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Purpleleaf Sand Cherry

Prunus x cistena

Sale price $4979 Regular price $5999
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Delivery and Shipping

Shipping

To obtain a more accurate shipment time-frame, simply enter your zip code in the “Find Your Growing Zone” box to the right. Our plants are grown all over the country and lead time on items may be different because of this. Once your order is placed, you will also receive the specific shipment time-frame information as part of your order confirmation. Once an item ships, you will receive shipment notification and tracking numbers, so you can follow along while your plant travels to your doorstep. We use FedEx, UPS, or USPS at our discretion.

 

Due to winter weather we have put a hold on shipping to the areas shown below in grey. You can still order now and we will ship the plant to you during an appropriate time for your zone.

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Standard Shipping Rates

At Nature Hills we handle, package and ship the products you order with the utmost care to ensure healthy delivery. Shipping and handling charges are calculated based on the tables below. Please note that some items include an additional handling surcharge, these will be noted on the item's product page.

From To S&H
$0 $19.99 $24.99
$20 $49.99 $29.99
$50 $69.99 $34.99
$70 $99.99 $39.99
$100 $129.99 $44.99
$130 $149.99 $48.99
$150 $150+ Approx 28%

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Plant Highlights

Purpleleaf Sand Cherry highlights at a glance!

Specifications

  • Brand
    Nature Hills' Choice
  • Botanical Name
    Prunus x cistena
  • Growing Zones
    4-7
  • Mature Height
    6 - 8 feet
  • Mature Spread
    7 - 8 feet
  • Sun Exposure
    Full Sun
  • Moisture
    Moderate
  • Soil
    Well-Drained
  • Growth Rate
    Medium
  • Flower Color
    White/Pink
  • Fall Color
    Bronzy Red
  • Pollinator Friendly
    Yes
  • Pollinator Required
    No
  • Fragrant
    Yes
  • Pruning Time
    Early Spring
  • Bloom Period
    Late Spring
  • Harvest Time
    Mid Season

Are you in the market for an outstanding accent plant to use as a focal point in your landscape? "Ornamental" is certainly the perfect word for the Purpleleaf Sand Cherry (Prunus x cistena). This is one of the very best selections for foliage, flowers, and bird-watching!

A hybrid cross between Cherry Plum (Prunus cerasifera) and Sand Cherry (Prunus pumila), you end up with an absolutely beautiful large shrub or small tree for you, your landscape, and your wildlife!

Spring erupts in a flush of reddish-purple foliage that is semi-gloss and profuse! Soon the darling pink buds pop open to reveal white to baby pink petals with dark pink centers and stamen. These fragrant spring blooms are irresistible to bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects and pollinators!

Prunus are members of the Rose family, so the overall look of the flowers is really pretty! From a distance, the entire shrub appears to be a soft purplish-pink cloud!

The reddish foliage mellows to a gorgeous purple, and they'll maintain that strong color in your yard throughout the summer months. Even the young bark has a purplish hue!

Purple-Leaf Sand Cherry is a wonderful plant for birds! Small blackish-purple fruits appear in July and are enjoyed by both songbirds and can even be eaten by people! But the fruit is small and not as noticeable, but the birds love to feast on these tiny cherries! You'll feel a sense of pride that you gave our feathered friends a helping hand to prepare for winter, as the summer season begins to draw to a close.

Sandcherry are hardy throughout USDA growing zones 4 to 7 and only reach a 6-8 foot tall height with a slightly wider spread at maturity. Also called the Dwarf Red-Leaf Plum, as fall comes on, you'll see the leaves transition to a red-bronze hue before they drop from the plant. What a show!

Planting and Application:

The Purpleleaf Sand Cherry is a dense-growing shrub that reaches an impressive size for a shrub if allowed to grow naturally. However, you can easily prune it to stay within a desired size. It's versatile and can be trained into either a single-stem small tree form, or used as a natural shrub with lower branches. Either way, this is a highly ornamental plant that is worthy of an esteemed location in your landscape!

