This is a question for Victor or anyone with experience with this ninebark. I have just spent the early morning hours getting rid of a burning bush. No easy task as it has been there a while. I have a 'Coppertina' to replace it with, my question is how wide does it get? The tag says 5', is that about right? I need to know how much space it really needs because there is a bench is in front of the space and I do not want to be constantly trimming the shrub.
Question about 'Coppertina'.
One of mine is three plus years old and that is about what it is. It is a bit taller - about 7 feet high. They can be pruned to a smaller size too. If they droop too much for my liking, that's what I'll be doing.
Oh good, the height is not a problem and I do not mind pruning after it flowers to keep it tidy, just didn't want to be chopping away every other week in order to take a rest on the bench. I will leave three feet or so distance, that should work out just fine. Thanks for the info. If we ever get a few cooler days, I can get it stuck in it's new home. I really like this ninebark and hope it does well in the garden.
It's one of my favorite plants, period. The new growth is always that coppery hue.
I'm with you. I have Coppertina in a pot this year with an orange geum "werner arendt' and a brown sedge "buchanii". The orange really makes the Coppertina pop. I'll take it out in the fall and give it a permanent home somewhere in the yard.
So far I have the standard Physocarpus, Diablo, Dart's gold, and Coppertina. I can't get enough of this shrub. Any recommendations about what should be my next: Centerglow or Summer Wine?
I might try one in a container next year. Rated zone 3 so I can leave it out. Summer Wine is nice. I'll have to check out Centerglow. Nice combo, Katie.
A little bird (Katye) told me that you were a physocarpus phan, as well.
I was initially a little concerned that Diablo wouldn't have the nice physocarpus form or bark, but it's coming along well. I have it in a nice native spot (clay/wet water in the winter, clay/dry/sun in the summer) and it hasn't even blinked!!!
I'm only taking the coppertina out of the pot because it's growing so fast (and some shrubs here do grow throughout the winter) that it will be too big for that pot by next summer.
I don't have Diablo. I prefer the smaller ones. How old/big is yours?
My first physocarpus is about 5 years old (purchased in a 1-gallon pot) and is starting to slow down at about 6 ft. My second is Diablo and hasn't filled out at that heighth, but has a few suckers that have reached out to about 5 feet. It's about 3 years old.
My Dart's gold is about 4 feet and is about a year old - it took me awhile to plant it - wasn't sure where it would go.
Coppertina was in a 4 inch pot this spring at about 12" high and has grown about 6" in the last several months.
I've heard that people who aren't growing them for the bark cut them back hard every year to keep them a more manageable size. I'm growing them for the privacy and the bark and so haven't done that yet.
Our challenge here is that colors tend to fade into one-another in the garden with our part-shade environments. I especially like these for that reason. And the low maintenance, of course. :-)
My 'Diablo' was a little over 7' tall and about 4' around, give or take...My Diablo got infected with some mold (white on the leaves, that would eventually turn the whole leaf and leaf bract a plasticy feely, and would snap...) I didn't catch it in time, and was told to chop the whole thing down to about 6"...which is what I did. That was about a month or so ago, it is up to almost a foot now!
I bought 'Centerglow' but haven't planted it yet, it's going in the new bed.
These shrubs are definitely resilient!
So how does Center Glow color compare to Summer Wine or Coppertina?? A lighter shade of burgundy? The photos I've seen look resemble Coppertina quite a bit.
IMHO--I think Diablo and Coppertina have a more upright, almost tree like growth habit to them...Center Glow, is definitely more shrub like...small, bushy--very bushy. I don't think I would even attempt to grow Center Glow as a standard, yet, Diablo and Coppertina, I don't think I would hesitate to give it a whorl...lol.
I thought that about Coppertina at first, but this year its habit has come to resemble Summer Wine almost exactly - more shrubby and more pendulous.
I'll be interested to see how different my Coppertina is from the others.
Hey guys? Could someone point me in the right direction so I can find the plant you are discussing? Sounds lovely, but I put it into PlantFiles and it can't find it/them? Thanks in advance
Morg here ya go, a whole list of them. Scroll down to select each variety you want to check out. Have fun choosing. :) http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=ninebark&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&search_prefs%5Bblank_cultivar%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search
Physocarpus opulifolius - commonly referred to as ninebark (for it's layers or bark on the trunk).
Here are some other pictures so you can get a sense of size, color, growth habit, trunk bark, etc.
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=physocarpus%20opulifolius&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi
OMG! How does one choose????? Like Holy Shrubbery batman!
I like the size of the Dart's Gold, but the one place that has it on DG is in OR!!!! So, the shipping is more than the plant itself. Anyone know of somewhere here in the NE that may have one?
How on earth did you get rid of the burning bush? We have two that came with the house that seem to have grown into the foundation!
Digging, digging, hacking away with the shovel and pry bar and more digging. Those things have a ton of roots and because the unamended soil or should I say gravel is so filled with rocks some roots were only about 6-8 inches down but traveled long distances. Went out to start digging the new hole and area for the ninebark this afternoon. Too hot, too humid and not as easy a task as I thought it was going to be. I thought that since this was already dug out and derockified once it would not be the usual hassle of all those blankin' blank rocks of various sizes to get out, well the darn things must multiply under there or something. Decided to do a little every day and get the soil all nice and refreshed again, wait for a few nice cool days to return and plant that gorgeous hunk of shrub. :)
LOL "derockified" great word!
I think Dart's gold is fantastic.
Nature Hills has it:
http://www.naturehills.com/product/darts_gold_ninebark.aspx
"Derockified" is a GREAT term...and I think your rocks and my rocks have been, um, rockin' on b/c I too, swear they replicate like amoebas! there seems to be a never ending supply here too. Thanks, katie59 - I will check that site out. Dart's gold has a perfect growth/height for where I would want to plant it. And thank you everyone (I think) for introducing me to ninebark....now I'll have one more obsession to add to the plant list......sigh....
Happy to help add to anyone's obsession. :-)
You are so welcome, if we all are obsessed then we are all normal, right? I do so envy anyone that lives where derockification is not a way of life. Just once I would like to stab a shovel in the ground and not hear that all too familiar CLANK.
I think so. :-)
I use a mattock rather than a shovel because I have so many rocks buried in clay. Someday I hope to have nice, loamy, rock-free beds . . .
Same here - lots of rocks. An 'auto-mattock' would be nice too.
Hee hee. When you find one, please, please let me know.
I have an automatic mattock - it's called "husband"! :-))
My husband has a bad back - he broke it in 2005!