Physocarpus opulifolius
Ninebark
Common names: Common ninebark
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Hardy
- Pruning
- Feb–Mar
- Flowering
- Jun
Photo: Jean-Pol GRANDMONT · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Description
Physocarpus opulifolius, commonly known as ninebark, is a hardy ornamental shrub native to North America. It is prized in small gardens for its foliage, which remains dark red to bronze throughout the growing season. In June, the plant produces small white to pale pink flower clusters that attract bees and other insects. The shrub is frost‑hardy, tolerant of pruning and drought, making it suitable for low‑maintenance hedges.
Care instructions
Water only regularly during the first growing season; thereafter, rainwater is usually sufficient. For cultivars with colored foliage, prune after flowering in June to preserve the vibrant leaf color. Every three to four years, remove the oldest basal stems to keep the plant vigorous. A compost application in early spring (around mid‑March, week 11) supplies nutrients for the season.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
FloweringJun
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
well-drained, moist, nutrient-rich, loamy
The common ninebark is surprisingly undemanding when it comes to soil and tolerates both slightly acidic and neutral soils. It feels most at home in free-draining, humus-rich soil with even moisture, but also copes well with short dry spells in the garden. Still, avoid waterlogging; for this, it is best to loosen heavy, loamy sites with sand or compost.
Feeding
Medium feeder
Months
Mar, May
A dose of mature compost in early spring is usually enough for the common ninebark for the whole season. On very poor soils you can add horn shavings once more in May, which promotes strong new growth and lovely foliage. This robust shrub does not usually need more.
Pruning
Prune the common ninebark in late winter before new growth; it forgives the intervention best then. Remove old, bare shoots right at ground level so that light and air reach the inside of the shrub and new, strong shoots form. Regular thinning every two to three years keeps the shape compact and the leaf colour bright.
Overwintering
In Central Europe the common ninebark is fully hardy and manages entirely without winter protection. Young, freshly planted shrubs appreciate a layer of mulch over the root zone in their first winter, so that the soil does not freeze through completely. For container plants, it is best to place them against a sheltered house wall and wrap the pot so that the roots do not suffer frost damage.
Propagation
Methods
- Cuttings
- Layering
- Division
The most reliable way to propagate the common ninebark is from semi-hardwood cuttings, which you take in summer after flowering and root in free-draining seed compost. Layering also works well: bend a shoot close to the ground down to the soil, pin it and wait until it forms its own roots. Older, multi-stemmed shrubs can also be divided in spring, if you have to get at the roots anyway when replanting.
Companion planting
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
For your garden
Grow Ninebark yourself
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