Crabapples (Malus sp.) Other uses of the herb: A green dye can be obtained from the leaves. Rejuvenate a neglected or overgrown purple-leaf sand cherry by hard pruning all of its branches down to within 6 inches of the ground in late winter, before its initial spring growth spurt. Read on for tips on how to prune a purple leaf sand cherry. Fruit Color - Dark purple to black when mature. Expand. The Nanking cherry is very popular as an edible bush cherry but its actually a different species than sand cherry. ... blackish, purple fruit; Propagation. The fruit are edible, if strong-tasting. Commercial specimens are typically grafted to a rootstock from any of a number of other species, which will influence their growth form and final height. There are also a limited selection of cultivars available. Introducing "One Thing": A New Video Series, Purpleleaf sand cherry, plum leaf sand cherry. It is not advisable to eat the pits. The purple leaf sand cherry is a member of the Rosaceae family (so it's related to roses) and is actually a hybrid, having been developed at South Dakota University in 1910 from Prunus cerasifera (purple leaf plum) and Prunus pumila (sand cherry). The plant is pretty much all-weather hardy, able to withstand a wide variety of temperatures through both summer and winter, though plants grown in consistently colder weather may be smaller and produce fewer blooms. The Purple-leaf Sand Cherry is a classic medium-sized deciduous shrub with striking reddish-purple leaves. It has an upright, spreading habit, with reddish-purple foliage and fragrant whitish-pink flowers. Begin by trimming the oldest stems first, removing about a third of the existing growth, and leaving a few inches of the trunk exposed at the base. Love the colors so far, should get better as the plants fill out. Prized for fruit, flower and foliage! Plan your border around this centerpiece, and partner with spring bulbs, Daylilies, Russian Sage, Coneflower, Asters and Ornamental Grasses for a great look all year. Purple leaf sand cherry care involves regular pruning. I have planted purple de oro around the base. Leaf Surface - Smooth, glabrous. The stems of the purple leaf sand cherry will be red-brown to dark gray and tend to ooze sap, a trait that is particularly noticeable if the plant develops fissures or cankers. Additionally, the purple leaf sand cherry is very susceptible to pests and diseases, which can shorten its overall lifespan. 1 CRR-NY 140.1. Additionally, its branches are prone to frost cracks. Like any plant, the purple leaf sand cherry can benefit from the added nutrients fertilizer provides, but it is by no means necessary if you have the proper soil conditions. Form Prunus × cistena was developed by Niels Ebbesen Hansen in 1910. 'Minnesota Red' (also known as 'Minnesota Purpleleaf') - Selected for its deeper purple leaves, this cultivar maintains the color well into fall. Produces bright red 3 inch leaves in spring and blushing, white flowers in mid-late spring. Leaf Length - 1 to 2 inches. This is definitely a fast growing, medium-sized shrub that will make an excellent accent in your landscape. Prunus pumila, commonly called sand cherry, is a North American species of cherry in the rose family. This striking plant, also known as plum leaf sand cherry, is valued for its reddish-purple foliage and pale pink blooms. Edible parts of Purple-Leaf Sand Cherry: Fruit - raw or cooked. The small fruit of the sand cherry will attract birds, which can be a nuisance to some homeowners, and the tree is susceptible to infestations from aphids, borers, tent caterpillars and webworms. The fruit contains a single large seed. Purple Leaf Sand Cherry blossoms. Some have edible fruit in autumn, and a few species have ornamental bark Details P. × cistena is an upright, bushy, medium-sized deciduous shrub with small, pinkish-white flowers. It also may be trained as a small tree. It can be planted close to paved surfaces and near utility lines and can also be used as a deciduous hedge. Other pests include the peachtree borer, scale, fall webworm, aphids, mealybugs, and tent caterpillars. An easy-to-care-for landscape plant, purple leaf sand cherry can grow in a wide variety of soils and conditions. It has a good purplish leaf color throughout summer. Produces bright red 3 inch leaves in spring and blushing, white flowers in May. This thick-growing, long-lived shrub is called the Purple Leaf Sand Cherry. Additionally, the more sun the plant receives, the more lush its seasonal blooms will be. Some people make jams or preserves from them. It is short-lived and prone to significant insect and disease problems. The Purpleleaf Sand Cherry is a dense-growing shrub that reaches an impressive size for a shrub if allowed to grow naturally. In spring white flowers with a pink blush signal the beginning of the new garden year. Flower Color - White. This shrub needs well-drained soil and prefers moist rich loams in full sun. [1] A leggy bush or shrubby tree, it typically reaches a height of 1.5–2.5 meters and has a useful life of 10–20 years. With occasional irrigation and pruning, you can expect year-round resiliency. Sand cherry fruit is usually dark purple to black in color, indicating high anthocyanin levels, which suggest high