Leaf
Hervé Goëau, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius (L.) Raf.
Also known as: Common ninebark, Atlantic ninebark
Family: Rosaceae
2 to 3 m tall
Planted as a hedge or specimen, ordinary soils, tolerates wet soils
Flowering: May – June
Full sun
Part shade
Very hardy, to about -30°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
The bark of ninebark peels off in thin overlapping strips with age, a little like birch — a feature that adds winter interest once the leaves have fallen.
🍃 Leaves
Deciduous, with 3-5 lobes, bright green or purple depending on variety
🌸 Flowers
White to pinkish, grouped in small round clusters
🍎 Fruits
Small, inflated reddish capsule, decorative
🪵 Bark
Brown, peeling in thin strips with age
🗺️ Distribution
Native to North America; widely planted in France as an ornamental shrub, notably in purple-leaved varieties
🐝 Value for pollinators
Nectar-rich flowering, visited by bees in spring
✂️ Horticultural uses
Ornamental shrub planted for its coloured foliage (green, purple or golden depending on variety) and decorative fruits, very hardy
⚠️ Possible toxicity
No notable toxicity known
🌱 Known cultivars
Diabolo
The first purple-black-leaved ninebark ever marketed (1999), which launched a whole horticultural fashion; large white-pink flower clusters in balls in spring over spectacular dark foliage all season.
Dart's Gold
Bright golden-yellow foliage in spring, which naturally turns pale chartreuse-green in midsummer then takes on bronze tones in autumn; a compact, rounded Dutch selection (Darthuizer nursery), awarded the RHS AGM.
Lady in Red
Brighter, more luminous red foliage than that of Diabolo, on a dense, regular habit from a young age — a more compact and more colourful alternative to the classic purple ninebarks.
🌿 Other Rosaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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