Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius)
Regular price $15.99 Save $-15.99Common Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius) | $15.99 | 1 gallon
🌿 Quick Facts: • Native Status: Native to eastern & central North America • USDA Growing Zones: 2-8 • Height: 5-8 feet (dwarf forms 3-4 feet) • Spread: 4-6 feet
🌺 Bloom Details: • Season: Late spring to early summer • Colors: White to pale pink, followed by reddish seed capsules • Flower Type: Rounded, flat-topped spirea-like clusters with prominent stamens • Bloom Period: May-June
☀️ Growing Requirements: • Sun: Full sun to part shade — best color and least mildew in full sun • Water: Low to moderate; drought tolerant once established, also takes wet feet • Soil: Average, well-drained; tolerates clay and periodic wet; may show chlorosis in high-pH soil • Spacing: 4-6 feet apart
🦋 Pollinator Benefits: • Birds: Fruit and dense twiggy cover attract and shelter songbirds • Native Bees: Special value to native and honey bees; good early-summer pollen • Butterflies: Useful adult nectar source • Beneficial Insects: Flat flower clusters feed syrphid flies, small wasps & beetles
🌱 Plant Care: • Spring: Rejuvenate overgrown plants by cutting near the ground; treat chlorosis with chelated iron • Summer: Prune right after bloom (flowers on old wood); thin for airflow • Fall: Leave seed capsules for winter interest and birds; water in before freeze • Winter: Very hardy; exfoliating bark is the winter feature
🤝 Companion Planting: • Perfect paired with:
- Chokecherry
- Golden Currant
- Wax Currant
- Serviceberry
✨ Unique Characteristics: • Exfoliating bark peels to reddish-brown for winter interest • Nearly maintenance-free on hard sites • Excellent hedge, screen & erosion control • Tolerates drought, clay and wet soil • Early-summer pollinator flowers