In the hydrangea world, I would be careful looking for dwarves, even advertised ones, as the term may not equal what a home gardener expects.

Muchkin, Pee Wee, Ruby Slippers and Sikes' Dwarf are all compact oakleaf hydrangeas with Sikes Dwarf probably being the most compact of the bunch. Even at that, it may reach 3' tall and 4' wide if you have a long growing season (advertised 2-3' tall 3-4' wide). Pee Wee may be slightly taller 3-4' but gets 2.5-3' wide only, so width-wise, Pee Wee is slightly smaller than Sikes Dwarf.

If they get "too" big, you can prune them to maintain the size that you need. In such a case, try pruning by the end of June or really early July as they produce flower buds in July in my zone (earlier in cooler zones).

Containerizing them will also affect their overall growth - smaller pot, smaller plant but also more work watching watering needs, repotting periodically, root pruning, etc.

I have Munchkin and it is less than knee height after one year. Ruby Slippers on the other hand is already higher than my knee after one year but the blooms are much bigger too.

Here is Ruby Slippers last week.

I can vouch for 'Pee Wee' being small -- figure about 4' high and about 6' wide. I keep mine within that limit because it is on the corner of a northeastern facing deck/patio. See photo.

Vaughn's Lillie is another dwarf that produces very interesting oblong mophead blooms.

Also, the new Proven Winners' Gatsby series are dwarves.

The popular Alice and Snow Queen get to 6x6'.

Alice is supposed to be the giant but so far mine has remained at around 5 to 6 feet tall. My Snow Queen on the other hand is probably over ten feet tall with a big spire of blooms. It is on its fourth year now and our fence is five feet tall for comparison.

Well, the occasional winter dieback to the snow line keeps my 'Little Honey' under 3x3. ;-)

tj

I like the contrast between LH and the plant on the right! Do you mind me asking what is it?

I used to have yellow leafed Mac that produced pink mophead blooms but to be honest, the yellow leaves were so more nicer than the blooms that I was once tempted to cut the blooms. How do you like the bloomage colors with LH?

My Little Honey had no dieback and is probably 6x6. I really love the looks of Little Honey!

That's the greenest Little Honey I've ever seen! Mine looks much more like tj's - a glowing gold. Only about 3' tall but around 5' across......mine is in a container or probably would be larger.

IME, 'PeeWee' stays the most compact of any of the oakleafs - 4' is a stretch in my area. 3'x4-5' is much more common. Typically, oakleaf hydrangeas tend to be wider than tall but heavy shade may make them leggy. One mature Snow Queen at a nearby public planting is about 10' across and maybe 8' tall. Absolutely stunning plant if you have the room.

Luis- The purple plant next to my 'Little Honey' is purple basil. Careful with it, it reseeds quite readily.

The blooms are white, so go well with the foliage.

tj

This post was edited by tsugajunkie on Wed, Jun 18, 14 at 17:51

Yeah, sometimes it looks green and other times golden yellow. Probably too shaded in summer. How about this photo of it earlier in the year.

Yeah, that's more like it!!

Thanks this was a helpful thread. I have not looked on Houzz for this kind of content before. I too find these dwarf plants are not very dwarf and need pruning. Here in Pacific NW pruning these kinds of hydrangeas (Oakleaf) is easy and its harder to screw up the timing and lose the flowers unlike the mop head hydrangea. Oakleaf also need less water so that is ideal. I was just at a garden this morning where their mature Oakleaf had simply eaten the entire front foundation planting. It was hacked back to a 4' high clump but we are going to replace it since it is crowding out a native ribes. I am going to recommend Munchkin and assume that with pruning it can be maintained at 4 x 4. I do love the smaller flowers and the bark of Sikes Dwarf however. Z6-8 Photo is probably Snow Queen. It layers so beautifully. Any thoughts between choosing Sikes Dwarf and Munchkin anyone?

Seasonal Color Gardens · More Info

I believe all oakleafs develop exfoliating bark over time and maturity.

Info on Munchkin size and other cultural habits: http://www.usna.usda.gov/Newintro/munchkin.pdf

Munchkin derives from open pollinated seedlings from Sikes Dwarf. Just remember that literature on sizing is usually incorrect when new introductions come out. Hybridizers tend to minimize size a little. Your plant may vary from that estimated size listed.