What other names does the purple-leaf sand cherry go by? Let's get to know it together

Morphological characteristics of the purple-leaf sand cherry

The 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 branches are purple-brown when young, and old branches have lenticels. The flowers are solitary, light pink, with 5 petals and a faint fragrance, blooming from April to May.

The purple-leaf sand cherry is a hybrid of the purple-leaf plum and the dwarf cherry. It is cultivated in all regions; in China, North China, Central China, East China, South China and other places are all suitable for cultivation, and in Northeast China's Liaoning, southern Jilin and other areas it can safely overwinter in winter.

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

How to grow the purple-leaf sand cherry

Sunlight

The 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

The purple-leaf sand cherry is not strict about soil, but it grows best in fertile, deep, well-drained neutral or slightly acidic sandy loam soil; 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

The 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 accumulation.

Ornamental value of the purple-leaf sand cherry

The purple-leaf sand cherry has a good ornamental effect, grows quickly, propagates easily, tolerates pruning, and has strong adaptability. The purple-leaf sand cherry is generally propagated by grafting and cuttings; the rootstock for grafting is generally mountain apricot or mountain peach, with apricot rootstock being the best. It has strong sprouting ability and can easily be trained into a ball or hedge in garden cultivation; through repeated pinching, it forms many branches, and before winter the miscellaneous branches are cut off and the leggy branches are heavily shortened, for cultivation and ornamentation.

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