Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Little Devil’ (Dwarf Ninebark)

For an enterprise with a rampant enthusiasm for any and all plants hard-wired in, we have to say we really, really do love this one here at AP HQ. Let us count the ways: it is hardy, suckering, well-behaved, pretty, has a form that can be applied to any garden design, is low maintenance… We could go on.

Alright we will: ‘Little devil’ is a structural shrub growing slowly to around 1.2 x 1.2 metres. So it’s super for anchoring some reliable structure into a garden layout or design for landscaping. The new growth is a vibrant copper- red and darkens to a delicious metallic maroon as it matures, and in May and June its multitude of lithe stems are coated in dainty pink flowers. These are followed by dapper little red seed heads. Yes, it is deciduous, but we’ll forgive it for napping in winter given the superior effort it puts in at all other times of the year.

Thanks to the masses of serrated leaves which thickly clothe the numerous stems, it is softly-textured to touch but deeply dense in bearing. Forming a sort-of globe from all those branches radiating outward, they also hug the ground quite thickly. A nice quality in a shrub when many others can look a little bald at the base and present you with a tricky gap to fill.

Did we say it’s easy to grow? Well it is. A plant that is happy on any soil (but happiest if the soil is moist but well drained), and in any aspect from full sun to partial shade. Prune lightly to shape it, if necessary.

 N.B. When clipping several plants with the same tool, have a bucket containing a 5% bleach solution and swish your blades around for 30 seconds between plants to sterilise them. This will help avoid the chance of cross contamination of disease.

As with all woody plants, plant high, exposing as much of the taper at the base of the trunk as possible. Allowing soil to accumulate round the base of a tree can be fatal. Keep very well watered.