I believe I saw some of this compact variety, Physocarpus opulifolius intermedius, at Northern Illinois University in the 1980's that wer...Read Moree sheared as short hedges. I took photos of a nice natural mass of this at Morton Arboretum on the west side near the Thornhill Bldg at the parking lot in mid-June of 2015. One difference from the regular species, Physocarpus opulifolius, mentioned by one botanist was that this variety is supposed to have stellate hairs on the fruit. It is supposed to grow about 4 to 5 feet high as opposed to the 8 to 10 feet by the straight species. The leaves of this variety are also smaller. There is a cultivar of the mother species, P. opulifolius 'Nanus', that is shorter than the Atlantic or Illinois variety. Anyway, it is a nice looking medium height shrub that makes a good mass. Its native range is from Quebec and southern Ontario to NY, OH, IN, IL, MO, AK to TN.
I believe I saw some of this compact variety, Physocarpus opulifolius intermedius, at Northern Illinois University in the 1980's that wer...Read More