Shrub · Rosaceae
Common Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
A forgiving native shrub with peeling bark and colorful leaves that gives back far more than it asks.
Full sun
Every 7–14 days
USDA 2–8
5–8 ft · 1.5–2.4 m
Overview
If you are new to shrubs, ninebark is a kind place to begin. It comes from eastern North America and belongs to the rose family, and it forgives a great deal: it shrugs off cold as far down as zone 2, copes with drought once its roots take hold, and settles into almost any soil you offer it. The name is a gift from the bark that peels away in thin papery strips, giving the older stems a lovely texture that keeps you company all winter.
Most gardeners fall for the foliage first, and understandably so. Growers have raised cultivars in deep purple, gold, copper, and wine-red, and gentle clusters of small white-to-pink flowers open in late spring to add to the charm. The dark and gold leaves keep the display going from the moment they unfurl right up to fall.
This is a fast, generous shrub that likes elbow room and sun, so find it a bright, breezy spot and it will mostly care for itself. Tuck it into damp shade instead and powdery mildew may wander in, but even that is easily managed. Plant it thoughtfully and you gain a low-care backbone shrub that will reward you for years, whatever your experience.
Care
The short version: give it full sun for the richest leaf color, plant it in average well-drained soil that it happily adapts to, and water faithfully through the first season only. From then on it is wonderfully drought tough, wants little feeding, and asks only for one gentle prune a year, right after it flowers.
Light
Ninebark is happiest in full sun, and the purple and gold cultivars hold their color far more richly when they get it. It will still manage in partial shade, but be ready for duller leaves and a slightly greater chance of powdery mildew once the air stops moving.
Water
Water a young plant faithfully through its first growing season so the roots settle in well. After that it turns genuinely drought tolerant and only wants a drink during a long dry stretch. Let the top half of the soil dry between waterings, which usually works out to about every 7 to 14 days.
Soil
This is not a fussy shrub about its ground at all. It does best in average, well-drained soil, yet adapts kindly to clay, loam, sand, rocky, dry, and even wet places. It copes with a wide pH from 5.5 to 8.0, so most gardens suit it just as they are, with no amending needed.
Temperature
Ninebark is wonderfully hardy, standing winter cold down to about -51°F (-46°C) and summer heat up to 100°F (38°C). That range covers hardiness zones 2 through 8, which is why it feels so at home in so many cold gardens.
Humidity
Outdoor humidity is nothing to fuss over on its own, so there is no number to chase. What matters far more is good airflow, since crowded, stagnant air is really what invites powdery mildew onto the leaves.
Feeding
This tough native rarely needs feeding, so you can skip it with a clear conscience. If growth ever looks weak, offer a light application of balanced fertilizer in early spring and stop there. Too much, especially nitrogen, only pushes soft growth that fireblight finds all too easy to attack.
Pruning
Prune right after it blooms and no later than mid-August, because next year's flowers form on old wood and a late cut takes them away. To gently rescue an overgrown, leggy plant, you can cut it close to the ground in winter and let it come back fresh and full.
Repotting
Ninebark belongs in the open ground and rarely needs potting on, so you can put that chore aside. If you do keep one in a container, move it up when the roots circle the pot, push out through the drainage holes, or water begins running straight through.
Size & spacing
Plan for a good-sized shrub, 5 to 8 feet (152 to 244 cm) tall with a spread of 4 to 6 feet (122 to 183 cm). Give it that generous width so air can drift through the branches, and mildew finds far less of a foothold.
When to plant
Ninebark is a hardy, easygoing shrub with a generous planting window, so there is no need to rush. Set new plants out in spring or fall while the weather stays mild, then look forward to the white-to-pink flowers in late spring, roughly April through June, before the colored foliage carries the rest of the year.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: Spring or fall
- Harvest: Late spring (April to June)
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 2–8
Temperature: down to -46°C
Troubleshooting
Ninebark rarely asks much of you, and when a problem does appear it usually lands on the leaves rather than the whole plant, so try not to worry. Nearly everything traces back to crowding and damp, still air. Find what you see below and step in early, and you will keep the upper hand.
Shoot tips darkening and hooking over as though singed
This one is fireblight, a bacterial trouble that turns the tips black and curves them into a little shepherd's crook while they stay stuck to the branch. Don't panic, you can get ahead of it. Cut well below the darkened wood, dip or wipe your tools clean between each cut, and put the trimmings in the bin rather than the compost. Go easy on nitrogen and prune on a dry day, and the shrub will bounce back.
