Ninebark 'Diabolo'
Physocarpus opulifolius 'Diabolo' · Rosaceae Popular
A vigorous native shrub with deep purple leaves on arching stems, domed clusters of pinkish-white flowers in early summer, red seed heads and peeling bark in winter.
- Size
- 8 ft tall, 8 ft wide
- Zones
- 3 to 7
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Late May to late June
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around ninebark 'Diabolo'
The planner designed this bed around ninebark 'Diabolo' 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 ninebark 'Diabolo' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Ninebark 'Diabolo' × 1, white
- 2 Bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' × 11, pink
- 3 Heath aster 'Snow Flurry' × 8, white
- 4 Big bluestem × 3, purple
- 5 Brown-eyed Susan × 8, yellow
- 6 Scarlet coral bells × 13, pink
- 7 Anise hyssop × 8, lavender
- 8 Purple coneflower × 3, purple
- 9 Winter heath × 8, pink
- 10 Easter lily × 5, white
- 11 Tulip × 11, red
- 12 Spring starflower × 15, blue
Why this plant
- The only dense clusters. The others are open bowls, daisies, airy sprays and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- A classic partner for purple coneflower. Both are on this plan. A pairing gardeners have proved outranks a general rule.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So do big bluestem and winter heath.
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 brown-eyed Susan (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.
- In company. With bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' and scarlet coral bells in late May: 3 kinds at once.
Planned as an English border: 15 of the 16 groups (94%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Neither end outweighs the other: the visual weight is split 50 to 50, left to right. Winter heath flowers longest, for 13 weeks.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 5 Good, 1 Satisfactory.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where ninebark 'Diabolo' 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.
A dark backdrop that makes pink, silver and lime-green planting glow in front of it. It is tough and fast. Cut a third of the oldest stems to the ground each year.
- Dark foliage on a large scale
- A native substitute for purple barberry
- Screens and hedges
What to plant with ninebark 'Diabolo'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Panicle hydrangea 'Limelight': takes over when it finishes, flowering from mid July.
- Switchgrass 'Shenandoah': its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; low enough (4 ft) to stand in front of it.
- Purple coneflower: takes over when it finishes, flowering from late June; low enough (3 ft) to stand in front of it.
Choosing between it and a look-alike? Ninebark 'Diabolo' vs Smokebush 'Royal Purple'.
Questions about ninebark 'Diabolo'
Does ninebark 'Diabolo' need sun or shade?
Ninebark 'Diabolo' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does ninebark 'Diabolo' grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 7. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Above zone 7 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 ninebark 'Diabolo' 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 |
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 ninebark 'Diabolo' 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 ninebark 'Diabolo' 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 ninebark 'Diabolo' 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 ninebark 'Diabolo'?
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 ninebark 'Diabolo'?
Ninebark 'Diabolo' is over by late June. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Panicle hydrangea 'Limelight': from mid July to early October, 7 ft tall (a recorded partner).
- Purple coneflower: from late June to early September, 3 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems (a recorded partner).
- Hollyhock: from early July to late August, 6 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does ninebark 'Diabolo' look like in winter?
Ninebark 'Diabolo' drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
Is ninebark 'Diabolo' good for bees and butterflies?
Ninebark 'Diabolo' is visited by pollinators, bees, butterflies and songbirds.
It is native to the United States and Canada (this is a named variety of the native plant).
More Physocarpus
- Common ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius
- Ninebark 'Dart's Gold' Physocarpus opulifolius 'Dart's Gold'
- 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
- Plants for a white garden
- Plants with purple and burgundy leaves
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
- Leaves
- Medium texture, deciduous; purple
- Shape
- Arching, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 7
- Light
- Full 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. 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.