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Lemon Candy Ninebark

Physocarpus opulifolius (fy-so-KAR-pus oh-pyu-li-FOL-ee-us)

Family: Rosaceae Unknown Herbaceous (1-3 ft)

'Podaras 3' which is commonly sold under the name marketing name Lemon Candy is a compact ninebark cultivar with an erect multistemmed habit. It has bright yellow leaves that make an excellent accent in the landscape. Plant in the full sun to partial shade in well-drained soil. It is easy to grow and is tolerant of heavy clay soils, dry soils, drought, and erosion. If pruning, keep in mind that next year's flowers will appear on old growth. ‘Podaras 3’ is in the Gum Drop series bred by Peter Podaras, and it is the largest of the dwarf plants in this series, Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious problems. Fireblight and leafspots are occasional disease problems. The plant does struggle in hot summers. More information on Physocarpus opulifolius .

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 30 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Fills a similar niche Buddleja Lo & Behold® 'Blue Chip Jr.' Cornus alba Neon Burst™ 'Byboughen' Itea virginica 'Little Henry'

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Shrub
Life cycle
Woody
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Shallow Rocky
Soil drainage
Occasionally Dry
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 3 in. - 2 ft. 6 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Multi-stemmed
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Gold/Yellow
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Lemon yellow leaves appear in the spring.
Flower color
White
Flower detail
White flowers appear on the branch ends in the late spring to early summer.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Capsule
Bark detail
Exfoliating papery bark
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall
Fruit type
Capsule
Landscape Use
Garden tags
#deciduous shrub #yellow leaves #flowering shrub #clay soils tolerant #attractive leaves #compact

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.