

Shipping Rates

Ships in 7-10 business days • Tracking provided • Weather protected

Under $50	$9.99
$50 - $99.99	$14.99
$100 - $149.99	$16.99
$150 - $198.99	$24.99
$199+	FREE

✓ Zone-specific timing • ✓ Professional packaging • ✓ Health guarantee

Understanding Our Container Sizes

At Nature Hills, our plants are sold in industry-standard nursery containers. You will notice we use the word "container" rather than "gallon." Container numbers follow a nursery trade size standard, not liquid volume. The number tells you the plant's size category and general maturity level. A larger container means a more established plant with a stronger root system.

Container Sizes

Quart

Plant age: 6 months to 1 year
Best for: Ground covers, perennials, ornamental grasses
What to expect: Our smallest and most affordable size. Well-suited for planting in multiples across a large area. Allow 1 to 2 seasons for full establishment.

#1 Container

Plant age: 1 to 2 years
Best for: Shrubs, perennials, smaller trees
What to expect: About the size of a large coffee can. A well-developed root system in a manageable size. Good value choice when you have time to let the plant grow into the space over a season or two.

#2 Container

Plant age: 2 to 3 years
Best for: Shrubs and trees where you want faster establishment
What to expect: A noticeable step up from a #1 in both plant size and root development. Good choice when you want visible presence without going to a larger size.

#3 Container

Plant age: 3 to 4 years
Best for: Most plants, most situations — flowering trees, shade trees, evergreen shrubs
What to expect: Our most popular size. Strong, developed root system. Plants in a #3 container make an immediate visual impact from day one. If you want a head start rather than waiting seasons for a plant to fill in, this is typically the right choice.

#5 Container and Larger

Plant age: 4 to 5+ years
Best for: Specimen plants, privacy screens, maximum instant impact
What to expect: Large, mature plants ready to make an immediate statement in your landscape. We also carry #7 and larger sizes for select varieties.

Why "Container" and Not "Gallon"?

Nursery container sizes follow an industry trade standard established for the nursery and horticulture industry. The number is a size designation, not a measurement of liquid volume. Actual soil volume varies by plant type, root mass, and growing medium. Using "container" is the accurate industry term. When you see #1, #2, or #3, think of it as the plant's size tier, not a gallon measurement.

Root Pouch Containers

Some Nature Hills plants arrive in a Root Pouch, a breathable fabric container made from 100% recycled materials. Root Pouches encourage denser root development through air pruning, which discourages root circling and promotes a stronger, more fibrous root ball at the time of planting.

Plants growing in Root Pouch fabric containers, showing the breathable woven fabric construction

There are two types. Knowing which one you have changes how you plant:

Degradable (brown or tan fabric): Plant the entire pouch directly in the ground. The fabric breaks down naturally in the soil over time.
Non-degradable (black or gray fabric): Remove the pouch before planting. Cut the bottom open with scissors, then peel the sides away. The fibrous root ball will hold its shape.

Not sure which type you have? Check the tag on your plant or contact us and we will confirm.

Full Root Pouch planting guide

Choosing the Right Size

Size	Plant Age	Best For
Quart	6 mo to 1 yr	Ground covers, perennials, grasses. Budget-friendly for mass plantings.
#1 Container	1 to 2 yrs	Shrubs, perennials, small trees. Value choice for patient gardeners.
#2 Container	2 to 3 yrs	Shrubs and trees where you want faster establishment.
#3 Container	3 to 4 yrs	Most plants. Immediate visual impact. Our most popular size.
#5 and larger	4+ yrs	Specimen plants, privacy screens, maximum instant impact.

Still not sure which size is right for your project? Our plant specialists are happy to help. Contact us and we will point you in the right direction.

Plant specifications
Plant Characteristics	Cold hardy, Flowering, Attracts pollinators, Container Friendly
Sunlight	Full sun, Partial shade
Height	2-4 ft
Width	3-4 ft
Watering Needs	High
Growth Rate	Moderate
Blooms In	Summer
Flower Color	Purple, Red
Foliage Color	Green
Suitable Space	Outdoors, Container
Plant Name	Hydrangea
Botanical Name	Hydrangeamacrophylla 'KOLMARU' PP#25104
Species	hybrid
Cultivar	KOLMARU
Class	Magnoliopsida, Cornales
Does Not Ship To	AK, HI, ID, MT, PR

Garden Gem With Jewel Tones Magical® Ruby Red Hydrangea!

