Ninebark

This North American native is the attractive Physocarpus opulifolius, a dense, hardy, tough shrub. The purple/bugundy leafed cultivar is called either ‘Diabolo’ or ‘Diablo’ or ‘Monlo’ in nurseries.

In warmer climates than ours, the leaves turn green in the summer, but here, in our garden, the shrub retains its leaf color with a bit of sun. I so liked the effect of the maroon leaves as a background shrub when I planted the first one, that now, we have them in several locations in the garden. An added bonus is the gorgeous copper-bronze color of the leaves in autumn.

When pruning, be selective and take some old stems to the ground rather than shaping. Otherwise, you will lose the summer flowers as they appear on old wood. If you want winter interest, then you need to leave the old trunks and allow the plant to grow in its maturity. The common name for this plant is the “Ninebark” because of the wonderfully layered peeling bark on the main trunks which add winter interest.