Ninebark (Physocarpus) is a beautiful garden shrub that grows up to around 10 ft tall in the right location. Many varieties of ninebark have been developed for gardeners including ‘Diabolo’™/’Diablo’™ and ‘Coppertina’™ and can be a great addition to add a nice copper color to your garden foliage. Ninebark can also be very easy to propagate more of from cuttings.
To propagate ninebark from cuttings prune a 4 to 6 inch length of the current season’s growth in the late spring to mid summer. I will use rooting hormone on the cut end (which is not absolutely necessary) and stick in a medium of sand or peat/sand. I keep the cuttings moist and under a shade tree in the garden until rooting. In about 4 to 6 weeks you can expect a good amount of roots.
Ninebark is native to North America and grows quite well here in Tennessee. It blooms with clusters of white flowers in the late spring and early summer and can produce seeds for birds to enjoy, The stems form with a beautiful reddish brown color and as they age will exfoliate. It is deciduous but adds ornamental value throughout the season.
How to Propagate Ninebark from Cuttings (Video)
Of Ninebark Varieties and Names
One very popular variety of is ‘Diabolo’™ which is a trademarked name for the actual non-patented variety ‘Monlo’. ‘Diabolo’™ and ‘Diablo’™ are the same plant but due to confusion is spelling are now called either. ‘Monlo’ was a patented variety until 2018 when it expired so it may now be propagated without a license but you can’t use the trademark name without permission.
Trademark names apply to many plants and are simply a marketing name for the plant. They do not stop you from propagating them but you can’t sell them with that trademarked name. Patents are another story. They will expire after 20 years of the patent approval and are designed to allow plant breeders time to make money off of the time they have spent developing the plant. Once those patents have expired they can be propagated legally.
Varieties of Ninebark
Here’s a table with 18 different Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius) varieties that includes approximate size, foliage color, and the notable features of each plant:
| Variety | Foliage Color | Size | Notable Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| ‘Diabolo’ | Deep purple | 8-10 ft tall | White flowers, striking dark foliage |
| ‘Dart’s Gold’ | Bright golden-yellow | 4-5 ft tall | Vibrant yellow foliage |
| ‘Little Devil’ | Burgundy | 3-4 ft tall | Compact with dark leaves |
| ‘Amber Jubilee’ | Orange, yellow, red | 5-6 ft tall | Color-changing foliage |
| ‘Tiny Wine’ | Dark purple | 3-4 ft tall | Small, deeply cut leaves |
| ‘Coppertina’ | Coppery-orange to reddish-brown | 6-8 ft tall | Coppery new growth, reddish mature leaves |
| ‘Golden Ninebark’ | Golden-yellow | 6-8 ft tall | Bright foliage with white flowers |
| ‘Summer Wine®’ | Wine-red | 4-6 ft tall | Dark red foliage, pale pink flowers |
| ‘Blush’ | Reddish-bronze | 4-6 ft tall | Pinkish-white flowers, unique foliage |
| ‘Cinnamon Girl’ | Coppery | 3-4 ft tall | Compact, coppery foliage |
| ‘Ginger Wine’ | Red-brown | 4-5 ft tall | Reddish-bronze leaves, pale flowers |
| ‘Nanus’ | Green | 3 ft tall | Dwarf variety with white flowers |
| ‘Luteus’ | Golden-yellow | 5-6 ft tall | Bright yellow foliage, white flowers |
| ‘Ginger Wine®’ | Red-bronze | 4-5 ft tall | Red-bronze foliage, pinkish flowers |
| ‘Golden Globe’ | Golden-yellow | 3-4 ft tall | Compact, globe-shaped habit, yellow foliage |
| ‘Follies’ | Green | 4 ft tall | Compact, dark green foliage, white flowers |
| ‘Rising Sun’ | Yellow-orange turning to gold and red | 4-5 ft tall | Colorful foliage throughout the season |
| ‘Butterfly’ | Dark purple | 4-5 ft tall | Dark foliage with pale pink flowers |
Best Growing Conditions for Ninebark
Ninebark enjoys growing in a full sun location with a good soil but is not overly picky. It’s a tough plant! I was afraid that I lost my ninebark toward the end of the season last year due to the encroaching shade of a witchhazel I planted too close. I cut the ninebark all the way back and believed it to be dead until it resprouted this spring.
Ninebark grows in plant hardiness zones 2 through 8 and can get up to 6 ft wide by 10 ft tall. The hotter your climate is the more shade ninebark will need so plan your location for it accordingly. Ninebark can be used as a specimen plant in a garden to create a central foundation planting or works great as a hedge row. When planting ninebark shoot for a location in full sun and if possible some afternoon shade for best results. The plant will produce fewer blooms when planted in shade.
- Plant: Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius)
- Sun Requirements: Full sun to part shade
- Water Requirements: Moderate; drought-tolerant once established
- Soil Type: Well-drained, adaptable to various soil types including clay and loam
- Hardiness Zones: 3–8
- Plant Problems: Ninebark has very few issues overall but may see problems with aphids, spider mites, leaf rollers, or powdery mildew.
The best time to prune ninebark is immediately after flowering in the late spring but if you need to rejuvenate the plant it will bounce right back from a winter coppicing. Coppicing is a pruning technique where you cut the plant back severely to within a few inches of the root crown or even to the ground. With coppicing ninebark I would recommend leaving a few buds on each branch to spur new growth rather than cutting all the way to the ground.
Fall Color of Ninebark
Ninebark is beautiful in the fall! The burgundy colored foliage of ‘Monlo’ will change to an awesome orange and red color.
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