PlantFiles: Purple Ninebark, Eastern Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius 'Summer Wine'

I purchased a one gallon Ninebark 'Summer Wine' from Sooner Plant Farm last spring. I planted it in a southeast facing corner of my house, and it is doing excellent. It receives morning sun and afternoon shade. It was more green than purple during the summer with the 100 degree temps we experienced here in South Central Kansas. However, once the weather cooled off in October the Ninebark's leaves turned a nice dark purple color. It has proven to be a very hardy shrub. It is now November 19, 2012 and has still not gone dormant although everything else in my area has. I included a photo link in this post, and you can see some bright red fall color on a few of the leaves, but most of the leaves are still holding that dark purple color.
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i planted summer wine 2009 in a mixed bed in my front yard
manitoba canada zone 3a.
it spent the first year settling in but now is doing very well.
the deep burgandy color goes well with the pale yellow siding of my house. it has :
new growth comes from the center
outside growth arches and blooms touching the ground
it is extremly hardy, budding to branch tips
loves the sun, but likes to be kept well-watered
very pretty even in the winter
have also included now ninebark hot chocolate in my
landscaping.

This shrub is beautiful all year round. It's a haven for the birds and completely carefree.

Planted 5 last summer in full sun. One died for some reason, the rest doing well. They are pretty in the summer, and they are going to bloom this year. We have heavy clay soil and a slope and the one that died was at the bottom of the slope, so I wonder if it got too much water. We didn't notice any interesting bark during the winter, though.

Question: We bought one from a different nursery this spring to replace the one that died and it has a very upright habit (it's a little more mature, I would say), but all the ones we have from last year are weeping (which is not what I was looking for). Which is the more natural tendency? If the old ones weren't weeping, they would be creating the screen I was looking for. Thanks!

I bought 2 Summer Wines for foliage plants for flower arranging. I didn't know about their beautiful flowers and even more beautiful fruits. Migrating warblers frolic in the lovely arching branches (25Cerulean w. Oct 7) as do resident birds. The Indiana drought did not harm them.

A very desirable shrub, it has good form, is very hardy and does not seems to a have many pests and diseases.
Its foliage is a bronzy purple which it retains through the season. It is said to grow to 5', a more compact form. An easy, attractive and tidy addition to the border.