Flowers around every turn
Lateral and terminal heads turn each arching stem into a flowering garland.
Hydrangea 'Runaway Bride'® 17cm
Normal price
€30,00
What does the legal guarantee mean for plants?
The legal guarantee concerns the plant’s conformity at delivery. It is not a guarantee of survival or growth for two years. Each issue is assessed taking into account the nature of the plant, its care and the conditions in which it is kept. Your statutory rights remain unaffected.
Hydrangea ‘USHYD0405’ Runaway Bride®
- Flowers around every turn
- Clear versatile white
- Broad natural movement
- Morning sun
Hydrangea ‘USHYD0405’ Runaway Bride® rewrites the familiar hydrangea silhouette: white flowers are not confined to shoot tips but appear as small bouquets all along the arching stems. The crown gains movement, depth and an almost bridal flow, with clean white highlights that illuminate a quiet partially shaded corner. It feels unusual and collectible without becoming visually fussy.
On a raised pot, low wall or the front of a border, its lateral flowers can be seen along their full sweep. Give the broad relaxed outline room to form a natural white cascade rather than burying it between taller shrubs.
RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year 2018 — a verified distinction for the exact cultivar ‘USHYD0405’.
What makes it distinctive
Three distinct details explain the horticultural value of Runaway Bride®.
Clear versatile white
The neutral colour partners easily and remains luminous in partial shade.
Broad natural movement
Its crown sweeps horizontally, offering a different architecture from a conventional rounded mophead.
Why you will love it: Flowering along the stems creates a white cascade no conventional terminal hydrangea head can imitate.
In the garden & on the balconyPlacement & plant pairingsPosition, mature scale and companion planting tailored to this cultivar.
Best position
Place at the front of a border, over a low wall or in a raised large pot, with about 1.2 m of clear width so the laterally flowered stems can arch and remain fully visible.
Compatible planting
Hosta ‘Halcyon’, Carex morrowii ‘Ice Dance’ and Astilbe ‘Deutschland’ suit bright partial shade and let the low cascading crown spill above blue, green-white and white textures.
- Hosta ‘Halcyon’ — provides clear foliage contrast and supports the palette without competing with the main crown.
- Carex morrowii ‘Ice Dance’ — adds linear texture and movement without hiding the main plant's natural mature outline.
- Astilbe ‘Deutschland’ — complements the composition with a different texture and compatible site and soil-moisture needs.
Care at a glance
Light
Morning sun with afternoon shade; intense midday radiation can scorch leaves and sepals.
Water
Maintain even moisture without permanent saturation. Water deeply when the top 2–3 cm begin to dry.
Climate & hardiness
Winter hardy, though late frost can injure already formed flower buds.
Safety
All parts are considered inedible and may cause illness if chewed.
Detailed careComplete care guideLight, watering, soil, feeding, pruning and winter management.
Light
Morning sun with afternoon shade; intense midday radiation can scorch leaves and sepals.
Water
Maintain even moisture without permanent saturation. Water deeply when the top 2–3 cm begin to dry.
Soil & drainage
Humus-rich, cool, freely drained soil; pH influences some anthocyanin colours, but not every red cultivar equally.
Feeding
Use hydrangea feed sparingly in spring and, if required, once more in early summer.
Pruning
Deadhead to a strong pair of buds and remove only dead or genuinely old stems.
Winter
Do not hard-prune in autumn; old heads provide a little protection to the upper buds.
Development over timeFrom young plant to mature presenceEstablishment, branching, flowering and the real volume this plant will occupy in a garden.
Initial establishment
During the first months, roots establish while older stems retain valuable pre-formed flower buds. Even moisture and gradual light acclimatisation take priority over formative pruning.
Building the crown
Lateral stems lengthen and arch while increasing numbers of side buds develop into small white inflorescences.
Mature expression
At full maturity the crown reaches about 1.2 m in height and 1.2 m in spread. Final planting distance must follow that scale rather than the plant’s current young volume.
Mature habit & dimensions
in the groundHeight 1.2 mSpread 1.2 mBroad, arching crown
Stems branch near the base, spread outwards and bend gently at their tips. White lacecaps appear both terminally and along the stems, creating flowering garlands that show particularly well from a raised position.
Form through time
Deciduous shrubLateral floweringLacecap flower heads
Spring growthOpposite leaves unfold on the growing shoots before the lateral flowering positions fill out.
Spring–summerSmall fertile flowers in the centre and larger white sterile flowers around the edge form each lacecap.
This hydrangea is deciduous: leaves fall in winter, leaving the low-branched woody framework.
History & originCultivar originFrom Ushio Sakazaki’s selection in Japan to recognition at Chelsea in 2018.
In 2010, in Higashiomi, Japan, Ushio Sakazaki crossed Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Hobella’ with an unnamed proprietary hydrangea selection. Among the offspring, one seedling stood out in 2013 for flowering from lateral buds as well as shoot tips: flowers could now follow the length of the branch.
The selection was named ‘USHYD0405’ and propagation by stem cuttings began that same year. Subsequent generations retained its distinctive flowering, small green leaves and spreading lateral branches.
Under the trade name Runaway Bride® Snow White, it reached the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and became Plant of the Year in 2018. The US patent USPP31120 followed in 2019, describing the detail behind those white garlands: lacecap inflorescences borne both terminally and laterally.
Greenleaf for Plant NerdsScientific details nobody asked forMechanisms, anatomy and chemistry explaining how the plant actually behaves.
Flowers from leaf axils too
In ‘USHYD0405’, inflorescences are not confined to the terminal bud. They also develop from lateral buds in the leaf axils, giving a long stem a succession of flowering positions. This distribution, together with the short lateral branches, creates the cultivar’s garland effect.
White is not a white pigment
Its white sepals contain no white anthocyanin. Brightness comes mainly from multiple scattering at microscopic cell–air interfaces while chlorophyll declines as the inflorescence opens.
Frequently asked questions
Six exact answers about placement, watering, pruning and seasonal behaviour for Runaway Bride®.
01Can Runaway Bride® remain in a pot long term?
Yes, in a large freely drained pot with room for a mature spread of up to 1.2 m. Increase pot size gradually and do not let the rootball dry through in summer.
02Which position shows Runaway Bride® at its best?
Morning sun with afternoon shade; intense midday radiation can scorch leaves and sepals. Keep an open visual field around its mature 1.2 m spread so the cultivar’s particular crown remains clearly legible.
03When should Runaway Bride® be watered again?
Maintain even moisture without permanent saturation. Water deeply when the top 2–3 cm begin to dry.
04How should Runaway Bride® be pruned?
Runaway Bride® retains important flower buds on older wood. Remove spent heads and dead or genuinely old stems, avoiding a blanket hard prune.
05Why does it flower along the whole stem?
‘USHYD0405’ forms flowers in many lateral buds, not only at the tip. Hard pruning therefore removes much of its distinctive cascade.
06What will Runaway Bride® look like in winter?
Runaway Bride® is deciduous and remains outdoors. In the ground, free drainage is the main concern; in a pot, protect the rootball from prolonged severe freezing and avoid permanent saturation.
📦 Your plant travels protected
Every order is prepared with care so your plant arrives upright, secure and safe.
Individual protection
Plants in pots with a capacity of 3 litres or more are placed in individual boxes that hold the pot securely and reduce the risk of tipping over.
Sturdy packaging
We use reinforced cardboard designed to protect against impacts and vibration during transport.