PurpleLeaf Sand Cherry

Description

Is the PurpleLeaf Sand Cherry right for you?

🚨🚨 **** Important note: Sorry, No Sales to Western, Territories, or Phyto-certificate states due to shipping restrictions in your state (Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, Colorado, Utah, and Idaho). I can also only ship to Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi during bare root season (late fall through early spring) due to Japanese Beetle regulations.

Here’s what your new plant will need and what you should look out for:

COLOR! WOW — so much color! This is one of my most popular shrubs. They do require some attentive care, but they will reward you with spectacular blooms and stunning dark red/purple leaves. Perfect when planted by themselves or in groups — these beauties are an absolute eye-catcher in any landscape! Planting a Purple Leaf Sand Cherry near other lighter-colored leaves (like evergreens) makes everything stand out even more!

✅ Zones 3-8 (zone 8 will need a little extra care)

✅ 6+ hours of sun daily

✅ Mature size: 6-10 feet tall and 5-8 feet wide. Fast grower, up to 2 feet per year. Perfect for flowering privacy hedge row if you don’t mind the leaf loss in winter.

✅ Prefers slightly acidic, consistently moist, but very well-draining soil

✅ Loves organically rich soil so adding compost or aged manure or humus is perfect!

✅ Fertilize once in spring and summer with something like Rose-Tone by Espoma

✅ Apply a couple inches of mulch on top of soil to help insulate roots and retain moisture

✅ Hundreds of fragrant and beautiful white blooms cover these in April/May

✅ Small, black/purple cherries appear in late summer that songbirds LOVE

✅ Rich reddish purple leaf color lasts all the way into late fall

✅ Very fast growers which makes these very pruning-friendly (winter and early spring) for size and shape. We often cut ours way back and they bounce back in spring even prettier with bright purple foliage. Stunning plant! These bloom on old wood so be sure to keep older branches and their shoots to maintain shape.  You can however safely remove up to 1/3 of the overall size.  In our experience, these guys are pretty forgiving of an intense haircut during their dormant months, about a month before they begin waking up in spring.

✅ Can be grown either as a small tree or multi-stemmed large shrub

✅ Can be susceptible to different pests (including Japanese Beetles), and fungal diseases, especially in warmer/humid climates. Treatments with horticultural oil like Neem take care of this issue. Purple leaf sand cherries are in the Rose family so they respond well to the same TLC.

Treating these every week or two with a copper-based fungicide in early spring (we use this one from Captain Jack) can help many disease issues from ever starting. 

✅ Average life span is 10-20 years but can live longer with good care

🌸 If you need that pop of color in your yard but don’t have much space, these are the perfect choice. Consider planting them as a “welcome” to your entryway or around your foundation. The color will wow you and your guests. Neighbors will want to know what it is 🙂 Just be sure to offer these a little TLC to keep them strong and healthy. They’re pretty hardy.

In colder zones, if the ground is frozen, it’s best to pot these up and keep them in a cool basement, garage, or other unheated space that will stay above freezing but help keep the plant dormant. Water 2-3 times per week the first week. Keep consistently moist after. Gradually “harden off” outdoors and plant once the ground is no longer frozen in the spring. Mulching helps insulate the roots and retain moisture as well.

If you live in a warmer zone where the ground is not frozen, you can go ahead and plant these now while dormant so they can get established. A couple inches of mulch is needed here as well. If the ground is frozen, treat it as you would in the colder zones by potting it up and waiting until early spring.

If you have any questions, I’m here to help the best I can! As a small family nursery, my goal is to offer the “personal touch” to show you that we care about your business. Customer service, and your support, sincerely matter to us. Thanks for looking!

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