People love using this ornamental deciduous shrub near an entranceway to welcome guests. It has such a wonderful look, it helps spark conversation right off the bat! This shrub is pretty in every season, including winter, thanks to its graceful branch structure and unique foliage color.

Include this plant in a mixed foundation planting. It's gorgeous near your front door or placed at the corner of your house. Mix the shrub form with the single-trunked Tree Form for a unique display! You'll appreciate how the effect captures attention!

Raise this beauty high on a berm in your front yard, underplanted in Cranesbill Geranium, and surrounded with Coneflowers, Wild Roses, and late-blooming Sedum for a pinkish display all growing season long!

Plant several as a hedge along your patio to give yourself a very appealing visual barrier and light screening. This lovely shrub won't make your yard look like a fortress! Tough enough for Rock Gardens, and pretty enough for an informal Cottage Garden, the purple foliage stands out beautifully without being pretentious.

Place this accent shrub in a prominent position where you'll be able to enjoy it throughout the year. You'll delight in the passing seasons by watching the growth of the dark leaves, and delicate flowers transform into the tiny cherries. You won't be able to keep your eyes off it!

And it's not just sight, this plant also has appeal for your ears! The leaves catch the breeze and provide gentle sounds to your garden environment. Set up a garden bench nearby to watch the pollinators flutter, and then in the fall, you'll hear bird calls as they come to reap the cherry harvest.

  • Eye-Catching Pinkish-White Flowers
  • Reddish New Growth Ages to Striking Purple Foliage
  • Bronze Red Foliage in Autumn
  • Tiny Edible Cherries Attract Birds Birds Birds!
  • Edible Raw or Cooked - Make Great Preserves!
  • Specimen Shrub or Tree, Hedges, Accents, Backdrops & Focal Point Color

#ProPlantTips for Care:

As with all plants sold by Nature Hills, read our Plant Highlights to learn about the unique growing conditions and preferences. Full sun will keep the best leaf color and excellent uniformity. You'll also want to ensure it has moist, well-draining soil for the best performance. Just like people, a healthy tree is a happy tree!

Provide new shrubs with regular water to get them established, however, once they are settled after their first year, Sand Cherry becomes drought-resistant and very low-maintenance! You can topdress the soil surface with 3-4 inches of arborist mulch to help shrubs planted in some of the harshest sites thrive with minimal supplemental moisture.

This is a low-maintenance, medium-sized shrub. It tends to establish itself very quickly, so you won't have to wait long to witness its outstanding benefits! Plant with Nature Hills Root Booster to set up the root system for life with symbiotic mycorrhizal fungal support from day one!

Prune these deciduous shrubs in the very early spring, before you see new growth. They can develop an upright growth habit that becomes open and spreading with age. Air circulation is important for this tree, so give it "elbow room" and let it truly shine for you. Give Purpleleaf Sand Cherry plenty of room to grow into its full mature size. This will eliminate heavy pruning chores for you.

  • Full Sun For Best Color & The Most Flowers
  • Any Well-Drained Organic Soil
  • Moderate Moisture Needs & Appreciates Mulched Beds
  • Prune Very Early Spring
  • Very Cold-Hardy & Easy To Grow!

If you're looking for a pretty shrub to captivate you year-round, the Purpleleaf Sand Cherry is the perfect choice. Purpleleaf Sandcherry are hardy, long-lived, and beneficial to wildlife. Order yours today from Nature Hills Nursery and enjoy the convenience of having your landscape delivered to your front door!

Customer Reviews

Based on 30 reviews
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A
Anna
Purple leaf Sand Cherry

Arrived looking great and is currently doing very well!

Dear Anna,

Thank you so much for sharing your positive experience with your Purple Leaf Sand Cherry! We're delighted to hear it arrived in great shape and is thriving. These beautiful plants really bring vibrant color and charm to any garden, and it sounds like yours is on the right path.

If you ever have questions about pruning, watering, or caring for it through the seasons to keep it healthy and blooming, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re always here to offer tips to help your gardening journey flourish.

Bloom on,
The Nature Hills Plant Knowledge Team

A
Anna
Purple leaf Sand Cherry

Arrived looking great and is currently doing very well!

