May 11, 2001, Newsletter Issue #25: Purple Foliage Shrubs For Long Season Colour.

Tip of the Week

Excellent Purple Foliage Shrubs
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Berberis:
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The genus Berberis has several first rate purple foliage types. Amongst the best are;
Berberis x ottawensis "Superba":
Rich wine purple 6 ft tall

Berberis thunbergii "Gold Edge":
Bronze purple foliage. Each leaf has a fine gold edge. 6 ft tall.

Berberis thunbergii "Rose Glow" :Bronze purple foliage, young growth is streaked deep pink.

Cotinus:
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The purple smoke bushes are aristocrats of the shrub borders. The foliage is beautifully shaped and looks especially beautiful when covered in raindrops.
Cotinus "Royal Purple.":
The best of the purple smoke bushes. Rich vinous
purple, beautifully 6 Ft

Weigelia
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Two Weigelas have foliage which looks great in it`s own right, but combined with the flowers...wow! They are:
Weigela florida "Foliis Pupureus": Deep purple foliage with contrasting rose-pink flowers in early summer. 4 ft tall.
Weigela florida "Victoria": Chocolate-purple foliage with pinky-purple flowers in early summer. 6 ft tall.

Sambucus
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Sambucus "Black Beauty" is the darkest blackish-purple imaginable and is a long needed fast growing purple foliage plant that can grow in wet soil. Prune to ground level in winter to keep it at 6 ft.

Corylus
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Corylus maxima "Purpurea," the purple leaved filbert is a large growing smoky purple shrub that looks best when planted near golden foliage shrubs. 10 ft tall.

Hebe.
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Hebes , especially the purple foliaged types do tend to succumb to hard winters, however A fairly hardy Hebe, (survived two weeks of constant minus 15 degrees centigrade, totally unblemished ) with the overall effect of light dusky purple is Hebe albicans "Red Edge"
This valuable little shrub grows to no more than 2 ft tall, is evergreen and needs no pruning.

Last but not least are the purple forms of Japanese Maple. The "Rolls Royce" of the shrub border, (and priced to match!), the Japanese Maples add elegance to the purple foliage border.
My absolute favourite is:
Acer palmatum "Dissectum Atropurpureum" : Finely cut lacy reddish-purple foliage slowly growing to around 4 ft tall.

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