Ninebark 'Red Baron'

Ninebark 'Red Baron' (Physocarpus opulifolius 'Red Baron') is the dark aristocrat of the border. Its narrow, three-lobed leaves with sharply drawn veins hold a deep purple-red tone all season long, and the reddish shoots make the shrub carry from right across the garden.

Plant it in a border, an informal group or a clipped hedge, as a dark note beside pale or golden foliage. A mature bush is 1.5-2 m tall and 1-1.5 m wide, so it is narrower and tidier than the sprawling 'Diabolo'. In June corymbs of small white-and-pink flowers light up the darkness, followed by red inflated fruits.

Key characteristics:

• What makes it special: On older shoots the bark peels away in long, handsome strips, so in winter, once the leaves have dropped, the shrub still keeps the garden full of texture.
• Dimensions: In 5-10 years it grows to 1.5-2 m tall and 1-1.5 m wide.
• Hardiness: It withstands down to -45 °C (USDA zone 2) - frost holds no fear for it.
• Flowering: In June corymbs of white-and-pink flowers open - small, yet charming - followed by red inflated fruits.
• Light: Full sun or partial shade; the rich purple of the foliage only holds in open sun.
• Soil: It likes acidic or neutral, moderately fertile, humus-rich soil; on shallow chalk chlorosis is possible.
• Watering: Watering from dry to medium - established bushes take drought well.
• Care: It asks for very little: thin out the old shoots lightly after flowering, RHS pruning group 2.
• Landscape use: Handsome in a border, an informal group, a hedge or screen, it holds slopes, and its stems are lovely in bouquets.