Physocarpus is a small genus with fewer than a dozen shrubs in its family. Grown for its eye-catching leaves and peeling bark, it also bears extremely beautiful white flowers. Many shrubs of the family are native to North America and are most often used as a privacy screen, hedge or in a naturalized planting. They are a deciduous shrub with pinkish-white to pure white, 5-petalled flowers with numerous wispy stamens; the blossoms grow in corymbs, a grouping of flowers where the lower flowers have longer stems creating a flower-head that loosely resembles the flat-topped cap of a mushroom.
Physocarpus (pronounced fy-so-KAR-pus) is more commonly referred to as Ninebark, probably due to its tendency to shed its bark. The two most common are Physocarpus opulifolius (op-yew-lih-FOE-lee-us), which is most often called Eastern Ninebark and Physocarpus capitata (kap-ih-TAY-tuh), or Western Ninebark. The leaves will be in varied colors according to the cultivar, but all have three to five-lobes, some being very similar to a maple leaf. Most varieties are quite adaptable to most soil types and conditions and will grow in full sun to partial shade.
Read about our Physocarpus plant guarantee on our Satisfaction page.