Hi Anna,

Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful feedback about your Purple Leaf Sand Cherry! We're delighted to hear it arrived in great shape and is thriving with you so far. As you continue to care for it, be sure to provide full sun and well-drained soil to encourage vibrant foliage and abundant blossoms. If you ever have questions or want tips on pruning or plant care, feel free to reach out—we’re always happy to help.

Happy gardening, and we look forward to hearing more about your plant’s journey!

Bloom on,
The Nature Hills Plant Knowledge Team

A
Angela
Purple Plum Hedge (Sand Cherry)

My husband baught a few sand cherries. When we planted them I thought "my, a purpley twig, it will take for ever to see what it looks like, probably look like an ugly black hedge", but after two seasons, I am so pleased that my hisband purchased these. They are so beautiful, now almost 4 feet high!and in spring with their blush colored flowers and when the sun shines on the leaves they seem to glow red and purple alll at the same time and the fragrence is a soft sweet, floral smell. I have fallen in love with my Purle Leaf Sand Cherry plants.

Dear Angela,

Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful experience with your Purpleleaf Sand Cherry! We absolutely love hearing how a plant that first raised some doubt has now become a cherished part of your garden. It’s truly magical how their colors glow and change throughout the seasons, and you captured that beauty so beautifully. Your description of the blush-colored flowers and sweet fragrance paints such a vivid picture—you’ve captured the very essence of why these plants delight so many gardeners.

If you ever want to encourage even fuller growth or best enjoy their spring display, providing them with well-draining soil and watering during dry periods can help keep your Sand Cherries thriving. They typically respond well to a bit of mulch to maintain soil moisture and moderate roots during hotter months, too. And since you’re already enjoying those rich leaves and lovely flowers, you’re on a fantastic path!

Please don't hesitate to reach out if you ever want tips on pruning or caring for your sand cherries through winter—we’d be happy to assist.

Wishing you happy planting,
The Nature Hills Plant Experts

L
Lovemygarden
beautiful and hardy

This is the only bush that still flowered after the unexpected hard frost this April, which ruined all the other bushes we have.It is especially beautiful when in bloom, with the added bonus of the beautiful purple leaf.

Dear Lovemygarden,

Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful experience with the Purpleleaf Sand Cherry! We’re delighted to hear that it stood strong and flowered beautifully despite the harsh frost in April. The combination of its resilient nature and stunning purple foliage really does make it a standout addition to any garden.

Since you’ve had such great success with this hardy bush, you might also consider companion plants that thrive in similar conditions to create a resilient and vibrant landscape. If you ever need tips on pruning or fertilizing these plants to keep them blooming their best, we’d be happy to provide guidance!

We truly appreciate you taking the time to leave this insightful review—it helps fellow gardeners discover reliable beauty in their outdoor spaces.

Wishing you happy planting,
The Nature Hills Plant Experts

A
Argrif3
very pretty

I just have planted my first 3 sandcherry bushes and they look so nice. Are bird attacted to the fruit? I enjoy planting ornamental trees and bushes but also enjoy attacting wildlife to my yard.

Hello Argrif3,

Thank you so much for your lovely review and for sharing your excitement about your Purpleleaf Sand Cherry bushes! We're thrilled to hear they’ve already brought such charm to your garden.

To answer your wonderful question: yes, birds are quite attracted to the fruit of the sand cherry! The small berries provide a tasty snack that can draw in species like robins, waxwings, and cedar waxwings, adding lively activity to your yard. It’s great that you enjoy both ornamental plantings and inviting wildlife — sand cherry bushes are excellent for blending beauty and nature interaction.

If you want to encourage even more feathered visitors, consider complementing your sand cherry with other native berry-producing shrubs and adding a water source like a birdbath. These adds make a welcoming haven for birds! Also, be sure to keep the berries un-treated with pesticides to keep them safe for your winged friends.

Please let us know if you’d like tips on creating an inviting bird habitat or care notes on your shrubs—we’re always here to help!

Bloom on,
The Nature Hills Plant Knowledge Team