Bold & Brilliant Mophead Blooms
Matures To Red-Wine With Green Flecks
Bright Green Textural Leaves
Vigorous Upright Full Growth
Mid-Sized, Blooms on New & Old Wood
Sturdy No-Flop Stems
Hardy in Heat, Cold & Humidity
Easy Care & Low Maintenance
Cut Flowers, Dried Decor, Tablescape & Bouquets!
Pollinators Galore!
Deer Resistant
Salt Tolerant

Eye-popping color on a fantastic ornamental shrub, the Magical® Ruby Red Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla 'KOLMARU' PP# 25104) features vigorous growth and jewel-tone blooms that keeps coming back all season long!

Brilliant, glimmering hot-pink to red, mophead blooms just shine above the handsome foliage and draw admirers and butterflies from far and wide. As they mature, the blooms will deepen to a burgundy hue, with flecks of lime green.

The dark green, lightly toothed foliage is the perfect backdrop for the bold pink blooms that are so dark, they're almost red! Textured foliage is in a mounded 3-foot wide and tall shrub that is sized for most smaller modern gardens.

Blooming on both new and old wood, you won't run out of colorful flower clusters until fall. Even when dormant, these deciduous flowering shrubs have great texture and character in the winter landscape.

The stunning visual interest carries through into fall and winter with the dried blooms remaining for 4 season texture! Fresh or dried, the blooms are amazing in floral design and dried decor! The dried blooms, when left on the plant, add great winter interest.

How to Use Magical® Ruby Red Hydrangea In The Landscape

Modestly sized for low privacy, lovely barriers and definition between properties or to bridge the transition between lawn and garden in long rows. Zig-zag an open row around your landscape as a perimeter shrub.

Great for patio and porch containers. They'll certainly be the thriller and explosion in vivid color as a specimen or accent plant. Pot one up into your favorite urn for an amazing landscape centerpiece! Or frame your doorsteps with a pair of these as sentries to welcome visitors to your door.

Butterfly and pollinator gardens welcome these wine-red flower buds! Butterflies and even hummingbirds flock to these deep hues. The sturdy stems will fill your bouquets with cut flowers and tablescapes with loads of blooms!

Try creating a focal point planting in your garden by clustering Ruby Red in a grouping of 3 or more for a stand-out accent! Seating areas, birdbaths, and outdoor sculptures become the main feature with a skirting of these around their base.

The bold color of these blooms highlights all other shades of flower and mingles with all design styles. The dark green foliage is the perfect backdrop for your perennials, Roses, or among other flowering shrubs in a mixed-shrub border.

Cottage gardens receive a modern touch with Magical® Ruby Red's jewel tones! They also add an amazing designer aspect to your landscape.

Fringe a ring of Ruby Reds around seating areas, fire-pits, pergolas or garden swings to create an outdoor space you can't wait to get lost in!

Skirt the trunks of trees or encircle large shrubs where Hydrangea benefit from their shade and provide facer plantings to hide their bare stems. Soften foundations of pergolas and gazebos with a circle of lush greenery and brilliant color. These work amazingly well with other trees and shrubs that grow in shaded areas.

Imagine a row of Magical® Ruby Red jewels in front of your home as a foundation planting that will add eye-catching curb appeal making traffic slowdown to have a look! Be the envy of your neighborhood with a row separating your property from the road!

Magical® Ruby Red will be the crown jewel to your formal and informal beds and borders!

#ProPlantTips For Care

Magical® Ruby Red is hardy in USDA growing zones 5 through 9. In the cooler zones, it tolerates full sun, while in warmer climates afternoon or part shade is appreciated to help the plant remain well hydrated and not wilt.

Ruby Red Hydrangea prefers consistently moist, cool soil. Though not particular on soil type, they won't do well in soggy soil or in conditions that dry out for long periods of time.

