Oregon · Washington · Idaho
When to plant Pacific ninebark
Plant in the garden: Portland and Seattle Mar 1 – Apr 26; Spokane Apr 1 – May 27; Boise Mar 20 – May 15; Bend Apr 28 – Jun 23.
Your dates in
Pacific ninebark is a native deciduous shrub in the rose family, usually 6 to 12 feet tall. The name comes from its bark, which peels off in many thin layers. Its three-lobed, maple-like leaves often turn yellow to rusty orange in fall.
Puts Pacific ninebark on your free plan, with dates for your town and a spot in your beds.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Spacing
- 6 to 8 feet apart
- Planting depth
- Same depth as in the pot or nursery
- Frost
- Hardy perennial; comes back every year
- First harvest
- Blooms from the second spring
A tall native shrub with peeling bark and round clusters of white flowers in late spring that pull in pollinators. It grows wild along streams and wet edges but handles ordinary garden soil west of the Cascades.
Pacific ninebark planting dates
| Towns | Plant in the garden |
|---|---|
| Portland, OR, Seattle and Tacoma, WA | Mar 1 – Apr 26 |
| Spokane, WA | Apr 1 – May 27 |
| Boise and Meridian, ID | Mar 20 – May 15 |
| Bend and Redmond, OR | Apr 28 – Jun 23 |
| Astoria, OR | Mar 25 – May 20 |
Dates for six main cities. For any of the other 80 towns, type it in the box at the top of the page or browse all towns.
| Gresham, OR, Oregon City and West Linn, OR, Portland, OR, St. Helens and Scappoose, OR, Wilsonville and Canby, OR | Mar 1 – Apr 26 |
|---|---|
| Hillsboro and Beaverton, OR | Mar 5 – Apr 30 |
| Corvallis and Albany, OR, Eugene, OR, Salem, OR | Mar 1 – Apr 26 |
|---|---|
| Cottage Grove, OR | Mar 13 – May 8 |
| McMinnville and Newberg, OR | Mar 4 – Apr 29 |
| Ashland and Talent, OR | Mar 25 – May 20 |
|---|---|
| Grants Pass, OR, Medford, OR, Roseburg, OR | Mar 1 – Apr 26 |
| Astoria, OR, Brookings and Gold Beach, OR, Coos Bay and North Bend, OR, Newport and Lincoln City, OR, Tillamook, OR | Mar 25 – May 20 |
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| Bend and Redmond, OR, Klamath Falls, OR | Apr 28 – Jun 23 |
|---|---|
| Burns, OR | Apr 30 – Jun 25 |
| Lakeview, OR | Apr 23 – Jun 18 |
| Madras, OR, Prineville, OR | Apr 20 – Jun 15 |
| Baker City, OR, Enterprise and Joseph, OR, John Day, OR | Apr 20 – Jun 15 |
|---|---|
| Hermiston, OR, Hood River, OR, Ontario, OR, Pendleton, OR, The Dalles, OR | Mar 20 – May 15 |
| La Grande, OR | Apr 1 – May 27 |
| Bremerton and Port Orchard, WA, Everett, WA, Kent, Renton and Auburn, WA, Seattle and Tacoma, WA | Mar 1 – Apr 26 |
|---|---|
| Olympia, WA | Mar 18 – May 13 |
| Shelton, WA | Mar 16 – May 11 |
| Anacortes, WA, Bellingham, WA, Friday Harbor and the San Juans, WA, Mount Vernon and Burlington, WA, Oak Harbor and Whidbey Island, WA | Mar 1 – Apr 26 |
|---|
| Aberdeen and Hoquiam, WA, Forks, WA, Long Beach and Ilwaco, WA | Mar 25 – May 20 |
|---|---|
| Port Angeles, WA, Port Townsend, WA | Mar 1 – Apr 26 |
| Sequim, WA | Mar 10 – May 5 |
| Centralia and Chehalis, WA | Mar 11 – May 6 |
|---|---|
| Longview and Kelso, WA, Vancouver, WA | Mar 1 – Apr 26 |
| Chelan, WA, Wenatchee, WA | Mar 20 – May 15 |
|---|---|
| Leavenworth, WA, Omak and Okanogan, WA | Apr 1 – May 27 |
| Winthrop and Twisp, WA | Apr 3 – May 29 |
| Ellensburg, WA | Apr 1 – May 27 |
|---|---|
| Ephrata and Quincy, WA, Moses Lake, WA, Sunnyside, Grandview and Prosser, WA, Tri-Cities (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland), WA, Walla Walla, WA | Mar 20 – May 15 |
| Goldendale, WA | Apr 7 – Jun 2 |
| Yakima, WA | Mar 27 – May 22 |
| Colville, WA, Pullman, WA, Spokane, WA | Apr 1 – May 27 |
|---|
| Bonners Ferry, ID, Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls, ID, Sandpoint, ID | Apr 1 – May 27 |
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| Lewiston, ID | Mar 20 – May 15 |
|---|---|
| Moscow, ID | Apr 1 – May 27 |
| Boise and Meridian, ID, Emmett, ID, Nampa and Caldwell, ID | Mar 20 – May 15 |
|---|---|
| McCall, ID | May 11 – Jul 6 |
| Burley and Rupert, ID, Idaho Falls, ID, Pocatello, ID, Rexburg, ID, Twin Falls, ID | Apr 1 – May 27 |
|---|---|
| Salmon, ID | Apr 20 – Jun 15 |
Pacific ninebark year at a glance
| Task | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plant | Mar | Apr | ||||||||||
| In bloom | May | Jun |
Around Portland. Colder towns, especially east of the Cascades, run a few weeks later; the table above has your town's planting dates.
