Cherry

Cherry plum is the small, purple-leaved ornamental tree that lines residential streets and fills foundation corners across Western Washington, the one with the pink flowers in early spring and the dark burgundy foliage that holds through the growing season. 'Thundercloud' and 'Krauter Vesuvius' are the most widely planted cultivars. It grows fifteen to twenty-five feet with a rounded crown and provides some of the most reliable purple foliage color of any small landscape tree. Native to southeastern Europe and western Asia.

Cherry plum blooms early, often in February, and the pink flowers against the emerging purple foliage create a brief, showy display. The rest of the year, the dark foliage provides a constant background color that contrasts effectively with green and gold neighbors. Several diseases and pests are tracked, including bacterial canker and aphids. The tree is relatively short-lived, twenty to thirty years is typical, and older specimens develop trunk cankers and structural weakness. The small purple fruits can be messy on pavement. For a fast-growing, purple-leaved small tree that provides early spring bloom and season-long foliage color, cherry plum fills the niche, but plan for its replacement within a generation.