Purple Leaf Shrubs

Add a bit of season long color to your landscape with purple leafed shrubs. 

The purpleleaf sandcherry has long been a favorite of gardeners.  The leaves hold their purple color all season but pest problems can shorten its life.  Regular pruning will help combat these problems. 

But now there are many more possibilities.

The purple leaf ninebarks also hold their color all season.  These hardy drought tolerant plants flower in late spring and the shreddy bark adds winter interest.  Look for the variety that fits the growing location.

Complement the purple with a backdrop of the blue-green needles of the Colorado blue spruce.  Include some summer blooming blue catnip to echo the blue of the spruce and complement the purple foliage.

Purple smokebush’s purple leaves are topped with smoky pink panicles in summer and turn orange-red in fall.

The Japanese maple’s form and foliage are welcome accents in the shady garden. 

A bit more information:  Wine and Roses, Fine Wine and Dark Horse are just a few of the purple leafed varieties of weigela.  These all have pink flowers in late spring and sporadically throughout the season.   A great draw for the hummingbirds and good flowering shrub for the mixed border.

Tags

shrubs design spruce ninebark smokebush japanese-maple weigela

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