This Stunning Variety Of Hydrangea Only Gets More Beautiful With Time

While home gardeners are closing the curtains on the 2025 season with a long fall garden to-do list, plant growers are busy preparing magical surprises for next year's gardens. At Monrovia Nursery, headquartered in Dayton, Oregon, the 2026 growing season marks a special milestone anniversary. To celebrate, they're introducing a bigleaf hydrangea cultivar with stunning ruby red blooms and dark foliage. 'Centennial Ruby' Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla 'Centennial Ruby') emerged on the stage in July 2025, and is set to debut in gardens in Zones 4 to 9 next year.

As gardeners and designers plan for the coming year, 2026 garden trends are taking shape, stars are being born, and 'Centennial Ruby' looks destined to play a leading role. Ruby hydrangeas have been around since 2010, when Hydrangea quercifolia 'Ruby Slippers' was introduced, but Monrovia's new jewel-toned macrophylla is poised to redefine gardens with its vibrant color, long-lasting blooms, and compact habit.

The flowers on the much-anticipated 'Centennial Ruby' are a sparkling ruby color that emerges bright red and darkens over time, lasting a remarkable 130 days. The large clusters are supported by the sturdy, compact structure of the plant, and you never have to worry about this bigleaf hydrangea splitting or falling over. At three feet tall, it's shorter than most and rarely needs pruning. When planted in an area with morning sun and afternoon shade, the thick, leathery foliage can even tolerate dry soil without wilting.

With its compact habit and long-lasting blooms, 'Centennial Ruby' is expected to be used as a foundation, container, and border plant for low-maintenance front yards. Big leaf hydrangeas need sun and water, and they're known for wilting in late afternoon sun, especially in warmer climates. In Zones 5 and 6, big leaf hydrangeas like 'Centennial Ruby' can tolerate more sun, but in Zones 7 and above, they need a spot with plenty of afternoon shade. Somewhere on the east side of the house, with full sun in the morning, will give 'Centennial Ruby' enough sun for its outstanding blooms.

Monrovia Nursery is making a splash with 'Centennial Ruby' next year, and the first 5,000 plants will come with a limited-edition tag number. With how popular it's expected to be, it could be hard to find this one next spring. If you can't find it or want to try something similar right away, there are other red-blooming hydrangea cultivars, although none of them have flowers that darken the way Monrovia's newest hydrangea does. Still, Hydrangea macrophylla cultivars like 'Cherry-Go-Round' have a small compact habit and are bursting with bright red mopheads in Zones 5 to 9. Or, you could try one a bit taller, like 'Cardinal Red', another bigleaf hydrangea for Zones 6 to 11 that tops out at five feet. Then, when you can finally add 'Centennial Ruby' to your garden, it will add another layer of color to your hydrangea collection.

Fall and winter are the perfect time to start planning a garden, and while the focus is on 'Centennial Ruby', gardeners can begin thinking about how to incorporate it into their 2026 landscape. Trend setters and designers are forecasting 2026 garden trends like low-maintenance landscaping, plants to enhance patio culture, and gothic gardens. With its unique characteristics, 'Centennial Ruby' fits neatly into several of these categories.

With its season-long blooms, short compact structure, and hardy growth habits, 'Centennial Ruby' is going to be a good choice for mixed flower beds in low-maintenance gardens. This is a reblooming hydrangea, meaning it blooms on old and new wood. Since it's so neat and compact, you don't need to prune it. With a few inches of bark mulch, it's hardy down to Zone 4 and can handle going several days without water.

Patio culture is a 2026 garden trend that brings more fragrant and beautiful plants into habitable outdoor areas. Whether you use 'Centennial Ruby' in border plantings or container gardens, it's a sure hit for the patio. And with red flowers that darken to almost black, 'Centennial Ruby' will be sought by people growing gothic gardens, a trend that's been around for a few years but is still on the rise. With the nostalgia and romantic charm that hydrangeas typically elicit, Monrovia's special new hydrangea is sure to be talked about throughout the year.