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Monday 4 May 2009

A New Ninebark ? Physocarpus 'Satin Chocolate'

I haven't got a picture of this shrub .. but I do have the shrub now .. I can't find the actual supplier because it is labeled "President's Choice" Canadian eh !
I bought it at a Loblaws garden center .. the description says it is an exciting improvement, combining the fine texture and compact branching of physocarpus "Nana" with the dark foliage of "Diablo".
If anyone has had this shrub in their hot little garden hands .. drop a note and let me know what you think of it ? I am pairing it with my Gold Mock Orange hoping it will have the wow factor of gold and CHOCOLATE !!
My daffs with daffy Goldfinches ?

Can you see the pink under belly of these clouds ?

I am hypnotized by the morning fireball and the zoom of my lens ? : )

19 comments:

Cathy S. said...

I wish more colorful birds would visit me, those yellow finches are so
cute. Another great sky shot!

Jill-O said...

What an odd coincidence! My Mom just asked me yesterday if I knew anything about ninebarks? I didn't, so had started looking online last night for info. And now you mention it in your post. Hmmmm, strange...esp perhaps?

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi there Cathy .. thanks girl ! We love these little Goldfinches .. they are almost neon yellow in colour .. easy to spot and follow them that way : )

Jill !! Girl that is strange isn't it ? .. I have three different Ninebarks .. Summer Wine is amazing if your mom is still looking for one .. I have Coppertina and Center Glow as well but they haven't really done much .. I keep finding new homes for them ? haha .. keep an eye on the esp meter ?! LOL

CiNdEe's GaRdEn said...

Don't you just love those little yellow birdies? I love to watch them at my feeder! They are so pretty. The Orioles have arrived too and they are very pretty also. I just love birds(-: Your clouds are beautiful!
CiNdEeS' GaRdEn

Plowing Through Life (Martha) said...

Oh I love these photos, especially the Goldfinches! We spent another wonderful weekend in Kingston and guess what I did? Put up bird feeders in the back yard! So, I got a close look at those beautiful little yellow birds that look so sweet in your photos. The yard was a flutter of activity with all the little birds flying in and out to grab a few seeds. Ah, that's what it's all about, isn't it?

How are the renovations coming along? Do you see the light at the end of the tunnel?

garden girl said...

Hi Joy, they have coppertina at the nursery where I work, and it's tempted me for a couple of years now. I'm afraid it wouldn't keep that pretty color in our shade though, so I've resisted (so far! ;)

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a delicious combo (orange & chocolate)! ;) Your finches are real acrobats, aren't they? lol

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi Cindee, thanks girl !I don't think we have had Orioles here .. yet ? I have seen them on other blogger sites and they are gorgeous ! .. we do love our Goldfinches though : )

Hi Martha .. you will have a line up of birds waiting for you to come home again girl ! haha
this has been the worst time table for renovations we have ever gone through .. it isn't the company's fault .. permits are a nightmare here now .. they finally just got the cement footers poured yesterday and that has to cure at least 24 hours (gives me a window to plant today) .. the house is screaming because we have things in here that would be in the shed that can't be built until the deck is done .. I think you get the picture .. it will take months for me to recover from this all !! LOL

Linda .. you may be right .. I think I have to find other places for Coppertina and Center Glow because of the construction of the deck and shed .. they have suffered for it. This other one has be so curious though !!

Hi Racquel ! .. they are so entertaining to watch it is funny : )and yes .. I hope to get this new ? mystery Ninebark in today !!

Randy said...

So THAT'S where our goldfinches have gone! Send them back Joy! I darn near starved myself feeding those things this winter then they left right after they turned yellow! Oh well... If they bring you pleasure I guess it's okay. :-)--Randy

Gail said...

Joy, This may be the ninebark for me...even tho I have a decent sized yard...I need a smaller ninebark...I'm going to try to locate him. Beautiful sky shots...you always capture gorgeous scenes! I love the Goldfincehes, too. Gail

our friend Ben said...

Awww, Joy, love your goldfinches!!! They're here too and we're loving them, but not in such a fantastic concentration. Wow!!!

Tessa at Blunders with shoots, blossoms 'n roots said...

Beautiful finches- and a great shot. So glad that I'm not the only one dazzled by the sky! Sorry, I can't help you with the shrub ;)

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Dear Randy .. "we all came over to Joy's house because she needed some cheering up with all the stalled projects .. we promise to come back in the winter time and keep you company ? and the seed ain't bad either ! hehehe" .. signed, your Goldfinches : )
Aren't they naughty little birds Randy ?? LOL

Hey Gail ! thanks girl ! Summer Wine is also a gorgeous Ninebark and you can keep them smaller with pruning .. they take it all in stride : )
Let me know if you find one .. every time I see Tiger Eye Sumac here I think of yours in Tennessee !