Hydrangea grows in about any type of clay, sand or loamy soils however, they do their absolute best in rich, organic, humusy soil, even tolerating salty conditions.

A generous layer of mulch helps retain consistent soil moisture as well as insulate the root system from both the heat and winter's chill.

No pests or disease issues, these are a spectacular variety of a hardy US native Hydrangea. With little worry about damage from deer, these woodlands edge plants won't mind being planted in out-of-the-way areas.

Pruning is best done only in late winter and early spring before you see new growth and only if needed. This way you will not inadvertently remove any of the glorious blooms!

Take care when applying lawn fertilizers near flowering shrubs. These high nitrogen formulas are designed to produce foliage, but will not support flower development. Instead, apply an all-purpose fertilizer for blooming plants in early spring. Reapply in mid-summer, following label directions for application rates.

Ruby Red Hydrangea's bloom color won't change much depending on your soil pH however, in acidic conditions, you may see more of a purple to a blue hue. Adding garden lime will help maintain an alkaline pH for the deepest color saturation possible!

Your garden will become your favorite setting with the Magical® Ruby Red Hydrangea as its crown jewel! Call to order your landscape gems from Nature Hills Nursery today!

All About Hydrangea and Their Care!

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Frequently Asked Questions

Are there red hydrangeas?

Yes, red hydrangeas exist, with varieties like Magical® Ruby Red producing deep burgundy blooms with green flecks. These mophead hydrangeas start as hot pink and mature to wine-red tones throughout the season. Look for cultivars that bloom on both new and old wood for continuous color from summer through fall.

What USDA hardiness zones can the Magical® Ruby Red Hydrangea survive in?

The Magical® Ruby Red Hydrangea thrives in USDA zones 5-9, handling heat, cold, and humidity with ease. This hardy shrub tolerates temperature extremes while producing reliable blooms on both new and old wood. Shop at Nature Hills for this resilient variety.

Does the Magical® Ruby Red Hydrangea need full sun or partial shade to thrive?

Magical® Ruby Red Hydrangea performs best in partial shade to partial sun conditions. While it can tolerate some morning sun, afternoon shade protects the blooms from fading and prevents leaf scorch. Plant in a location with 4-6 hours of sunlight for optimal flowering.

How often should I water my newly planted Magical® Ruby Red Hydrangea?

Water newly planted Magical® Ruby Red Hydrangeas deeply 2-3 times per week for the first month. This vigorous shrub needs consistent moisture to establish its root system. After establishment, water when the top inch of soil feels dry.

Will the flowers actually be ruby red or do they change color based on soil conditions?

The blooms start hot-pink to red and deepen to burgundy with lime green flecks as they mature. Unlike some hydrangeas, this variety's color isn't affected by soil pH. You'll get consistent ruby-red tones throughout the season, available at naturehills.com.

Are Magical® Ruby Red Hydrangeas deer resistant?

Yes, Magical® Ruby Red Hydrangeas are deer resistant, making them an excellent choice for gardens where deer browsing is a concern. The thick, textured foliage and sturdy stems naturally deter deer from feeding on these shrubs. Plant them as border plantings or specimen plants where deer pressure is high.

What other plants pair well with Magical® Ruby Red Hydrangeas in a landscape design?

Magical® Ruby Red Hydrangeas pair beautifully with evergreen shrubs like boxwood or yew that provide structure year-round. The dark green backdrop highlights the hot-pink to burgundy blooms perfectly. Plant alongside hostas or ferns in partial shade for textural contrast.

How much fertilizer does the Magical® Ruby Red Hydrangea need during the growing season?

Magical® Ruby Red Hydrangea needs minimal fertilizing due to its vigorous growth habit and low maintenance nature. Apply a balanced, slow-release fertilizer in early spring when new growth begins. Avoid over-fertilizing, which can reduce bloom production and make stems floppy.

When and how should I prune my Magical® Ruby Red Hydrangea?

Prune Magical® Ruby Red Hydrangea in late winter or early spring before new growth begins. Since this variety blooms on both new and old wood, you can also do light pruning after flowering. Remove dead or damaged stems and shape as needed without losing next year's blooms.