antioxidant levels. Prune down by 30 cm, late spring, every few years, to maintain a fresh look. Among purple-leafed shrubs, the Sand Cherry distinguishes itself by surviving nearly everywhere in the U.S. (Zones 3-8). Purple-leaf sand cherry grows best in a semi-dry, fertile soil transplanting easily, and tolerating a wide range of soil types and conditions. Purple Leaf Sand Cherry: Prunus glandulosa: Flowering Almond: Prunus persica: Flowering Peach and Purple Leaf Peach: Prunus pumila: Sand Cherry and Western Sand Cherry: ... seeds and fruit that are free of leaves of all varieties of the Prunus species are not regulated articles. Produces fragrant light pink to white flowers from late April to early May Features an attractive reddish-purple leaf coloring that lasts through the summer Another great way to showcase the charm of Purpleleaf Sand Cherry trees is to use them in small groupings and mixed borders. Because of this, the purpleleaf sand cherry makes an excellent contrast tree. It is widespread in eastern and central Canada from New Brunswick west to Saskatchewan and the northern United States from Maine to Montana, south as far as Colorado, Kansas, Indiana, and Virginia, with a few isolated populations in Tennessee and Utah. They grow similarly though if that is your only option. When the plant is young it has an oval shape and will arch and open more widely from in the center as it reaches maturity. It's versatile and can be trained into either a single stem small tree form, or used as a natural shrub with lower branches. If it receives too much shade, the leaves will change to a bronze-green color too early on in the season (it normally happens in the fall). Grows to be around 8-10' tall and wide. The light pink and white flowers are soon replaced by black or purple fruits come mid-summer. Typically, one watering per week will suffice, but more may be necessary if you've recently transplanted it, are going through a period of hot, dry weather, or the plant is in its first season of growth. Typically, the purple leaf sand cherry grows to be between six and ten feet tall, making it a nice medium-size plant suited to most gardens. The tough hybrid doesn’t blink at droughts, hot summers, or cold winters. The purple leaf sand cherry is also at risk for several diseases, including honey fungus, verticillium wilt, black knot, cankers, powdery mildew, leaf spot, and bacterial leaf scorch. The Purpleleaf Sandcherry is a beautiful shrub with rich purple-red leaves. It grows in sandy locations such as shorelines and dunes. Native to North America and considered either a medium-sized shrub or a small tree, the purple leaf sand cherry is often chosen for its eye-catching purple foliage, which will grace your yard from early spring through autumn when the leaves turn a stunning bronze-green. Ripe sand cherries are also consumed by many wildlife species, so please don’t take more than you can use. Purple leaf cherry plum Standard Trees . The pear sawfly can also damage the leaves of purpleleaf sandcherry. By using The Spruce, you accept our, How to Grow Mexican Hat Plants (Ratibida columnifera), Weeping Cherry Trees and Other Cascading Trees, 19 Flowering, Fruiting Trees and Shrubs From the Prunus Genus, Purple Shamrock Plant Profile (Black Oxalis), 12 Trees With Brilliant Fall Color Plus Other Advantages, 17 Types of Flowering Trees for Home Landscaping. Sometimes called Purple leaf Plum although the actual purple leaf plum is a tree. Prunus × cistena, the purple leaf sand cherry or dwarf red-leaf plum, is a hybrid species of prune-cherry, the result of a cross between Prunus cerasifera (cherry plum or myrobalan plum) and Prunus pumila (sand cherry). Though unremarkable to humans, the fruits are an important source of food for many birds, including robins and cardinals, as well as the occasional coyote. Purple-leaf Sand Cherry Growing and Maintenance Tips. Purple Leaf Sand Cherry is a deciduous shrub in the rose family that matures at around 8 feet tall and wide. The tough and beautiful Prunus cerasifera Nigra, also known as the purple or black cherry plum, is a famous inner city choice, with its reliability in poor soils, spectacular spring blossom and great foliage colour.It's one of the first … Some feed on the leaves creating irregular holes while the leaf roller wraps the leaves around them to feed. In spring, it yields the sweetest sap for syrup and sugar, in summer, it's the perfect shade tree and in fall, it wears a heavy crown of yellow, orange and red leaves. Though it prefers well-drained soil and a good dose of sunshine, it can pretty much adapt to any weather condition present in USDA hardiness zones three through eight. Leaves red-purple, deepening in the summer and brighter in autumn The Spruce uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. Flowers and Fruits Flower Type - 2 to 4 per cluster. A dark grey to green dye … Plum leaf sand cherry, also referred to as purple leaf sand cherry plants, is a medium sized ornamental shrub or small tree that when mature reaches a height of approximately 8 feet tall by 8 feet wide. However, you can easily prune it to stay within a desired size. Leaf Width - 1/2 to 1 inch. [3], "Nazareth College, Purpleleaf Sand