| Description | Purple Leaf Sand Cherry (Prunus) An extremely popular purple-leafed plant with pinkish-white flowers. It can be grown as a small tree or a medium to large shrub. |
|---|---|
| Plant Type | All Plants, Shrubs Deciduous |
| Hardiness Zone | 2 to 8 |
| Sunlight | full |
| Moisture | average |
| Soil & Site | average |
| Flowers | single pink flowers contrast nicely against the purple foliage, early spring |
| Leaves | purple/maroon |
| Dimensions | At least 10 by 10 or slightly bigger. Allow at least 6-8 foot spacing or the plant will need to be pruned on a regular basis to keep it small enough for the space. |
| Maintenance | pruning to maintain shape, size and vigor tends to be shorter-lived |
| Propagation | cuttings |
| Cultivar Origin | South Dakota State University, 1910 by Dr. NE Hansen, cross between Prunus cerasifera and Prunus pumila |
| Misc Facts | One of the most miss used plants in the landscape. Sold as small one to two-gallon plants, and more times than not, they are planted in spaces too small for the plant. The Purple leaf Sand Cherry cannot tolerate being planted near a Black Walnut Tree AKA: Prunis cistena, Prunus Cistina, Hansens Purple Plum, Purple Bush Plum, Dwarf Redleaf Plum |
| Author's Notes | It seems to produce a lot of dead wood. So annual cleaning helps keep the plant looking neat. It tolerates heavy pruning. I have cut large plants down to the stump and they regrow. |
| Notes & Reference | This one of the most miss used plants in the landscape. Sold as small one to two gallon plants and more times than not they are planted in spaces to small for the plant. The Purple leaf Sand Cherry cannot tolerate being planted near a Black Walnut Tree. #01-Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (Michael Dirr), #155-Purple Leaf Plums (Arthur Lee Jacobson) |
Cart