"ben' .. that was a funny picture because they were so honed in on the seed they didn't give a toss about me snapping their picture .. they are such pretty little things aren't they : )

tina said...

You just cannot go wrong with a ninebark, red, orange, pink or black and anything in between. I simply love mine, but I don't have Satin Chocolate, so I can't help you there.

Guess what? My Golden Spirit smoke tree is showing some color. You said yours always does last year and I complained mine had little. This year it is outstanding. Wanted to let you know.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Tessa .. I keep getting comments lost in the shuffle some how ... and there you are girl !
I am always dazzled by the sky .. in fact I think I am obsessed with it .. glad for the company .. no worries on the shrub, I think it is a knock off of Summer Wine .. I don't know how they did it though ? LOL

Tina !!
Finally you are going to see how beautiful Golden Spirit is !!
I'm so glad : )
They are a wonderful shrub/tree .. I keep pruning back my Royal Purple so one day they might just look like twins of a different colour .. can't imagine having a garden without one !
This Satin Chocolate has me wondering that it might be a knock off of Summer Wine .. wish I could get to the bottom of it all ? LOL

Beach Breakation said...

I love your cats - I am between pets, lost 2 cats few years ago, miss them!
About the Ninebark "Physocarpus Satin Chocolate". I just planted one beneath a top-heavy clematis (Jackmanii), so I'm hoping I can control its growth. It says on the tag, "compact habit with bark that peels into papery strips", and "striking deeply cut dark chocolate to crimson-red leaves". So when the clematis is done (end of June) it will be (I hope) setting its buds and blooming mid-summer. It was from Presidents Choice, so maybe they "grow their own"? I could try to send a pic, I have just started blogging with Google, so pls advise if pic requested. Happy Gardening!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hello there Sally
I tried to access you to a blog and I can't seem to do that .. maybe it hasn't gone up yet ? or you are still working on it before publishing ?
Thank you for stopping by mine and leaving comments .. it is always nice to hear from some one new !
We are cat people here .. and we have gone through very sad losses in the last few years as well .. we just seem to need these furry souls in our lives. Sophie and Emma are precious to us : )
Yes .. I have wondered how this Ninebark has come into existence .. I don't think President's Choice has gone into breeding plants though .. I think they pick up on nurseries that are looking for sponsors and in return they can label them as President's Choice .. I don't have a problem with that at all .. I love plants and new ones are really interesting to me .. it just makes it a bit harder to track them down on the net at times though.
That sounds like a beautiful pairing you have there .. the clematis and Ninebark , what a great idea to keep the clematis roots cool and have colour through the season !
Can you drop a comment again with your blog address maybe ? then I can see your blog : ) .. that would be great !
Joy

Anonymous said...

I bought the chocolate satin ninebark yesterday. The ninebarks are awesome for our cold climate. The foliage is beautiful and sturdy. It is called Presidents Choice because it was developed to celebrate the 25th anniversary of presidents choice brand. I was able to get a 2 gallon one for 19.99 cdn, but they are scarce, only ten arrived in my local superstore. It should complement my wine and roses weigela which is in its' third season. I also bought a one gallon "ghost weigela" for another part of my front garden..it will bloom with ruby red and the leaves change to a light buttery yellow, almost transparent. One of the problems in our climate is with plants like my purple sandcherries, I have lost some to winter temps. Weigelas and ninebarks love the cold and snow. My full grown purple sandcherry is starting to show its' age with sparse foliage so I will probably replace it with a Ninebark of some variety next year. My back garden is more like a wild english garden. I planted a privet hedge this spring, one hundred feet of it and it is doing beautifully so far. I also have growing full sized burning bushes at the very rear, a smaller one closer to the house and I planted a bridal wreath (spirea) in a spot with lots of sun where it can grow as wide and tall as it wants. Mine is the only one in my area that has started to bloom so far..we're having a cold spring. The hummingbirds love it and I've seen them very close up. I am going to book mark this page and you can email me lem_meisner@eastlink.ca if you want to know how the chocolate satin looks in full bloom! Nice page.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

I just wrote a long e-mail to you but it has a failed notification because the address is not right ? .. can you e-mail me at glencross50@gmail.com
and I'll resend the e-mail !