Cherry Explosion™ Hydrangea

As low as $89.09 was $109.99
Availability: In stock
SKU
6985014

Red Hot Flower Power Cherry Explosion Hydrangea

  • Unique Cherry Red Flowers
  • Pretty Lacecap Hydrangea
  • Blooms Last and Last
  • Burgundy Fall Color
  • Tidy Plant Makes Great Low Hedges
  • Small Enough to Fit in Any Garden
  • Very Hardy

If you are looking for a compact, easy-care plant that brings a lot of color without extra work or hassle, you'll love this selection. Charming Cherry Explosion™ Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla 'McKay' PP28757) is a tidy lacecap hydrangea with amazing flowers that last and last.

Boost your landscape with a big pop of color and style from this lovely small shrub. Each lacecap bloom features a circlet of cherry red florets - one of the brightest red flower colors available in Hydrangeas - surrounding a profusion of tiny contrasting star-shaped light pink flowers!

The flowers look like hot little firecrackers! This cute plant brings so much pizzazz anywhere you plant it.

This super hardy macrophylla is covered with flowers from top to bottom. And Cherry Explosion was the first of its kind to be introduced here in the United States with its brilliant red color. This has been an absolute "game-changer" gene for Hydrangeas.

If you love Hydrangeas, you'll love including Cherry Explosion in your collection. It plays well just about anywhere you put it, as long as it receives a bit of shade in the afternoon. Try it on the east side of your house, in containers, or even in a bit of partial shade.

Anywhere you plant it, it will add a tremendous amount of color and interest. From its lush dark green foliage, to the prolific blooms all season long, you'll love and appreciate this little workhorse of a plant.

One of the reasons there are so many blooms is that the flower buds are held on both last year's wood, and also develop on new shoots from the roots. This outstanding feature is a hallmark of the variety, and it really means MORE FLOWERS for you to enjoy. (Some people say this variety should have been called "Forever Bloom"!)

Even as the nights get cooler, Cherry Explosion will shine for you. The deep forest green leaves turn a rich burgundy, and the flowers fade to a complementary mauve - a beautiful accent color.

You'll get interest for a long time with this variety. Order now!

How to Use Cherry Explosion Hydrangea in the Landscape

A little, rounded shrub like this is a perfect candidate for a very modern foundation planting or used as a low hedge. Border your patio with these or line your walkways. You'll greet your guests in welcoming style!

This shrub won't get too large for you. Highly adaptable to a wide range of growing zones, in warmer climates zones, the plants get a bit larger, but stay rounded. In colder climates, the overall size is just about knee-high.

Cherry Explosion is a wonderful edging plant to define your perennial bed. Or, consider it an anchor plant and run a curving ribbon of them near the front of the mixed border.

They are the perfect size to run alongside your white picket fence. They can also help you edge your borders. The color just pops when planted in masses and drifts.

Or, try them as "Thrillers" in your seasonal container gardens. If you include a few single specimens in small containers, you'll be able to move them around as needed for an extra shot of color.

This variety will perform beautifully in your garden during summer, fall and winter. The fantastic brandywine fall color contrasts nicely as a backdrop for the flowers, which fade from bright cherry-red flowers to deep pink, through mauve and finally dry into buff on the plant. Leave the flower heads on for winter interest.

In warmer climates, the flowers remain on the plant all winter long. In the coldest regions, the plant will die back to the ground over winter, but don't worry - it comes back every year without fail and blooms like a champ on the new wood (unlike old-fashioned Hydrangeas.)

#ProPlantTips for Care

Cherry Explosion does well in a variety of conditions but likes protection from the hottest afternoon sun. This red-hot Hydrangea loves an east exposure. Morning sun and afternoon shade help them thrive.

They won't perform well in full sun all day, so take care when selecting a planting site. The hot afternoon sun is just too much for them.

Like most Hydrangeas, the color is highly influenced by the soil. The unusually bright red color can be changed to a beautiful lavender-purple color when grown in more acidic soils for another unique color change.

They prefer a rich, well-drained, slightly acidic soil. Amend with organic matter like compost or leaf mold to improve your soil. Add mulch to cover the top of the root system and help maintain even moisture.

Gardeners in Zone 4 should plant Cherry Explosion in a sheltered location away from the worst of winter winds. You can also add a deeper layer of winter mulch to give even more protection.

Prune them in very early spring just as the plants begin to grow. Just remove the old flower heads and to trim off any dead branch tips in the colder regions, if necessary.

Cherry Explosion stays small but makes a much bigger impact. Order this choice hydrangea for your garden today!

Frequently Asked Questions

How big do Cherry Explosion Hydrangeas get?

Cherry Explosion Hydrangea shrubs are small and stay small, getting a mature height and width of 3-4 feet.

What is the most hardy Hydrangea?

You can find the most cold-hardy Hydrangea can handle 3 to 4 hardiness zones, and some heat-tolerant varieties handle down to growing zones 9 and 10.

What is the prettiest Hydrangea?

While beauty is in the eye of the beholder, Cherry Explosion Hydrangea is an extremely dark scarlet red lacecap Hydrangea, setting it apart from others by far!

How do you prune Cherry Explosion Hydrangeas?

Prune your Cherry Explosion Hydrangea in early spring to clean up the shape of the shrub and deadhead after the flowers have finished.

What Shipping Options Do You Offer?

NatureHills.com works closely with our growers and nursery professionals to ensure we ship when it is most appropriate for your area. Our goal is to deliver the hardiest plants by avoiding extreme high and low temperatures. Check out our shipping schedule for more information and to learn our wills and won’ts when it comes to shipping plants. Find your Cherry Explosion Hydrangea for sale here at NatureHills.com!

