← Bedfellow

Common Ninebark

Physocarpus opulifolius

Ninebark takes its name from mature bark that peels away in thin papery layers, brown over tan over cinnamon, which is the shrub's real asset once the leaves are gone. Rounded clusters of small white flowers in late spring give way to inflated red seed capsules that dry and hold, and both stages cut well for arrangements. It is among the toughest shrubs available for a native planting — flooding, drought, clay, cold and road salt all pass without complaint — and it is a workhorse for streambank stabilization. It does suffer in humid shade, where powdery mildew disfigures it, and the dark-leaved garden cultivars are noticeably more prone to it than the plain green species. Cut a third of the oldest stems to the ground each late winter and it stays dense rather than arching open at the middle. It is not a food plant, and large medicinal doses of it are toxic.

Family

Rosaceae

Type

shrub

Lifespan

perennial

Height

5–8 ft

Spacing

4–6 ft apart

Light

sun, part shade, shade

Soil moisture

dry, moist, wet

Soil pH

acidic, neutral

Bloom

May, June

Bloom colors

white, pink

Wildlife value

pollinators, butterflies, mammals, songbirds, larval host

Caterpillar hosts

~41 butterfly & moth species

Landscape uses

border, hedge or screen, naturalizing, rain garden

Native states

AL, AR, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, VA, WI, WV