• Gorgeous combination of dark foliage and creamy blooms
• Attracts beneficial pollinators
• Great in sunny borders or pots, or for mass planting
• Good for mixing with perennials

For dramatic foliage and beautiful flowers, this Physocarpus ‘Little Joker’ never fails to make people smile.

Great for mixing with perennials in a sunny border, or growing on its own, this compact shrub is a great performer.

This compact version of physocarpus, also known as ninebark, is perfect for smaller gardens, reaching around 50cm (20ins) in height and spreading 30cm (12ins). Despite its size, it’s strong and copes well with winter temperatures.

Starts flowering in late spring and continues into early summer.

Looks amazing in autumn with tinted leaves and attractive berries.

How you will receive your plants:

Selected by our team of experts and sent from our nursery, this will be supplied in a 9cm pot (measured by the diameter of the pot). With a well strong root system in place, you can plant out in the garden straight away and leave them to establish, or you can grow them in larger pots as they are still young, before planting out to create a stunning garden display.

Can’t plant straight away?

If you aren't able to plant out straight away, then ensure they stay moist. You can place pots on a saucer or tray of shallow water so they are able to stay hydrated. Aim to have them planted within 3 days.

When to plant and what to expect at different times of the year

You can plant hardy shrubs, trees and perennials at any time of the year avoiding the two extremes of heat and cold. During the summer months when it is hot and dry the need for watering becomes crucial to aid successful establishment and in the winter when the soil is frozen the plants will not be in active growth either above or below ground and risk getting cold damage. The same is true on the stage or growth you can expect your plants to be delivered in and this will be directly related to the time of year and the season.

When ordering through the year, here’s a summary of what to expect when receiving your plants:

Spring Months: Plants supplied in spring will be starting to show signs of active growth above and below ground.

Summer Months: Plants supplied in the late summer will be more advanced in size and flower stage

Autumn Months: In the autumn plants will be changing colour, showing signs of leaf colour breakdown and be preparing to shut down for winter.

Winter Months: Plants ordered and supplied during the winter months will be dormant and therefore may not be showing growth above the soil level or consist of bare branches with no leaves or bare roots with no soil.

These are all perfectly normal and natural for these types of plants growing in the northern hemisphere. All will still have a very healthy root system that can be planted when the weather is favourable by keeping the new soil level equal to the pot level and therefore not covering the crown of the plant at all. Planting during the autumn and winter months will allow for early establishment in the season and a bigger and better display throughout the main growing season. For more information on our plant sizes click here.