Buying Options for Plants

Nature Hills sells a large variety of plants with several options available. Plants are offered in both potted containers and as dormant bare root without soil. Here is a helpful resource to understand your options as you create a beautiful landscape with help from Nature Hills.

Ever wonder what a larger plant will mean for your landscape? Container Sizes are really all about the age of the plant!

Seasonally, Nature Hills offers hand selected, high quality bare root trees, shrubs and perennials. Bare root plants are sold by height from the top of the root system to the top of the plant. Plants may be taller than the height minimums.

  • Popular sizes of select trees are 1 foot, 2 feet, 3 feet, etc.
  • Popular sizes of select bare root plants is 1 foot, 18 inches, etc.

Nature Hills Container Size by Volume

Keep in mind, specific varieties and different growing conditions can affect the rate at which plants grow. Variations in size may occur.

Young Plants to 18 Months
Size Volume
2"x2"x3" Ranges from .18 to .21 dry quarts / .198 to .23 dry liters in volume
4.5" Container Equal to .65 dry quart / .72 dry liter in volume
Sprinter Pot Equal to .63 dry quart / .69 dry liter in volume
4" Container Ranges from .31 to .87 / .35 to .96 dry liter in volume
6" Container Equal to 1.4 dry quarts / 1.59 dry liters in volume
1 Quart Equal to 1 dry quart / 1.1 dry liter in volume
5.5" Container Equal to 1.89 of a dry quart / 2.08 dry liters in volume
4"x4"x5" Ranges from .8 to 1.1 dry quarts / .88 to 1.2 dry liters in volume
4"x4"x6" Ranges from 1.0 to 1.3 dry quarts / 1.1 to 1.41 dry liters in volume
4"x4"x9" Ranges from 1.1 to 2.1 dry quarts / 1.2 to 2.3 dry liters in volume
4"x4"x10" Ranges from 1.7 to 2.3 dry quart / 1.87 to 2.53 dry liters in volume
Plants 18 Months - 2.5 Years Old
Size Volume
2 Quart Equal to 2 dry quarts / 2.2 dry liters in volume
#1 Container Ranges from 2.26 to 3.73 dry quarts / 2.49 to 4.11 dry liters in volume
5"x5"x12" Equal to 3.5 to 4.3 dry quarts / 3.85 to 4.74 dry liters in volume
Plants 2 - 4 Years Old
Size Volume
#2 Container Ranges from 1.19 to 1.76 dry gallons / 5.24 to 7.75 dry liters in volume
#3 Container Ranges from 2.32 to 2.76 dry gallons / 10.22 to 12.16 dry liters in volume
Plants 3 - 5 Years Old
Size Volume
#5 Container Ranges from 2.92 to 4.62 dry gallons / 12.86 to 20.35 dry liters in volume
#6 Container Ranges from 5.25 to 6.01 dry gallons / 23.12 to 26.42 dry liters in volume
#7 Container Ranges from 5.98 to 6.08 dry gallons / 26.34 to 26.78 dry liters in volume

About Plant Sentry™

Plant Sentry is designed to protect both consumers and the nursery trade from invasive plant pests and diseases. Sites that display the Plant Sentry protection badge are protected from consumers buying and nurseries shipping material carrying invasive pests and diseases.

This proprietary eCommerce software prevents the shipment of a restricted plant to each state. The Plant Sentry system includes a shipment certification program. The Plant Sentry Compliance Officer works closely with NatureHills.com and each nursery or fulfillment center to ensure only compliant plants are sold to customers.

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Plant Sentry

Shipping

To obtain a more accurate shipment time-frame, simply enter your zip code in the “Find Your Growing Zone” box to the right. Our plants are grown all over the country and lead time on items may be different because of this. Once your order is placed, you will also receive the specific shipment time-frame information as part of your order confirmation. Once an item ships, you will receive shipment notification and tracking numbers, so you can follow along while your plant travels to your doorstep. We use FedEx, UPS, or USPS at our discretion.

Due to winter weather we have put a hold on shipping to the areas shown below in grey. You can still order now and we will ship the plant to you during an appropriate time for your zone.

*If you have found your zone already, it will be highlighted in the table below.
Color Zone Times
3 Spring 2019
4 Now
5 Now
6 Now
7 Now
8 Now
9 Now
10 Now
11 Now

Shipping Rates

At Nature Hills we handle, package and ship the products you order with the utmost care to ensure healthy delivery. Shipping and handling charges are calculated based on the tables below. Please note that some items include an additional handling surcharge, these will be noted on the item's product page.

From To S&H
0 - 19.99 24.99
20 - 49.99 29.99
50 - 69.99 34.99
70 - 99.99 39.99
100 - 129.99 44.99
130 - 149.99 48.99
150 - 150+ Approx 28%

Click here to see our full rates

PLANT HIGHLIGHTS

Cherry Explosion™ Hydrangea Is Suited to Grow in Zones 4-9
Growing Zones 4-9
More Information
Brand Plants That Work
Botanical Name Hydrangea macrophylla 'McKay'
Type Deciduous
Mature Height 3 - 4 feet
Mature Spread 3 - 4 feet
Sun Exposure Full Sun
Soil Well-Drained
Moisture Moderate
Growth Rate Medium
Foliage Color Green
Fall Color Burgundy / Purple
Pollinator Friendly Yes
Pruning Time Early Spring