The perennial coral bells “Palace Purple” is a reliable old standby, and there are dozens of new ornamental plants with purple foliage for contrast in your landscape.
By Steve Boehme

Nothing beats purple foliage for all-season color, because colorful foliage stands out even when the blooms fade. There are new plant introductions each year with maroon, burgundy, bronze and dark red leaves, along with many older varieties that have stood the test of time. Here are some of our favorite trees, shrubs, annuals and perennials with foliage in shades of purple or red:

Standouts in our annual greenhouse include the ornamental sweet potato vine “Bright Ideas Black”, a new variety that resists fading and really fills out a hanging basket or container. It looks terrific hanging over walls, or combined with the original Wave Petunia with its dark purple centers. Another great purple-leaved annual is Persian Shield, an upright grower that makes a great centerpiece for planters. It has bold silver patterns on its purple leaves.

Our perennial garden is a showplace for purple-leaved plants like Penstemon “Dark Towers”, with tall stalks of hummingbird-attracting lavender trumpet-shaped blooms. A great companion for it in the full sun garden is Sedum “Maestro”, with purple-tinged bluish-green leaves and dark purple stems.

Perennial gardens with part shade are ideal for purple coral bells, like Heuchera “Palace Purple” or the new “Frosted Violet”, which has delicate tracings of silver on leaves that are almost black-purple. The purple tracings on silvery Japanese painted ferns make a perfect contrast with purple Heucheras, and grow well in the same shady conditions.

The world of shrubs is exploding with purple and bronze foliage choices. New Weigelas like “Rainbow Sensation” have dark pink trumpet-shaped blooms that are magnets for hummingbirds. Weigela “Spilled Wine” is a low, mounding shrub with the potential to replace the “Crimson Pygmy” barberry as a landscape staple, and unlike the barberry it’s thornless.

There is a new Barberry called “Golden Ruby”, a dwarf mounding plant with deep maroon leaves edged with gold. The “Crimson Pygmy” is very popular, and its larger cousins “Cherry Bomb”, “Rosy Glow” and “Royal Burgundy” also have terrific maroon foliage.

Another great new introduction is the ninebark “Little Devil”. Ninebarks with bronze foliage like “Diablo”, Center Glow” and “Coppertina” are spectacular shrubs, but too large for most foundation beds. “Little Devil” is just as stunning but more compact.

The best red-foliaged trees are the Japanese Maples, both weeping and upright. We really like the “Emperor” tree form maple, and our favorite weeping dwarf specimen is “Tamukeyama”, which has deep maroon leaves that turn fire-engine red in fall.

There are many new crabapples with maroon foliage, and tiny fruits that birds gobble before they hit the ground. Standouts include “Purple Prince”, Royal Raindrops” and “Indian Magic”.

If you want a purple shade tree, the Norway maples “Crimson King” and “Royal Red” are virtually the same tree and both provide very dense shade. They grow very slowly, however, so you’ll have to be patient, because it takes many years for them to develop a large enough crown to give much shade.

Steve Boehme is the owner of GoodSeed Nursery & Landscape, located at 9736 Tri-County Highway, near Winchester, Ohio. To e-mail your landscaping questions click “Contact Us” from their website at www.goodseedfarm.com or call (937) 587-7021.