Physocarpus opulifolius, commonly known as ninebark is a deciduous multi-stemmed, flowering shrub that has it all. Year round interest, low maintenance, easy to grow, and attractive. Native to North America, ninebarks are hardy Zone 3, plants that are quickly becoming a favourite in many northern/prairie landscapes.
They have been around for years but over the past few there have been some new, colourful, introductions.
Among some of the newer introductions are the diablo centre glow ninebark, darts gold ninebark, and new for this season is lemon candy and amber jubilee.
Lemon candy is a smaller-sized, compact bush, making it ideal for smaller spaces. It grows 75 to 90 centimetres tall and 60 to 90 cm wide. It is known for its large, bright-yellow, lobed leaves that appear in early spring, turn to chartreuse in summer and in the fall change to a nice yellow.
Amber jubliee is the other new one, and was named for Queen Elizabeth's diamond jubliee. It is larger, growing two metres tall and 1.5-m wide. It starts off with yellow and orange foliage that later matures to dark green and in the fall has tones of red and purple, with burgundy fruit capsules. Both of these varieties have clusters of white flowers in the spring.
Ninebark received its name from the many layers (approximately nine layers) of exfoliating bark. The bark peels off in vertical strips, revealing different shades of colour underneath, giving the plant winter interest. In the spring the colourful foliage appears along with the flowers, and in the summer and fall the foliage remains colourful. The flowers produce colourful seed pods, making this a shrub for all seasons. The flowers invite bees and butterflies to the landscape, which is another asset.
Plant ninebarks in a sunny location. If they are in too much shade the plant will become spindly and will not be as colourful. Another nice feature about the ninebark is its adaptability to different soil types and growing conditions. Once the plant has become established it can tolerate some drought. It is a low-maintenance plant that looks better when it gets some spring pruning done to rejuvenate new growth. Remove one quarter of the older stems down to ground level. It also responds well to cutting all the stem tips back in the spring, keeping the plant looking good. Ninebark is rarely bothered by pests and disease, making it the ideal plant.
Use ninebarks in different parts of the landscape. They can be used in mass plantings, hedges, foundation plantings, or as a specimen plant.
These hardy, easy-to-grow, attractive plants can grow in many conditions making it easy to find room for at least one in any landscape.
