Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
The shrub that works everywhere: clay, wet soil, shade, deer pressure. Late spring flowers for bees and peeling bark for winter interest.
Typically 1 quart–3 gal · $17–$85 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
Most adaptable native shrub available. thrives in any condition, flowers for pollinators, and looks good while doing nothing.
Ninebark is the native shrub for people who want something that actually works: in clay, in wet soil, in full shade, on a riverbank, in a container, in a deer-pressure zone. The range of tolerance is exceptional. In late spring, rounded clusters of small white to blush-pink flowers cover the arching stems, visited by dozens of bee species. The distinctive exfoliating bark peels in layers, revealing auburn-brown and tan underneath, interesting and ornamental through winter. The native straight species has green leaves and matures naturally to eight to ten feet. If you're replacing an invasive, stabilizing a wet slope, or filling in a difficult back border, this is the shrub that answers the call without drama. It's the most adaptable native shrub in the Rosaceae family, and the wildlife value, flowers for bees, seeds for birds, dense branching for nesting, is genuine and consistent year after year.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown ninebark propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
Plant ninebark instead of Burning bush (Euonymus alatus), spirea cultivars. Same job in the garden, without the spread.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 5–10 ft · 5–10 ft wide
- Bloom time
- Late spring
- Bloom color
- White, Pink
- USDA zones
- 2–7
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Native range
- Eastern and central North America from Quebec to South Carolina, west to Colorado
Care notes for ninebark.
Tolerates full sun to full shade and a wide range of soils. clay, wet, dry, average. Cut to the ground every three to five years in late winter to rejuvenate and keep the plant dense and productive. Otherwise, minimal maintenance. Fast-growing after cutback. Does not require fertilization. One of the easiest native shrubs to establish and maintain.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside ninebark.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.
Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.