Fix:
- Prune out blighted wood well below visible damage
- Disinfect pruning tools between cuts
- Destroy removed material; do not compost
A soft white dust settling over the leaves and shoot tips
What you are seeing is powdery mildew, a fungus that likes still, shady corners and tends to pick on the darker-leaved cultivars most. Take heart, it looks worse than it is. Open the shrub up by thinning a few crowded stems, pick off the leaves that look poorly, and let more sun reach it, and the plant will carry on just fine.
Fix:
- Improve air circulation by thinning crowded stems
- Remove and dispose of badly infected foliage
- Site or move plants into full sun
Little dark spots and blotches dotting the leaves
These are fungal leaf spots, and they turn up when the leaves stay damp and the plants sit too close for air to pass between them. They are only skin deep, so the shrub stays healthy underneath. Gather up the fallen leaves, ease the spacing so a breeze can get through, and water low at the roots instead of over the top, and you will have it in hand.
Fix:
- Rake up and dispose of fallen infected leaves
- Improve spacing and airflow
- Avoid wetting foliage when watering
Toxicity
You can breathe easy here. Ninebark is not on the ASPCA poison lists and is treated as non-toxic to pets, livestock, and people alike. At worst, a big greedy mouthful might bring on a brief, mild stomach upset, the same as overeating any leafy plant.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
You can relax about the cats, since ninebark is safe for them and never turns up on the ASPCA poison list. If one has a curious chew, the worst you might see is a bit of drool or a passing tummy upset, no different from nibbling any leafy thing.
Dogs None
Your dog is welcome to share the garden with ninebark and come to no harm. Bolting down a big mouthful of leaves might loosen the stomach for an afternoon, but there is no true poison here to fret about.
Horses Safe
Horses grazing beside a ninebark hedge have nothing to fear. The shrub holds no toxin that would hurt them, and most horses leave the woody stems be in any case.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits, tame or wild, are perfectly safe around ninebark. They will happily browse the young shoots, and the leaves sit gently on their digestion.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep can graze near ninebark with no worry at all, because it carries nothing that would poison them. A goat may nibble the soft new growth and be none the worse for it.
Birds Safe
Birds are in safe company with ninebark. Many happily feed on the dry seed capsules through winter and tuck their nests into the thick branches, drawn in by the shelter it offers.
People Safe
There is no poisoning risk to people from ninebark. It is not a plant grown for eating, so there is little reason to taste it, but a stray nibble will do no harm.
No special handling precautions are required; wear gloves when pruning if you have sensitive skin.
Varieties
Most ninebark you will find for sale is a colored-leaf cultivar rather than the plain green species, and each has its own gentle appeal. These are the ones you are most likely to come across, grouped by the foliage they are loved for.
Diabolo
You will know this one by its deep purple leaves, the famous dark cultivar, though the color can soften toward green across a hot summer.
Dart's Gold
Its bright golden-yellow leaves are the reason to grow it, and giving the shrub full sun keeps that glow at its best.
Summer Wine
If space is tight, this compact form is a friendly choice, pairing dark wine-red foliage with soft white-to-pink flowers.
Coppertina
Watch the fresh growth unfold a warm coppery orange before it eases into red as each leaf matures.
Amber Jubilee
The leaves move through gold, orange, and amber, quietly changing their tones as the season rolls on.
How to propagate
Ninebark gives you three friendly ways to make more, and the one to choose really just depends on whether keeping a cultivar's leaf color true matters to you.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Late spring to summer using softwood cuttings · 4 to 8 weeks to root
If you have your heart set on keeping a named colored-leaf cultivar true to its parent, cuttings are the kindest path. Snip softwood or semi-hardwood pieces from late spring into summer, and they settle into roots in 4 to 8 weeks. Of the three ways, this is the one that rarely lets you down.
SeedModerate
Sow in fall or after cold stratification in spring · Several weeks to germinate; seedlings of cultivars vary
Seed is a lovely way to raise the wild species, sown in fall or given a cold rest before a spring sowing, and the sprouts appear over several weeks. Just be gentle with your hopes, since seedlings from a colored cultivar will not match their parent's leaves, so leave that route for the plain species.
LayeringEasy
Spring through summer · One growing season
Layering could not be simpler, and it is a forgiving place to start. Pin one of the low arching branches down onto the soil any time from spring through summer, let it root over one growing season, then part it from the parent as a brand new plant.
Myths
The name ninebark means the bark peels off in exactly nine separate layers.
The name simply celebrates the pretty bark that flakes away in thin strips down the stems, not any real tally. Nine is just an old figure of speech here, a way of saying many layers rather than a precise count you need to worry about.