Purple leaf sand cherry is a forgiving shrub, prized for its deep purple-red leaves and pale spring flowers. It asks for little beyond sun and soil that drains. It is best thought of as a fast, showy shrub rather than a permanent one, because pests and disease usually shorten its life to a decade or so.1North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Prunus x cistena
Where to Plant Purple Leaf Sand Cherry
The shrub tolerates some shade, but its best flowering and leaf color come in full sun.2NC State Extension. Prunus x cistena A spot with at least six hours of direct sun keeps the leaves deep purple rather than a muddy green-bronze.
It grows best in moist, organically rich, well-drained soil.3Illinois Extension. Plant of the Week: Purple-Leaf Sand Cherry Soggy soil can lead to root rot,4Gardenia. Prunus x cistena but the shrub adapts to many soil types and to acid, neutral, or alkaline pH.5Gardenia. Prunus x cistena You should avoid low spots where water sits, along with spots next to downspouts and dips in the lawn.
To check drainage before you plant, dig a hole about a foot deep and fill it with water. If water is still standing after several hours, the spot drains too slowly. Choose a slightly raised spot instead, or mix compost into a wide area rather than just the planting hole.
The shrub is rated hardy in USDA zones 2 through 8.6Proven Winners. Stay Classy Purple Leaf Sand Cherry That toughness comes from its parentage: it is a cross between an Asian purple-leaf plum and a native North American sand cherry.7NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Prunus x cistena
To plant it, dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and no deeper. Set the top of the root ball at or slightly above the soil level, backfill with the native soil, and water deeply to settle everything. Then spread mulch a few inches deep, keeping it off the stems.
In the garden, the shrub works in hedges, in mixed borders, or alone as a specimen. Give it enough space for air to move around it, which helps keep the leaves drier.
How Much to Water
New shrubs need regular water to get established.8Nature Hills Nursery. Purpleleaf Sand Cherry Once they have settled in after their first year, sand cherries become drought-resistant and low-maintenance.9Nature Hills Nursery. Purpleleaf Sand Cherry They still prefer evenly moist soil to bone-dry soil,10NC State Extension. Prunus x cistena so water an established shrub deeply during long dry spells.
In the first year, water deeply about once or twice a week when it hasn’t rained. Check the soil a couple of inches down before you water, and skip the watering if it is still damp. Soak the root zone rather than sprinkling the leaves. Water less in cool weather and more in summer heat.
The leaves tell you when something is off. Drooping, crisp-edged leaves in heat suggest dryness. Yellowing leaves in constantly wet soil suggest poor drainage, and overwatering a heavy soil can do more harm than missing a watering.
A slow, deep soak every couple of weeks during extended drought reaches the deeper roots, which does more good than frequent light sprinkling. Mulch over the root zone slows evaporation, so a mulched shrub needs far less hand watering.
Feeding Purple Leaf Sand Cherry
A balanced slow-release fertilizer in early spring supports healthy growth.11Gardenia. Prunus x cistena (Purple-Leaf Sand Cherry) Don’t overdo it, though, because too much fertilizer pushes leafy growth at the expense of flowers.12Gardenia. Prunus x cistena (Purple-Leaf Sand Cherry) A starter fertilizer at planting can also help early root growth.13Garden Goods Direct. Purple Leaf Sand Cherry
You may not need to fertilize at all. In rich soil, a compost mulch may be all the shrub needs. Pale growth or weak new shoots suggest that feeding may help. Follow the label rate. Stop feeding by midsummer so the new growth hardens before winter.
Scatter fertilizer on the soil, not piled against the trunk, and water afterward so the nutrients move down into the root zone. A shrub planted this season generally gets its nutrients from the planting-time starter, so it usually doesn’t need a separate spring feeding until the next year.
When and How to Prune
Prune purple leaf sand cherry after it blooms in spring.14Toronto Master Gardeners. How to Grow and Care for Purple Leaf Sand Cherry It flowers on old wood, meaning last year’s stems.15Toronto Master Gardeners. How to Grow and Care for Purple Leaf Sand Cherry Pruning in fall or winter therefore cuts off next spring’s flower buds.
Start by removing dead, broken, or crossing branches. Cut out any branch with black swellings or oozing bark. Then thin a few of the oldest stems at the base to open up the center. Make each cut just above a bud or side branch, because a stub left behind becomes a dead end that invites decay.
Hedges can be sheared lightly after bloom. Shear so the base stays wider than the top, which lets light reach the lower branches. A natural-shaped shrub looks best with selective thinning instead. Heavy shearing late in summer reduces the flowers.
As a general guide, take no more than about a third of the shrub in a single year. An overgrown, leggy shrub can be renewed over about three years by removing a third of the oldest stems at the base each spring after bloom.
When you are cutting diseased wood, wipe your pruners with alcohol between cuts. This avoids spreading disease spores to healthy branches. Bag or burn the diseased cuttings instead of composting them.
Pests and Diseases to Watch For
Purple-leaf plums and their hybrids, including purple leaf sand cherry, were damaged more heavily by Japanese beetles than nearly all other landscape plants tested.16HortScience. Susceptibility of Purple-Versus Greenleaved Cultivars of Woody Landscape Plants to the Japanese Beetle In areas with Japanese beetles, expect lacy, skeletonized leaves in early to midsummer. Other pests include peachtree borer, scale, fall webworm, aphids, mealybugs, and tent caterpillars.17Smart Gardener. Blueberry: Purple leaf sand cherry
For beetles, hand-pick them into soapy water in the morning, and check daily during the peak weeks. Beetle traps can attract more beetles to your yard, so skip them. Healthy shrubs usually survive the leaf damage.
