shrub
Ninebark 'Summer Wine'
Physocarpus opulifolius 'Seward'
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Physocarpus opulifolius 'Seward' is a fast-growing deciduous shrub for gardens in zones 3–7. It grows 5–6 ft tall and 5–6 ft wide, so plant it 5 ft apart. Give it full sun to part sun and average water. It flowers pink in June. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the structure role: a shrub that holds the bed's shape at the back all year. It is native to the Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic and the Midwest. Deer may browse it when other food is short, and it is not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in the Southeast, Florida and the Gulf, Texas and the South-Central states and the Desert Southwest, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Physocarpus opulifolius 'Seward'
- Plant type
- Shrub, deciduous
- Hardiness zones
- 3 to 7
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours); Part sun (4–6 hours)
- Water
- Medium
- Soil
- Adapts to clay and to dry, rocky soil.
- Mature size
- 5–6 ft tall × 5–6 ft wide
- Spacing
- 5 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Bloom
- Jun · pink
- Roles in a bed
- Structure
- Styles
- cottage, natural, modern
- Deer resistance
- Medium: browsed when deer are hungry
- Pets
- Not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Not on the ASPCA toxic list; no known toxic compounds.
- Native to
- Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest
- Pot size and price
- 3-gallon pot, typically $30–$50 (easy to find)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Water deeply once or twice a week through the first summer, more in heat waves, so the root ball never dries out.
- Pruning
- Prune right after flowering; remove a few of the oldest stems at the base every few years.
Sources: Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder; ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list; Rutgers NJAES deer resistance ratings (A-D); state noxious weed lists / Invasive Plant Atlas of the US; typical 2026 US garden-centre and big-box listings. Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Guides that include this plant
- Dog-safe plants for a full-sun bed in zone 4 (as a substitute)
- Dog-safe plants for a full-sun bed in zone 5
- Dog-safe plants for a full-sun bed in zone 6
- Dog-safe plants for a full-sun bed in zone 7 (as a substitute)
- What to plant in a full-sun bed in zone 4
- What to plant in a full-sun bed in zone 5 (as a substitute)
- What to plant in a full-sun bed in zone 6
- Cottage garden plants for a sunny bed in zone 6
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Ninebark 'Summer Wine', across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Weeping redbud 'Ruby Falls'Cercis canadensis 'Ruby Falls'small tree · zones 5–9
- Foxglove beardtongue 'Husker Red'Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red'perennial · zones 3–8
- Angelina stonecrop 'Angelina'Sedum rupestre 'Angelina'succulent · zones 4–9
- Meadow sage 'May Night'Salvia nemorosa 'May Night'perennial · zones 4–8
- Blazing starLiatris spicataperennial · zones 3–8
- Threadleaf coreopsis 'Moonbeam'Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam'perennial · zones 3–9
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for Ninebark 'Summer Wine': same role in the bed, passing the same rules.
- Birchleaf spirea 'Tor'Spiraea betulifolia 'Tor'zones 4–8 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Red twig dogwood 'Arctic Fire'Cornus sericea 'Farrow'zones 3–7 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Shrubby cinquefoil (potentilla) 'Goldfinger'Dasiphora fruticosa 'Goldfinger'zones 2–7 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Arrowwood viburnum 'Blue Muffin'Viburnum dentatum 'Christom'zones 3–8 · not flagged toxic to pets
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants