Common ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius · Rosaceae
A large, arching native shrub with domed clusters of white flowers, red seed capsules, and bark that peels in many thin layers.
- Size
- 8 ft tall, 8 ft wide
- Zones
- 2 to 8
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Late May to late June
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around common ninebark
The planner designed this bed around common ninebark when this page was made: a 22 × 10 ft (6.7 × 3.0 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why common ninebark stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Common ninebark × 1, white
- 2 Bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' × 19, pink
- 3 Creeping phlox 'Emerald Blue' × 10, blue
- 4 Indian grass × 3, tan
- 5 Tatarian aster 'Jindai' × 3, purple
- 6 Italian bugloss 'Dropmore' × 3, blue
- 7 White mugwort × 3, cream
- 8 Golden ragwort × 33, yellow
- 9 Chives × 16, purple
- 10 Surprise lily × 12, pink
- 11 Tulip × 10, red
- 12 Red spider lily × 5, red
Why this plant
- The only dense clusters. The others are open bowls, plumes, daisies and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only white. White sits between stronger colours and calms them.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So does Indian grass.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 8 ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to Tatarian aster 'Jindai' (4 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for four weeks. From late May to late June.
- Part of the bed's peak. With bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei', Italian bugloss 'Dropmore', golden ragwort and others in late May: 5 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as an English border: 17 of the 19 groups (89%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The most in flower at one time is 5 kinds, in late May. Creeping phlox 'Emerald Blue' stands beside tulip, a proven pairing.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 4 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where common ninebark goes in a border
At 8 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is super tall (over 6½ ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
The wild green parent of all the coloured ninebarks. It is hardier than any, grows anywhere from stream bank to dry slope, and is among the best native shrubs for bees.
- Native hedgerows and screens
- Stream banks and slopes
- Pollinators and birds
What to plant with common ninebark
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Red osier dogwood: in flower together for three weeks, from late May.
- Arrowwood viburnum: in flower together for four weeks, from late May.
- Switchgrass 'Shenandoah': its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; low enough (4 ft) to stand in front of it.
Questions about common ninebark
Does common ninebark need sun or shade?
Common ninebark grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does common ninebark grow in?
USDA zones 2 to 8. It is hardy to zone 2, which means it survives winter nights down to about −40 °F (−40 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does common ninebark flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late May to late June. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 3 | Mid June to late June |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Early June to late June |
| Zone 5 | Late May to late June |
| Zone 6 | Late May to late June |
| Zone 7 | Mid May to mid June |
| Zone 8 | Early May to mid June |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should common ninebark be planted?
6½ ft (200 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 8 ft (250 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 8 ft (250 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many common ninebark plants do I need?
Usually one. At 6½ ft (200 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 6½ ft apart: two plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is common ninebark poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat common ninebark?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What flowers after common ninebark?
Common ninebark is over by late June. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Hollyhock: from early July to late August, 6 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Oakleaf hydrangea: from mid June to early August, 6½ ft tall.
- Delphinium: from late June to mid July, 5 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does common ninebark look like in winter?
Common ninebark drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
Is common ninebark good for bees and butterflies?
Common ninebark is visited by pollinators, bees, butterflies and songbirds.
It is native to the United States and Canada.
More Physocarpus
- Ninebark 'Dart's Gold' Physocarpus opulifolius 'Dart's Gold'
- Ninebark 'Diabolo' Physocarpus opulifolius 'Diabolo'
- Ninebark 'Little Devil' Physocarpus opulifolius 'Little Devil'
- Ninebark 'Summer Wine' Physocarpus opulifolius 'Seward' (Summer Wine)
- Ninebark 'Tiny Wine' Physocarpus opulifolius 'SMPOTW' (Tiny Wine)
In these guides
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Garden plants native to Canada
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants for bees
- Plants that feed garden birds
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 8 ft (250 cm) tall, 8 ft (250 cm) wide
- Plant
- 6½ ft (200 cm) apart
- Height class
- Super tall (over 6½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Late May to late June; dense clusters; white, pink
- Leaves
- Medium texture, deciduous; green
- Shape
- Arching, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 2 to 8
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Comes from
- Central and eastern North America
- Attracts
- Pollinators, bees, butterflies, songbirds
- Stands up to
- Drought
Checked against NC State Extension and VASCAN (plants of Canada). Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.