Ninebark 'Zdechovice'

Ninebark 'Zdechovice' (Physocarpus opulifolius 'Zdechovice') is a chameleon: orange-copper new growth keeps glowing at the shoot tips all season while the leaves below are already dark purple, so the bush looks two-tone.

Put it where you need a dark block of contrast: a shrub border, a hedge, or a group with conifers, where its purple sets off their blue and gold. It flowers in white or pink corymbs and is easy about soil - clay, drought and dry stony ground all suit it.

Key characteristics:

• What makes it special: Behind the cultivar's name lies the Czech village of Zdechovice - hence a word that sounds so unusual to the ear.
• Dimensions: At ten years it reaches 2.5-4 m tall and 1.5-2.5 m wide.
• Hardiness: Hardy down to -45 °C (USDA zone 2).
• Flowering: In April and May the bush is covered with dense white or pink corymbs.
• Light: It is equally happy in full sun or partial shade; in northern areas plant it in the open sun.
• Soil: It takes ordinary garden soil, slightly acidic and well drained, and tolerates a wide range of soil conditions.
• Watering: Watering is moderate, from dry to medium; it takes drought and dry rocky soils in its stride.
• Care: It responds willingly to pruning right after flowering and no later than mid-August; an old bush is rejuvenated in spring by cutting it back close to the ground.
• Landscape use: It carries masses in shrub borders, hedges and green screens, and on banks it also holds the soil against erosion.