Physocarpus opulifolius Spicy Devil® - Ninebark

Physocarpus opulifolius Spicy Devil is a very compact variety of Ninebark, perfectly suited to small gardens or container growing. It forms a very dense clump, as wide as it is tall, with colours that change according to the season, featuring a very interesting dominant purple hue for creating contrasting scenes in the garden. Its light pinkish-white flowering is another point of interest in spring and proves useful to pollinating insects, thus promoting biodiversity. In winter, the falling leaves reveal a decorative, exfoliating bark. Easy to grow, it is an excellent plant for cold climates.

Physocarpus is one of the very numerous genera (over a hundred) within the vast Rosaceae family. This family includes most of our fruit trees (Apple trees, Peach trees, Cherry trees...), many ornamental plants (Kerrias, Photinia, Potentilla...), and wild plants from our countryside. There are 13 wild species of Physocarpus, only one of which is native to Asia, with all the others growing naturally in North America. Physocarpus opulifolius was introduced as early as 1687 from the colony of Virginia, the southern limit of its range, which otherwise extends north as far as Quebec. Reaching up to 3 m in height in its native lands, the bush does not exceed 2 m in our regions, and breeders have focused on producing compact and/or coloured varieties to broaden the plant palette.
This is the case with Physocarpus Spicy Devil ‘ZLENatalie’, an American introduction from Bailey Nurseries (Saint Paul, Minnesota). Very compact, this small bush forms a very dense clump measuring approximately 1.10 m in all directions. Its habit is generally spherical, albeit with irregular outlines, as the plant sends out a quantity of branches of varying lengths in all directions. This density of vegetation, along with its original colour, instantly captures attention. The small trilobed leaves have a pleasant shape; however, it is mainly their succession of colours throughout the seasons that is attractive. In spring, the young leaves emerge at the tips of the shoots in yellow-orange tones that contrast with the previous leaves which have become reddish. Then, they evolve into a fairly dark purple which will become the dominant shade in summer. Before that, they will have passed through different tones, even a bit of green, to which the light flowering joins from May onwards. The small flowers, less than 1 cm in diameter and pinkish-white in colour, are grouped into flattened corymbs 4-5 cm in diameter. More pleasant than spectacular, the flowering is useful to honeybees as well as to wildlife. In autumn, it is the apotheosis, the plant transforms into a ball of red, orange, and gold. Afterwards, the falling leaves reveal a bark that becomes decorative over the years, exfoliating regularly and thus creating a point of visual interest in winter.

Perfectly at home in continental climates, Physocarpus opulifolius Spicy Devil likes deep, humus-bearing, and cool soils and fears overly hot climates, and particularly atmospheric drought. Under these conditions, it will be necessary to plant it in light shade and water it frequently. Elsewhere, a sunny exposure will allow it to colour well. You can create strong contrasts by planting it alongside plants with golden foliage, such as Cotinus coggygria 'Golden Lady', whose colour variations will combine admirably with its own. As compact as it is, Choisya 'Aztec Gold' will also be perfect in this role and additionally offers a very fragrant flowering. If space is lacking, a simple Heuchera 'Citronelle' planted at its base will create the same effect.