A Tale of Two Ninebarks
Dark colored foliage is something of a rarity in the roster of plants native to New England, so I'm always interested in trying out any native plant cultivars that I find with with burgundy or dark leaves. I love the contrasting color that dark foliage brings to any style garden, so over the past several years, I've been trying out two cultivars of the native shrub Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius) in my central Massachusetts habitat garden.
In three words: I love 'em!
Their white snowball-like flowers are in bloom now, and have been attracting lots of swallowtail and red admiral butterflies. Below is the cultivar 'Diablo' (aka 'Diabolo'), which I picked up as a 2-gallon container plant at Lamoureux Greenhouses in Brookfield, MA (worth a trip for their tremendous selection, huge water garden displays, their quirky but cool fence made of old bicycles, and lots of other interesting stuff...) As you can see, in our rich, moist, pondside location, Diablo is deliriously happy and has grown to 12' with a spread of 20' in five years...
Unfortunately, this sized shrub may be a little too large for most garden situations, although in my experience, drier soils definitely temper Diablo's exuberance and size. Pruning for shape is not recommended for ninebarks, because part of the attraction of this shrub is its long arching stems covered in white flowers.
The good news is that a newer cultivar, 'Midnight Wine', grows to a much more manageable height for garden use: (these are a little past their peak bloom)
I bought these two Midnight Wine ninebarks as small shrubs from Bluestone Perennials 3 or 4 years ago, and they seem to be topping out at a much more controllable 3-4 feet. They enjoy the same garden conditions as their native sedge companions, which is moist soil in a mostly sunny location.
Unfortunately I've had had trouble locating this cultivar recently for my clients, so if anybody knows of a source of Midnight Wine (or a similar short ninebark cultivar), please let me know!
For butterfly gardeners, ninebark is proving to be a decent host plant for several caterpillar species in my garden. Last fall, I noticed caterpillars pupating on ninebark leaves (below), which they were rolling together over themselves to form a wintertime shelter. As the leaves fell, these little cocoons fell to the ground where they hibernated til spring. Research revealed the identity of these cats as the tufted thyatirid (Pseudothyatira cymatophoroides), a type of moth native to New England's woodlands. They look like cutworms, but they are not known to be destructive to garden plants. It's always fun to put a name to the new species of wildlife we discover, and it's always encouraging to watch biodiversity on the increase in our backyard habitat.
In three words: I love 'em!
Their white snowball-like flowers are in bloom now, and have been attracting lots of swallowtail and red admiral butterflies. Below is the cultivar 'Diablo' (aka 'Diabolo'), which I picked up as a 2-gallon container plant at Lamoureux Greenhouses in Brookfield, MA (worth a trip for their tremendous selection, huge water garden displays, their quirky but cool fence made of old bicycles, and lots of other interesting stuff...) As you can see, in our rich, moist, pondside location, Diablo is deliriously happy and has grown to 12' with a spread of 20' in five years...
Unfortunately, this sized shrub may be a little too large for most garden situations, although in my experience, drier soils definitely temper Diablo's exuberance and size. Pruning for shape is not recommended for ninebarks, because part of the attraction of this shrub is its long arching stems covered in white flowers.
The good news is that a newer cultivar, 'Midnight Wine', grows to a much more manageable height for garden use: (these are a little past their peak bloom)
I bought these two Midnight Wine ninebarks as small shrubs from Bluestone Perennials 3 or 4 years ago, and they seem to be topping out at a much more controllable 3-4 feet. They enjoy the same garden conditions as their native sedge companions, which is moist soil in a mostly sunny location.
Unfortunately I've had had trouble locating this cultivar recently for my clients, so if anybody knows of a source of Midnight Wine (or a similar short ninebark cultivar), please let me know!
For butterfly gardeners, ninebark is proving to be a decent host plant for several caterpillar species in my garden. Last fall, I noticed caterpillars pupating on ninebark leaves (below), which they were rolling together over themselves to form a wintertime shelter. As the leaves fell, these little cocoons fell to the ground where they hibernated til spring. Research revealed the identity of these cats as the tufted thyatirid (Pseudothyatira cymatophoroides), a type of moth native to New England's woodlands. They look like cutworms, but they are not known to be destructive to garden plants. It's always fun to put a name to the new species of wildlife we discover, and it's always encouraging to watch biodiversity on the increase in our backyard habitat.
Posted by Ellen Sousa at 6/3/2010 12:09 PM 
Categories: New England gardening for butterflies, native new england plants
Tags: Pseudothyatira cymatophoroides physocarpus opulifolius tufted thyatirid Midnight Wine ninebark Ninebark Diablo ninebark
Categories: New England gardening for butterflies, native new england plants
Tags: Pseudothyatira cymatophoroides physocarpus opulifolius tufted thyatirid Midnight Wine ninebark Ninebark Diablo ninebark
I put in a Ninebark Coppertina last year (after reading that Goldfinches like to use them for nesting) and I absolutely LOVE it! It is also blooming now and it attracts many insects as well as the birds. The changing colors of the leaves are spectacular. It always offers interest. I would recommend this shrub to anyone, too. I may just have to plant more beginning with Diablo! I will be sure to look for caterpillars this fall.
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I've put a few Coppertina in client gardens and they are all raving about it too! Love that foliage. Interesting that you mention that goldfinches like to use ninebark for nesting - I have been watching lots of small songbirds flying in and out of my Diablo, although I haven't spotted a nest yet! I think those long arching stems must provide great protection and cover for birds. Also noticed the ninebark flowers being pollinated by tiny gnats who swarmed above the flowers - dragonflies were flying right through the swarms gobbling up the gnats by the hundred - fun to watch nature in action!
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You have some wonderful talent for gardening. Something I want to learn more about. Living in the same region I will be sure to be checking in to see what I can learn. thanks for sharing!
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Thanks for stopping by Daniele...happy to teach, inspire and learn!
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lovely shots. I've not seen ninebark around here. Perhaps our summers are too hot and humid
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I'm not sure where you are located but my Cullina book lists Ninebark's native range as Quebec to North Dakota, south to Colorado, Arkansas and North Carolina. I have to admit I have never seen this shrub in the wild here in New England either...
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Hi, I found your blog by chance and Im glad I did - really enjoy your writing. I am very intrigued by this plant. Is it only native to US or does it go by any other names, Ive never heardof it in the UK but I do think it looks great.
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Glad you stopped by...I am pretty sure that ninebark is native to only the US and perhaps Asia, but I imagine with all the new cultivars and breeding going on with physocarpus, you could find it in the UK. My photos show the dark-burgundy leafed ninebarks which are selected cultivars of the native species which is normally just green foliage...
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I have only recently become acquainted with ninebarks, but I think they are beautiful. I did not realize they are native plants which is a plus. Now where can I plant one. I'm sure I'll come up with a location!
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