Prunus × cistena

RHS Plant Profile

purple-leaf sand cherry

Synonyms

Prunus cerasifera 'Crimson Dwarf'
Prunus × cistena 'Crimson Dwarf'
Prunus × cistena 'Purpurea'
Prunus 'Crimson Dwarf'

Shrubs

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An upright, bushy, medium-sized deciduous shrub with small, pinkish-white flowers. Leaves red-purple, deepening in the summer and brighter in autumn

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

1-1.5 metres

Max Spread

1-1.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 10–20 years
Max Spread: 1-1.5 metres
Max Height: 1-1.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Clay Loam Sand

Moisture: Moist but well–drained or Well–drained
pH: Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun Partial shade

Aspect: North–facing or South–facing or West–facing or East–facing
Exposure: Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20): H6

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Rosaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Bushy
Genus: Prunus can be deciduous or evergreen trees or shrubs with showy flowers in spring, and often good autumn foliage colour. Some have edible fruit in autumn, and a few species have ornamental bark
Name Status: Correct

How to Grow

Cultivation

Easy to grow in any moist but well-drained moderately fertile soil in sun or partial shade. Superb hedging shrub

Propagation

Propagate by softwood cuttings in early summer with bottom heat

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Flower borders and beds

Pruning

Pruning group 1. In areas where silver leaf is prevalent pruning may be done in mid-summer

Pests

May be susceptible to caterpillars, leaf-mining moths and bullfinches

Diseases

May be susceptible to peach leaf curl, silver leaf, bacterial canker, blossom wilt and honey fungus