Ooops! Typo. That is supposed to be Ruby Slippers.

And the other name is supposed to be Munchkin. See what those 100+ temperatures do to the brain?!?!?

Funny you should ask this. Just yesterday I was wondering about another dwarf h. and came upon the usarboretum article about their breeding program that produced Ruby Slippers.

Do you have these? I believe Ruby Slippers was only released in 2010 by the arboretum, so they'd have to be in production at least a couple years before most nurseries would sell to public. So far I saw the National Audubon society and Spring Hill and maybe one other. The first was selling a 4"pot for about 14$ the latter 24$. ....no comment...

I'm always curious about bud hardiness....

I saw the article too, last year. They have been for sale at least since Spring 2011. Distribution is limited so mail order is the way to go right now. I saw similar prices but was confused by the different bloom colors in different websites. Sometimes they adjust the colors so I was wondering if anyone had pictures showing these shrubs in various stages of color. Both start white but then change to differing shades of pink. Those shades of pink are the ones that get photographed the most because I have yet to see the white blooms anywhere. But for the same plant, the shades of pink varied quite a lot from one website to another so hopefully someone who has bought them can post pictures!

If I remember right -hard to say with all these 100+ degree temperatures- the National Arboretum article said they were hardy to Zone 5 (I just went back to the article and confirmed it). Same as other oakleafs.

Hi Luis did you mean to write spring, 2011? That's a few months ago. I don't disagree with you because I don't know when they came on the market. I think in a Nurseryman article said widespread release is expected in spring 2012. But I wonder because I've been reading how nurseries are being more cautious about rushing to sell newly developed plants. It is my and many others' impression or experience that plants are being released for sale without adequate trialing. That was certainly the case with the 'saul' coneflowers...which I'm astounded to see are still around nurseries and catalogues. Also a bunch of coreopses that weren't hardy.....After my expensive coneflower failures I'm glad to wait till someone else in my climatic conditions trials introductions for me!
marie