Fiery leaves. Buzzing fans. Cool vibes all season. This Ninebark’s got groove, turning heads and oozing cool like a jazz solo at sunset. Crinkled foliage explodes in brilliant orange come spring, chills into mellow gold-greens through summer, and closes with deep maroon-reds that glow against the fall sky. Late-spring white blooms (lightly pink-tinged) bring the buzz, pulling in bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds for the show. Compact and upright, it's deer-resistant, tough, and low-fuss, perfect for borders, foundations, mass plantings, or containers where it keeps the energy high year-round.
Conditions: Full sun to part shade; average to moist, well-drained soil; widely adaptable
Size: 4'-5' tall, 3'-4' wide
Zone: 3 - 7
Wildlife Value: Flowers attract short- and long-tongued bees, wasps, beetles, butterflies and flies; seed capsules provide food for birds and small mammals; may not be a larval host due to the anthocyanin in the colorful leaves, though green varieties of Ninebark can support 34 species of Lepidoptera; may be browsed by deer
Photo: Samantha Nestory