There is a planting of 'Forest Pansy' redbuds on Charles St. in Balto. I used to think that this was the entrance of a prominent university. I was corrected the other day by one of the locals, she said its the entrance to a bat cave! :) Sam

Small doses, as an accent plant for me, and it can't be a red that turns leather-brown later in the growing season like 'Crimson King' does. A small smokebush here, an arching red barberry there, are great, especially if they catch the light from a sun floating just above the horizon.

Red-leaved plants sited adjacent to lime-chartreuse-leaved plants can trigger an unpleasant reaction from me.

My neighbor planted a 'Crimson' King' near my property line. I was hoping their weak-looking plant my fail over the winter, but it came back all healthy. Oh, well...

I'm with tree author Alan Mitchell on these . . .

Copper Beech: "They flush brownish-pink but soon assume the heavy, dark blackish-purple colour which disfigures so much of our landscape. Grossly overplanted in villages, rectory gardens, churchyards, parks and all commemorative plantings."

Purple Crab Apple: "Crown exceedingly untidy, spreading with muddy red-purple-green leaves."

Purple Plum: "Leaves red at first, darkening all too soon to an unsightly dark purplish-red ... a twiggy mess, worst in summer when bearing muddy brown 'purple' foliage."

Purple Norway Maple: "remaining a heavy dark offensive purple all summer."

You get the drift . . . ;-)

Resin

Bill Cullina from the New England Wild Flower Society says it so much better than I can: "...a garden made up of nothing but bright flowers is comparable to the detergent shelves in a supermarket, where every package screams for attention. What makes a true garden out of a collection of flowering plants are the ferns, moss and grasses that are the verdant canvass on which nature paints its portraits - dark green, medium green .... every shade of green in between." The same principle holds for foliage colors of maroon, yellow, screeming blue, albinism, etc. I have only green foliage on my property and the rest I leave for filling station landscape appeal.
Sam

I used to strongly dislike them, until I saw a 'Forest Pansy' Redbud some years back. Now, there are a few I like - 'FP', purple-leaved Smoke tree (if it has and keeps a good color, since I have seen any number that green-out to a muddy green), Copper Beech, as a specimen. BUT, I do NOT like the color of most of the purple-leaved prunus, nor that of the Norway maple. If poorly sited, both with regard to amount of sun, and what the neighbors look like, even the ones I do like can look muddy or heavy.

I actually just posted this picture just a few minutes ago regarding a pruning question but here is my forest pansy redbud. It is actually like a mixture of burgundy and green now but in April and May it was beautiful solid burgundy/red shiny leaves. I just planted it at the end of April. I love it but don't care for all purple leaf trees myself. Depends on the tree.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Depends on usage. All garden plants are design elements and like other design elements can be used skillfully and effectively. Even a garden full of bright flowers can be planned to be cohesive and pleasant.

Purple-leaved plants can be contrasted sharply with white flowers or white-variegated leaves. Silvery leaves produce a less smart difference. Pink, blue or purple flowers are quite harmonious with purple leaves.

Purple-leaved trees and shrubs placed so they are viewed with the sun behind them may light up strikingly.

Stupid question of the day: so why do trees grow so well with purple-red leaves? They must have plenty of chlorophyll? What is the mutation?

Most likely it is an overproduction of anthocyanins. Since these have different absorption spectra than chlorophyll, their presence does not interfere with photosynthesis. Under some circumstances, extra anthocyanins can be of benefit, but most of the time, they offer no advantage, except that they attract the eye of some plant propagators!

Alex

Anthocyanins do help in reducing ultraviolet light damage, so there's a possibility that (if mankind continues wrecking the ozone layer) that purple plants might have a significant evolutionary advantage in the future.

I hope they get that ozone layer repaired!

Resin

Have to say in general i dislike trendy purple leaved trees. We get a lot of purple leaved Norway maples round here,one planted outside our front garden,and i loathe those bloody copper beeches! I don't mind the purple cherry so much(P.cerasifera) and i'd love one as a bonsai. Had one once but it got put back in garden cos i messed it up.

I'll be the dissenting voice and say that I like the purple foliage, as long as it isn't over-planted. Crimson King Norway maples aren't bad (the invasive problems come from them being Norway maples, not the purple color). We have several very old, very large copper beeches in my town, and I consider them to be some of the most beautiful trees I've ever seen.

Overall, I would say that if 10-20% of the trees on a street or in a large yard are purple, it provides a nice color contrast. Anything higher, and it makes the area look too dark.

My neighbor has a 16-20' Fagus Sylvatica'Purple fountain' and a nice tricolor. No one has ever had a negative comment about either plant, all comments have been very positive.

He has a nice 'Purpurea Tricolor' ('Roseomarginata'). 'Tricolor' is very rare, maybe even extinct.

A problem with 'Purpurea Tricolor' is that it is a variegated copper beech, rather than a purple one. During the summer it turns bronze. With its brownishness highlighted by hot pink margins it reminds me of someone setting paper bags on fire and holding them up, the flames licking at the edges.

It is also not a dwarf, in time growing much too large for most locations in which this popular tree is planted.

BBOY as a technical matter you are correct but as a common name tricolor beech is what they all go by in the nursery trade today. In a high shade with some filtered direct sun it fill hold its color for a long time. It should also be noted that in my area it doesn't grow that fast as Fagus sylvatica normally have only one flush per year.