Physocarpus, Ninebark, Purple Ninebark 'Monlo'

I saw this shrub in 2010 and just kept going back to it at the local Home Depot so I ended up purchasing one for myself. I ended up plant...Read Moreing it in my new summer perennial garden to add some back drop color. I really love the color and so far this year it has grown about 6 inches plus from its original size. More updates to follow for 2011

My ninebark 'diablo' is in its forth year in a sunny location with clay soil. While it thrives, I do have to prune out a lot of dead bran...Read Moreches in the spring and it certainly does not seem like it will get much over 4 ft by 4 ft. If I am proved wrong that will be fine but I doubt it. I prune it lightly to keep it loose but balanced. This year I dug up several seedlings and I was actually on Dave's Garden to see if they would tolerate shade as I need things to frame out my woodland garden. I may plant them and see what happens.

I love ninebarks. I bought a small "Diablo" about three years ago, planted it in a sunny spot in some rather sandy soil and have basicall...Read Morey ignored it since then. It's now over five feet tall by three feet wide.

I have had a 'Diablo Ninebark' growing in my zone 5 backyard for several years, and I am a big fan of this shrub. It has nice form and l...Read Moreooks especially nice in the spring when the abundant white flower clusters show up against the dark red foliage. I would really recommend this shrub as long as you have room for the mature size. It can be planted anywhere that an old-fashioned lilac might fit in to your landscape.

I've been growing three of these bushes for a few years now and I like Coppertina the best but I do like the Diablo and Summerwine( I be...Read Morelieve) have great color. I have them planted next to taller Callery Pear and a Sassafras tree and
several Lilac and hostas and perienals, they all seem to do ok, I'm not looking for a speciman bush as some leave color
and great bark.

I cannot say enough good things about this shrub. I have it in a full sun location and the first year I planted it was really hot and dry...Read More. The following season it was slow. I cut it back severely (to about 8 inches) and within 2 months it was close to 2.5 feet. The following year, it put on another 2.5 feet. I keep it trimmed to about 4.5 feet, but it's been in my garden as long as I've been here. There are a lot of things that I have killed off from that first season (it was my first gardening and I had no idea what I was doing) but this ninebark looks beautiful all year and would easily fill in a hedge or a height location easily.

This has been our second season with 4 ninebarks and they have grown well beyond our expectations. I'm finding they make a great summer ...Read More"hedge" and I'm already planning on planting more to screen an area of our house from car headlights.

Planted 2 last August in well drained, average soil in semi-shaded area. Both are doing well but have not grown much in height or width ...Read Moresince last season. Foliage is striking and bark has a birch-like appearance. Would like a substantial increase in height and width this season as am using these as a screen between ours and neighbors properties.

Most of these I know of have suffered from either powdery mildew, or a type of fungus. Once these plant get it the new growth is deforme...Read Mored white and crumply. I would suggest the cultivar copertina, as this one did not show the problem.

In my ongoing quest for a big shrub to hide my turquoise shed (not planned - you see, it was meant to be the primer on the shed's way to ...Read Moredark green 10 years ago, somebody said they liked it, and so it's stayed that unintended color), Diablo came to the rescue. Its burgundy leaves - aren't they a pretty shape? - stand out well against the, ahem, shed. A New Dawn that was meant to be moved, and wasn't, has peaked out among Diablo's branches. New Dawn had only a few blooms and they were gorgeous among the burgundy leaves. I'm thinkin' Diablo and the rose are meant to be together. A little repositioning and better care of the rose and next year may just be spectacular.

Beautiful shrub. I live in a new subdivision (2 years) and I planted it the fall I moved in. Two have tripled in size and the third was...Read More languishing. I pulled it and discovered the area it was in was waterlogged. It hung on despite the abuse and I expect it to thrive now.

Haven't had any experience yet with Jap Beetles since the area is so new, but I hope it isn't a magnet like other dark-leaved shrubs seem to be.

All in all, I am very happy with this shrub.

A very desirable shrub, it has good form, is very hardy and does not seems to a have many pests and diseases.
Its foliage is a bro...Read Morenzy purple and remains so through the season. It is said to grow to 8'.

Update: After having this plant for a few years, I found that mildew is a major problem as time goes by, it is necessary to prune it severely. Also, older stems have a tendency to die off, it does not age gracefully, I am not nearly as enthusiastic about this shrub as I first was, there are better choice for dark foliage plant, cotinus coggyria for example..

my purple ninebark seems to have whiteflies; anyone else ever have this problem? help!

Both the purple and standard green species of Ninebark seem to have no predator insects or fungi. Throughout the growing season this care...Read Morefree plant provides a welcome contrast with its colorfull foliage, flowers and seed pods (see image). In winter its arching branches provide architectural interest.

growing well for me in dry mostly shaded(morning sun) clay,its under a mature maple. not much else grows there

I am coming back to update my comments to say that this plant has been seen to get borer in different sites around this area.
I ha...Read Moreve now also seen a seedling come up from off my plant.

Absolutely beautiful shrub in all seasons. The size estimates are off, however. When I purchased mine it was labeled a dwarf diabolo ni...Read Morenebark and is over 10 feet tall. In talking with various nurseries in my area, 10-12 feet is a more accurate height for this shrub.

I also love this plant! This is my third year with it and have one on each end of my yard to flank a fence. I trimmed a few of the "eleph...Read Moreant" branches back after they bloomed and it looks great! Grows quickly and stays beautiful with no fuss.

This a wonderful carefree shrub - one of my favorites

This is a large shrub that should be more widely grown. It is wonderful all seasons of the year. The flower seedpods are beautiful drie...Read Mored (a red burgundy) and good in fall arrangements. The bark has a striated look as it ages. Leaf color is a deep burgundy. Grows quickly and does well in dry, sandy soil.

This is a beautiful shrub that doesn't seem to be too fussy. Ants are also attracted to it.