Purple-leaf sand cherry has these other names too, did you know

Morphological characteristics of purple-leaf sand cherry

Purple-leaf sand cherry grows 1.8 m to 2.5 m tall, with a crown spread of 1.5 m to 2.8 m. The young branches are purplish brown, and the old branches have lenticels. The flowers are solitary, pale pink, with 5 petals and a faint fragrance; the flowering period is April to May.

Purple-leaf sand cherry is a hybrid of purple-leaf plum and sand cherry. It is cultivated in various places, and is suitable for cultivation in North China, Central China, East China, South China and other regions of our country; in Northeast China's Liaoning and southern Jilin, it can overwinter safely in winter.

Purple-leaf sand cherry has a good color effect. Throughout the entire growing season, its leaves are purplish red, bright and distinctive, with a compact tree shape and dense leaves, and the color effect of the whole plant is good. For potted applications, it can be made into medium and miniature bonsai.

How to grow purple-leaf sand cherry

Sunlight

Purple-leaf sand cherry is a light-loving tree species, but it is also cold-tolerant and shade-tolerant. When planted in places with insufficient light, its leaf color will turn green, so it should be planted in a place with sufficient light.

Soil

Purple-leaf sand cherry is not strict about soil, but it grows best in fertile, deep, well-drained neutral or slightly acidic sandy loam; light clay is also acceptable. For potting, the pot should be deeper and larger, and broken tiles or broken hard plastic foam blocks should be placed at the bottom of the pot to enhance the soil's air permeability and drainage capacity and to prevent root rot.

Water

Purple-leaf sand cherry likes a moist environment and is averse to waterlogging, so it should be planted in a high, dry place. It is best to keep the soil moist without water accumulating.

Ornamental value of purple-leaf sand cherry

Purple-leaf sand cherry has a good ornamental effect, grows fast, propagates easily, tolerates pruning, and has strong adaptability. Purple-leaf sand cherry is generally propagated by grafting and cuttings; the rootstocks for grafting are generally wild apricot (Prunus sibirica) and wild peach (Prunus davidiana), with apricot rootstock being the best. It has strong sprouting ability, can easily be trained into balls or hedges in garden cultivation, and forms many branches through repeated pinching; before winter, remove miscellaneous branches and heavily shorten vigorous shoots, which is for cultivation and ornamental appreciation.

In landscaping, because purple-leaf sand cherry has strong branch sprouting ability and bright leaf color, and is purplish red from bud break to leaf fall, it can be planted as a whole for urban colored hedges or color blocks, or planted individually, making it one of the best tree species for greening and beautifying cities.