Are you in the market for an outstanding accent plant to use as a focal point in your landscape? "Ornamental" is certainly the perfect word for the Purpleleaf Sand Cherry (Prunus x cistena). This is one of the very best selections for foliage, flowers, and bird-watching! A hybrid cross between Cherry Plum (Prunus cerasifera) and Sand Cherry (Prunus pumila), you end up with an absolutely beautiful large shrub or small tree for you, your landscape, and your wildlife! Spring erupts in a flush of reddish-purple foliage that is semi-gloss and profuse! Soon the darling pink buds pop open to reveal white to baby pink petals with dark pink centers and stamen. These fragrant spring blooms are irresistible to bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects and pollinators! Prunus are members of the Rose family, so the overall look of the flowers is really pretty! From a distance, the entire shrub appears to be a soft purplish-pink cloud! The reddish foliage mellows to a gorgeous purple, and they'll maintain that strong color in your yard throughout the summer months. Even the young bark has a purplish hue! Purple-Leaf Sand Cherry is a wonderful plant for birds! Small blackish-purple fruits appear in July and are enjoyed by both songbirds and can even be eaten by people! But the fruit is small and not as noticeable, but the birds love to feast on these tiny cherries! You'll feel a sense of pride that you gave our feathered friends a helping hand to prepare for winter, as the summer season begins to draw to a close. Sandcherry are hardy throughout USDA growing zones 4 to 7 and only reach a 6-8 foot tall height with a slightly wider spread at maturity. Also called the Dwarf Red-Leaf Plum, as fall comes on, you'll see the leaves transition to a red-bronze hue before they drop from the plant. What a show! Planting and Application: The Purpleleaf Sand Cherry is a dense-growing shrub that reaches an impressive size for a shrub if allowed to grow naturally. However, you can easily prune it to stay within a desired size. It's versatile and can be trained into either a single-stem small tree form, or used as a natural shrub with lower branches. Either way, this is a highly ornamental plant that is worthy of an esteemed location in your landscape! People love using this ornamental deciduous shrub near an entranceway to welcome guests. It has such a wonderful look, it helps spark conversation right off the bat! This shrub is pretty in every season, including winter, thanks to its graceful branch structure and unique foliage color. Include this plant in a mixed foundation planting. It's gorgeous near your front door or placed at the corner of your house. Mix the shrub form with the single-trunked Tree Form for a unique display! You'll appreciate how the effect captures attention! Raise this beauty high on a berm in your front yard, underplanted in Cranesbill Geranium, and surrounded with Coneflowers, Wild Roses, and late-blooming Sedum for a pinkish display all growing season long! Plant several as a hedge along your patio to give yourself a very appealing visual barrier and light screening. This lovely shrub won't make your yard look like a fortress! Tough enough for Rock Gardens, and pretty enough for an informal Cottage Garden, the purple foliage stands out beautifully without being pretentious. Place this accent shrub in a prominent position where you'll be able to enjoy it throughout the year. You'll delight in the passing seasons by watching the growth of the dark leaves, and delicate flowers transform into the tiny cherries. You won't be able to keep your eyes off it! And it's not just sight, this plant also has appeal for your ears! The leaves catch the breeze and provide gentle sounds to your garden environment. Set up a garden bench nearby to watch the pollinators flutter, and then in the fall, you'll hear bird calls as they come to reap the cherry harvest. Eye-Catching Pinkish-White Flowers Reddish New Growth Ages to Striking Purple Foliage Bronze Red Foliage in Autumn Tiny Edible Cherries Attract Birds Birds Birds! Edible Raw or Cooked - Make Great Preserves! Specimen Shrub or Tree, Hedges, Accents, Backdrops & Focal Point Color #ProPlantTips for Care: As with all plants sold by Nature Hills, read our Plant Highlights to learn about the unique growing conditions and preferences. Full sun will keep the best leaf color and excellent uniformity. You'll also want to ensure it has moist, well-draining soil for the best performance. Just like people, a healthy tree is a happy tree! Provide new shrubs with regular water to get them established, however, once they are settled after their first year, Sand Cherry becomes drought-resistant and very low-maintenance! You can topdress the soil surface with 3-4 inches of arborist mulch to help shrubs planted in some of the harshest sites thrive with minimal supplemental moisture. This is a low-maintenance, medium-sized shrub. It tends to establish itself very quickly, so you won't have to wait long to witness its outstanding benefits! Plant with Nature Hills Root Booster to set up the root system for life with symbiotic mycorrhizal fungal support from day one! Prune these deciduous shrubs in the very early spring, before you see new growth. They can develop an upright growth habit that becomes open and spreading with age. Air circulation is important for this tree, so give it "elbow room" and let it truly shine for you. Give Purpleleaf Sand Cherry plenty of room to grow into its full mature size. This will eliminate heavy pruning chores for you. Full Sun For Best Color & The Most Flowers Any Well-Drained Organic Soil Moderate Moisture Needs & Appreciates Mulched Beds Prune Very Early Spring Very Cold-Hardy & Easy To Grow! If you're looking for a pretty shrub to captivate you year-round, the Purpleleaf Sand Cherry is the perfect choice. Purpleleaf Sandcherry are hardy, long-lived, and beneficial to wildlife. Order yours today from Nature Hills Nursery and enjoy the convenience of having your landscape delivered to your front door!
