PHYSOCARPUS opulifolius 'Diabolo' PBR

Description

Physocarpus opulifolius 'Diabolo'^PBR

Height x Spread:  200cm x 150cm

A fabulous foliage plant with distinctive three-sectioned leaves that open bronze-green in the spring before maturing to a deep, dusky purple in summer.  Grown mostly for its unusually rich foliage colour, as a bonus from June to July it produces dainty clusters of creamy pink flowers at the ends of its reddish-purple stems followed by attractive red seedheads.

Statuesque in scale, it brings so much interest to a garden all year round.  A perfect background for other colours, it combines beautifully with lime greens, oranges, whites and silvers.  As it flowers on old wood, prune established plants after flowering to encourage stronger coloured stems, removing one in three stems to the base.  Easy to grow, it prefers a fairly fertile, acidic to neutral free-draining soil in sun or partial shade, but can tolerate a slightly alkaline pH.