How to grow Pacific ninebark
- Pick a spot in sun or part shade with room for a big shrub. Moist soil is ideal, but ordinary garden soil works.
- Plant Pacific ninebark shrubs on your city's dates, 6 to 8 feet apart. Same depth as in the pot or nursery.
- Water through the first two summers. Cut a few of the oldest stems to the ground in late winter to keep it full.
- Harvest: Enjoy the flower clusters in late spring and the reddish seed heads in summer, which birds pick through.
Growing Pacific ninebark in your part of the Northwest
The same plant behaves differently on the wet west side, the foggy coast and the dry, colder east side.
West-side valleys
Willamette Valley, Puget Sound, southern Oregon
Pacific ninebark grows naturally in moist west-side spots and handles soggy winter soil.
East of the Cascades
Columbia Basin, Yakima, Boise, Spokane, north Idaho
Mallow ninebark is the ninebark native to dry east-side slopes. Pacific ninebark needs summer water there.
More Pacific ninebark varieties
More widely sold picks that do well somewhere in the Northwest. The tag says which part of the Northwest suits each one best.
Pacific ninebark
The west-side native, sold by native plant nurseries. Big, fast and good in moist soil and rain gardens.
West side
Mallow ninebark
A smaller relative native to dry slopes east of the Cascades, with similar white flower clusters.
East side
How much to grow
How many to plant
One shrub as a feature, or several, 6 to 8 feet apart, for a screen. It reaches 6 to 12 feet.
Key numbers
- West sideNative range
- May–JuneBloom
- 6–12 ftHeight
- Moist preferredSoil
Top care tip: Cut a few of the oldest stems to the ground each late winter to keep it full.
Growing notes
What makes the difference in Northwest gardens, in plain language.
A big native shrub
Pacific ninebark is a fast-growing deciduous shrub with maple-like leaves, peeling bark and rounded clusters of small white flowers in late spring. Bees and other pollinators visit the flowers, and birds use the dense branches for cover.
It grows wild along streams, lake edges and moist woods west of the Cascades. East of the mountains, the related mallow ninebark grows on dry slopes.
Planting
Plant in full sun to part shade in moist soil. It handles ordinary garden soil too, and tolerates wet winter ground, which makes it useful in rain gardens and along ditches.
Give it room: it can reach 10 feet or more tall and wide. It makes a good informal hedge or screen.
Care
Water through the first two summers. In dry spots it may get powdery mildew in late summer.
Cut a few of the oldest stems to the ground in late winter to keep it full and keep the peeling bark on younger stems visible.
Good neighbors
Grows well with
- Salmonberry. The same moist soil along streams.
- Douglas aster. A lower native for the same wet ground.
Pests and problems
What most often goes wrong with Pacific ninebark in Northwest gardens, how to spot it and what to do.
Powdery mildew
Signs: White coating on leaves in dry spots.
What to do: Give it moist soil and airflow.
Overgrown shrub
Signs: Dense, twiggy center.
What to do: Cut a few old stems to the ground after flowering.
Common questions about growing Pacific ninebark
When should I plant Pacific ninebark in Oregon, Washington and Idaho?
Plant in the garden: Mar 1 – Apr 26 in Portland and Seattle, Apr 1 – May 27 in Spokane, Mar 20 – May 15 in Boise and Apr 28 – Jun 23 in Bend. Pick your town at the top of the page for your own dates.
How big does Pacific ninebark get?
Usually 6 to 12 feet tall and nearly as wide.
Is Pacific ninebark the same as the purple ninebarks at garden centers?
No. Purple-leaved varieties like Diabolo are eastern North American ninebark. Pacific ninebark is the Northwest native.
Does ninebark grow in wet soil?
Yes. It grows wild along streams and handles wet winter soil, which makes it good for rain gardens.
See what else to plant in March or April.
Huckleberries
Oregon grape
Red-flowering currant
Serviceberry
Camas
Thimbleberry
Salmonberry
Salal
Kinnikinnick
Western columbine
Douglas aster
Oregon sunshine
Sword fern
Oregon iris