Black knot is a fungal disease that forms hard black swellings on the branches of plums and cherries.18The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. Black Knot of Ornamental Plum and Cherry It is most common on sand cherry and purple leaf plum.19Livingston Daily. Sand cherry is suffering from black knot Wild plums and cherries nearby can carry it too.20The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. Black Knot of Ornamental Plum and Cherry
Black knot starts as a rough, olive-green swelling on a twig that turns hard, black, and crusty, and the knots often grow larger each year. It is easiest to spot in winter when the leaves are gone, so a walk around the bare shrub is the best time to inspect. Knots left alone keep releasing spores in spring, so one untreated branch can reinfect the rest of the shrub.
Prune out the knots in late winter, before the spores release. Cut several inches below the visible swelling, and destroy the removed wood. If you can, remove badly infected wild plums or cherries nearby.
Trunk cankers and borers are particularly harmful.21North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Prunus x cistena Sawdust-like debris, oozing sap, or sunken bark at the base are warning signs. To reduce borer risk, avoid nicking the trunk with mowers or trimmers, and keep the shrub watered in drought, since stressed plants are the ones targeted. Remove any stems with borer holes.
Aphids and mealybugs are often knocked back with a strong spray of water from the hose, and a healthy shrub can usually tolerate them. Tent caterpillars and webworms build visible silk nests, which can be pruned out and destroyed while the caterpillars are still inside. Reach for insecticides only when a pest is clearly harming the shrub, and avoid spraying while it is in bloom, since that can harm visiting bees.
How Long It Lives and When to Replace It
Purple leaf sand cherry often lives only about 10 to 15 years because of insects and disease, with more trouble in humid areas.22North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Prunus x cistena23TreeTime.ca. Purple Leaf Sand Cherry vs Burning Bush
Decline usually creeps in over several seasons, with a few more dead branches and thinner foliage each year, instead of the shrub dying suddenly. It is time to think about replacing the shrub when you see many dead stems each spring, repeated black knot despite pruning, borer damage at the base of the trunk, or sparse leaves and few flowers.
You can plan ahead by rooting cuttings a few years in advance as replacements. Plant the replacement in a fresh, sunny spot, and consider spacing so a removed shrub leaves no big gap.
Is Purple Leaf Sand Cherry Toxic to Pets and Livestock
Cherries, plums, and their relatives contain compounds that can release cyanide.24PubMed Central. Toxic Plant Garden When cherry leaves wilt, such as on a fallen branch, these compounds convert to cyanide.25Agronomy News. Managing the Risk of Cyanide Poisoning from Wilted Cherry Leaves Animals readily eat these leaves, which can cause poisoning or death.26Agronomy News. Managing the Risk of Cyanide Poisoning from Wilted Cherry Leaves Cattle and sheep are especially vulnerable, and small amounts of wilted leaves can kill them.27Agronomy News. Managing the Risk of Cyanide Poisoning from Wilted Cherry Leaves Dogs and horses are among the animals most often poisoned by these plants, showing belly pain and vomiting.28PubMed Central. Toxic Plant Garden
The leaves, twigs, and seeds inside the pits all contain the cyanide-releasing compounds, so the danger isn’t limited to one part. The fruit flesh is not the main worry, but a pet that chews the pit can be exposed to the compounds inside it. Fresh, healthy leaves carry lower risk than wilted ones, but that is not a reason to let animals browse the shrub.
Cyanide interferes with how the body uses oxygen, and poisoning can come on fast, sometimes within minutes to hours of eating the leaves. Signs can include drooling, labored breathing, wobbliness, and bright red gums, in addition to belly pain and vomiting. Treat any suspected case as an emergency, because animals can deteriorate quickly and treatment works best when it starts early.
To keep animals safe, clean up prunings and storm-broken branches promptly. Never toss clippings into a pasture or pen, and don’t plant the shrub along livestock fence lines. Call a vet promptly if a pet chews leaves or pits.
Growing New Plants From Cuttings
Softwood cuttings from soft new growth fail easily,29Mike’s Backyard Nursery. How to Root Purple Sandcherry, prunus cistena from Hardwood Cuttings but dormant cuttings taken from mature wood are tough and fairly easy to root.30Mike’s Backyard Nursery. How to Root Purple Sandcherry, prunus cistena from Hardwood Cuttings Take them in late fall through winter, once the leaves have dropped and the shrub is dormant. Cut pencil-thick stems from last year’s growth and make pieces about 6 to 8 inches long. Make a flat cut at the top and a slanted cut at the bottom so you remember which end goes into the soil. Stick them most of their length into well-drained soil or potting mix, and keep it moist but not soggy. A sheltered spot such as a pot or a protected garden bed works well. Rooting hormone is optional for this easy-rooting shrub but can improve results. Expect roots and new leaves by late spring. Take cuttings only from branches free of black knot, and avoid stems with borer holes or cankers.
Leave the young plants in place through their first summer, watering regularly, and move them to a permanent spot the following fall or spring. Offspring from cuttings are clones of the parent, so they share its purple foliage and its vulnerability to pests and disease.