Physocarpus Magic Ball

Physocarpus (ninebark) is a tough, reliable deciduous shrub valued for its attractive peeling bark and frothy clusters of small white flowers in early summer. It is easy to grow in Ireland, doing best in sun or light shade and in moderately fertile, moist but welldrained soil. Use it in mixed borders or as a background shrub for seasonal interest; prune lightly after flowering to maintain shape and remove one or two of the oldest stems at the base in winter to encourage fresh growth.

To help give a clear sense of scale, the stone wall shown in our photos measures approximately 265cm in height. We also use familiar garden tools as visual references: a digging fork (110cm tall) and a hand fork (30cm tall). These are included purely as size guides to help you better judge proportions when viewing the images.

Position: Sun or light shade Rate of Growth: Moderate Soil: Moderately fertile, moist but well-drained Hardiness: Fully hardy Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Plant at a Glance

light:sun
light:light-shade
facing:south
facing:west
facing:east
facing:north
soiltype:moderate-fertile
soilmoisture:normal
foliage:deciduous
flowercolour:white
flowering:may
flowering:june
leafcolour:green