Cherry, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prunus_×_cistena&oldid=975573224, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 29 August 2020, at 08:01. The level of pH isn't important to the plant, but the drainage is, as its roots live close to the surface and are susceptible to rot. These worm-like insects eat a layer of the leaf leaving the veins intact. Still, you can fertilizer the plan every spring using a general, all-purpose mixture. I have planted purple de oro around the base. Unfortunately, the purple leaf sand cherry is especially susceptible to pests, including Japanese beetles which can do significant damage to its foliage. Though adaptable to many different mixtures of soil, the purple leaf sand cherry thrives best in a moist but well-draining soil composition. [2] In 1993 it won the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. You'll make any plant "pop" against the dark leaf color. It starts out like a brown spot and eventually the whole leaf … You won't really need to worry when it comes to maintaining the right temperature for your purple leaf sand cherry. Love the colors so far, should get better as the plants fill out. Acer saccharum. Fruit Type - Cherry-shaped fruit, globose. The fast-growing plant (clocking anywhere from 13 inches to 24 inches per year) is relatively easy to grow in most zones and is pretty good at adapting to a variety of soil and sun conditions. Purple leaf sand cherry (Prunus x cistena) is a hardy shrub that belongs to the rose family. New York's official state tree is the Sugar Maple. Prunus × cistena, commonly called purple-leaf sand cherry, is an upright deciduous shrub that typically grows 6-10’ tall and 5-8’ wide. Learn tips for creating your most beautiful (and bountiful) garden ever. However, this can also be trained as a small tree if desired. It can be planted close to paved surfaces and near utility lines and can also be used as a deciduous hedge. The spring flowers give way to purplish drupes that attract birds. The Purpleleaf Sand Cherry is mostly valued for its reddish-purple foliage, fragrant white and pink spring flowers, and purple-black fruit (8). A leggy bush or shrubby tree, it typically reaches a height of 1.5–2.5 meters and has a useful life of 10–20 years. Because of this, the purpleleaf sand cherry makes an excellent contrast tree. This is a hybrid shrub ( P. pumila x P. cerasifera ‘Atropurpurea’) that was introduced in 1910 by Dr. N. E. Hansen at South Dakota State University. https://www.thespruce.com/purple-leaf-sand-cherry-growing-profile-3269234 Seed - raw or cooked. Pruning should be done as needed after the flowers come in spring in order to maintain a tighter oval shape. Habitat. The purple leaves are also larger, but the flowers are as per the species. Purpleleaf Sand Cherry Rosaceae. The most commonly found one is the Purple-Leaved sand cherry and it is strictly an ornamental. Purple Leaf Sand Cherry blossoms. If desired, tighter pruning can be done to evoke the feel of an ornamental hedge. (p) State means the State of New York. The delicate flowers are pink, borne after the leaves have developed in late April-early May. Crabapple trees will add color to the garden in all seasons with their flowers, … The purple leaf sand cherry needs to be watered regularly and is not drought tolerant. Purple leaf sand cherry should be grown in full to partial sun. Always remove any branches or twigs that are damaged or dead. Because of these unique characteristics and … Purple sand cherry is a widely planted deciduous small tree. Purple Leaf Sand Cherry (Prunus x cistena) Purple Leaf Sand Cherry (Prunus x cistena) This was the first season of bloom for this plant. Purple Leaf Sand Cherry (Prunus x cistena) Purple Leaf Sand Cherry (Prunus x cistena) This was the first season of bloom for this plant. Vanessa Richins Myers is a seasoned horticulturist, garden writer and educator with 10+ years of experience in the horticulture and gardening space. Frost-tolerant, purple leaf sand cherries can be grown up to USDA Hardiness Zone 2a. Leaf Color - Dark silvery-green to gray-green, lighter beneath; yellow fall color. Both issues with pests and diseases can cause the plant to experience an abbreviated lifespan of just 10 to 15 years. Keep an eye out for telltale signs of pests, like lacy or hole-ridden leaves and the browning or withering of foliage. Do not eat the seed if it is too bitter - see the notes above on toxicity. While there will never be a large cherry crop, the fruit is commonly used for making jams, jellies, and pie. You can expect the purple leaf sand cherry to bloom each spring after the foliage emerges. These hold their color all through summer, making a colorful display in any garden. Prunus × cistena, the purple leaf sand cherry or dwarf red-leaf plum, is a hybrid species of prune-cherry, the result of a cross between Prunus cerasifera (cherry plum or myrobalan plum) and Prunus pumila (sand cherry). It is most noted for its reddish purple foliage that retains good color throughout the summer. The Purple Leaf Plum Hedge is a thick-growing, long-lived hedge that is sometimes called he Purple Leaf Sand Cherry. The sand cherry tree is known for its purple leaves and white/pink spring blossoms. 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