Ninebark 'Schuch'

Ninebark 'Schuch' (Physocarpus opulifolius 'Schuch') is a deep wine-coloured patch in the garden that never fades out. The young leaves flare up red-orange, thicken by midsummer to the shade of ripe cherries and take on a bronze sheen in autumn. The shoots grow upright, so the bush looks tidy and well gathered.

In June white corymbs open above the dark crown and slowly turn pink - the contrast this cultivar is planted for. At 5-10 years it stands 1.5-2.5 m tall and only 1-1.5 m wide, making it narrower than the spreading 'Diabolo' and ideal for a slim strip along a path or an informal hedge. A sunny spot gives the brightest colour.

Key characteristics:

• What makes it special: The foliage puts on a colour show all season: bright red-orange when young, deep wine in summer and bronze-tinted in autumn.
• Dimensions: In 10 years it reaches 1.5-2.5 m tall and 1-1.5 m wide - a dense, well-built shrub.
• Hardiness: Overwinters without cover - it takes frosts down to -45.6 °C (USDA zone 2).
• Flowering: In June white corymb-like flower clusters open and later blush pink.
• Light: Happy in full sun or partial shade, though the brightest red foliage comes only in a well-lit spot.
• Soil: Enjoys a moderately fertile, humus-rich, slightly acidic and moist but well-drained soil - clay, loam or sand.
• Watering: Moderate watering: it holds up well on dry to medium soils and takes drought calmly.
• Care: After flowering thin out the older shoots lightly - RHS pruning group 2.
• Landscape use: At home in cottage and informal gardens, hedges and screens, flower borders - and the branches cut well too.