Cherry Explosion Hydrangea

Hydrangea serrata ‘McKay’ PP 28,757

Plant Details

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 4a-9b Find Your Zone

Shrub Type: Deciduous Flowering Shrub

Height at Maturity: 3-4′

Width at Maturity: 3-4′

Spacing: 3′ apart for solid hedges; 6’or more apart for space between plants

Growth Habit / Form: Bushy, Dense, Globose/Round, Mounding

Flower Color: Cherry Red, Lavender in acid soils

Flower Size: Large – up to 8″ inch diameter

Flowering Period: All Summer!

Flower Type: Lacecap

Fragrant Flowers: No

Foliage Color: Dark Green, Burgundy In Fall

Fragrant Foliage: No

Berries: NA

Berry Color: NA

Sun Needs: Part Shade, Morning Sun, Filtered Sun (South) – Sun or Part Shade (North)

Water Needs: Average, Lower when established

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

Soil Moisture / Drainage: Moist But Well-Drained

Soil pH: 6.0 – 8.5 (Moderately Acid to Moderately Alkaline)

Maintenance / Care: Low

Attracts: Visual Attention

Resistances: Disease, Drought (when established in part shade), Heat, Humidity, Insect

Description

With flower clusters that form top to bottom on nearly every stem to nearly cover the compact mound for an “explosion” of dramatic color in the landscape, Cherry Explosion is a lacecap Hydrangea totally unique from any other on the market. Massive, dinner plate size flower clusters with brilliant cherry red florets in neutral to alkaline soils and lavender flowers in acid soil appear throughout summer. The large, leathery, dark green leaves provide a wonderful backdrop for the flowers and turn an attractive burgundy in fall.

Landscape & Garden Uses

Growing 3 to 4 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide in a rounded mound, the Cherry Explosion Hydrangea can be grown in garden beds or containers. In smaller garden spaces it’s ideal for use as a specimen or accent in home foundation plantings, flowering shrub borders and perennial gardens. In larger landscape spaces it is especially dramatic in small to large groupings or in straight or staggered rows as a colorful low hedge. A fine addition to red color theme gardens, Hydrangea gardens,

Suggested Spacing: 3 feet apart for solid hedges; 8 feet apart for space between plants

Note: For our customers who live and garden north of USDA Planting Zone 5a, where this Hydrangea variety is not reliably winter hardy outdoors, you can enjoy it in containers that can be moved indoors during winter and placed back outside when temperatures warm up in spring.

Growing Preferences

The Cherry Explosion 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 and part shade (morning sun with afternoon shade or filtered sun) in southern zones. For best flowering, we suggest 4 hours of direct sunlight per day. As with so many other ornamental plants, a constantly soggy or wet soil is problematic. Flower color is your choice. Acidic soils will make lavender flowers while a neutral to slightly alkaline soil will make red flowers.

Get tips for proper pruning time and technique in our article titled How To Prune Various Types Of Hydrangea

Helpful Articles

Click on a link below to find helpful advice from our experts on how to plant, fertilize, prune and water Hydrangea shrubs…

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

Everything you do is right. The only problems is. Your plants are so beautiful and healthy. Is almost impossible to say No. My hydrangeas. Cherry Explosion is indeed a beauty. Soooo healthy. The flouwers should open soon. That is why I give this one in particular. ????????????. Thank you Again you dont disappoint me.————————————————Wow! We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

Thank you Sir’s!
We are on our 5th order with you now because of the quality of your product. And your fast and expert shipping! I judt can’t wait until a ghost cloud white Japanese elm come available to complete our Japanese zen garden we are working on! Thank you for providing us with the highest quality tree’s plant’s shrub’s bamboo ivy’s and grasses that are also exotic and hard to find especially in the quality you provide your customer’s!
Thank you!
Bob & Destina Pike————————————–We are so glad yall are pleased and we hope yall enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the great review!:) Beth Steele | WBG