How about Husker Red penstemon? Drought tolerant, hardy in your zone...not sure if it's as tall as you want. 30-34" tall. It can spread a bit, but it's great to divide, too.

What about Hydrangea macrophylla "Royal Red", or "Lady in Red" Hydrangea? Would those be too big?

How high do you want this sedum? I just bought a Purple Emperor that is supposed to get to 16". I have not heard of any sedum that will get taller than those roses.

Thanks the for the suggestions. I was thinking sedum because that was the only plant I could think of with dark leaves that could live without much water, but they were all shorter than I wanted. I think the Husker's Red penstemon would work well. The flowers won't show up much as they're too light (the house is white) but the foliage looks good. I like the Lady in Red hydrangea but I thought they needed more moisture.

lady in red won't bloom for you- not hardy.
I like lisymachia ciliata firecracker with purple leaves
There also annual herb that reseeds well is orach. Anthriscus sylvestris Ravenswing, angelica Ebony, dianthus Sooty,hardy geraniums Victor Reiter, Purple haze,some amaranth, althernatera Royal tapestry,plantago major rubrifolia, rodgersia Chocolate wings,silene Purple Prince, multiple heucheras, coleus, some cimicifuga, will give you plenty of purple color.
Elderberry is a shrub but can be pruned to height you need every year. Weigela midnight wine is compact dark color.

What about Agastache in a reddish variety like "Orange Flare"? Agastache are supposed to be good xeric perennials, so regular watering probably won't be necessary after the first summer (to get them established).
Lady in Red Hydrangea can overwinter in your climate with adequate protection (it is hardy to zone 6), but you might not want to do all that.

Oh, here's another one in case you are going the way of Penstemons. Instead of "Husker's Red", try Penstemon barbatus "Iron Maiden". They are 4' tall and a true red.

Don't forget Eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate' (species name recently changed to Ageratina altissima). The plant is hardy to zone 4 and the species is native to your state. Gorgeous crimson foliage and a haze of lovely little white flowers that are blooming now in my yard. The pollinators LOVE this plant and they are covered with bees and butterflies.

The foliage does lighten as it gets larger through the season - and when established it will reach an impressive size of about 4 x 4 feet in the sun. Although it prefers some sun and medium moisture, I have had no problem growing it in almost complete shade and very dry soil, with good color and blooms.

Thanks again for the ideas. I think the red flowered perennials might be too red for me. I'm looking more for dark leaves. I read a few comments about Eupatorium Chocolate and it sounds like it probably wouldn't be happy with me (someone in WI said it never came back for them). Lady in Red won't work as I don't want to fuss with this area. I don't want anything that reseeds here either so Lysimachia ciliata 'Firecracker' won't work. Weigela midnight wine looks too short. Weigela Fine Wine seems like the right height though. Are Weigela's drought tolerant?

I have grown Eupatorium Chocolate for years in full sun. It is an easy plant and mine has not gotten taller than three feet. Also have not had any problem with reseediing. Love this plant as it is dark colored and a late bloomer.

I also love purple-foliage perennials and shrubs and unfortunately, I'm often disappointed by how the foliage doesn't hold it's darker tones through summer. I find that perennials like Penstemon digitalis ÂHuskerÂs Red (Beardtongue), Eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate' (Ageratina altissima - White Snakeroot, Boneset), and Euphorbia dulcis ÂChameleon (Spurge - probably too short anyhow) simply don't hold their foliage color the way we might like. They're great in the cooler months of spring and fall, but they seem to be (for the most part) just as green as everything else around them in July and August. I hate when that happens. ;)

While Lysimachia ciliata 'Firecracker' (Fringed Loosestrife) does hold its color very well throughout the season, you're right to be concerned with its tendency to spread like wild-fire. Actually, I find that in my gardens the same is true of Eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate' (Ageratina altissima - White Snakeroot, Boneset). I know of other folks who don't have the same problems with it in their gardens and more power to them, but it's hell for me.

I would highly recommend Physocarpus opulifolius ÂSummer Wine - Seward (Purple Leafed Ninebark). It holds its color very well and it would be easy to keep it within the height requirements you've designated. Plus, I think it would tolerate the dryness well.

Also, have you considered Berberis thunbergii ÂHelmond Pillar or Hibiscus ÂKopper King (Hardy Hibiscus, Rose Mallow)? I find that they're both pretty drought tolerant and as long as the Barberry is OK to use in your area (can be quite invasive in some areas) then it's pretty easy to keep it pruned to the desired height.

I find that Sedum telephium ÂMorchen keeps its color very well and its height would work, but its tendency to flop can be frustrating. It's also become more difficult to find lately. Let me know if you'd like to try it and I can send you some. No problem.

As far as Weigelas go, I would recommend Weigela florida ÂElvera - Midnight Wine over the other purple-leaved choices. The sheen of the purple/chocolate foliage in the sun is really quite beautiful. It looks like it's sweating. Gorgeous!

While this may not work for you (after a few years it can get quite tall, 7' for me), it's worth mentioning: Foeniculum vulgare (Bronze Fennel) is pretty amazing. The texture of the foliage is unique and the bronze tint is consistent and interesting. It would probably stay at a more manageable height if I split it every other year.

I hope this has been helpful. It's fun to share information about some of my favorite purple-leaved beauties. And, we didn't even discuss all of the shorter ones!

Best of luck to you!

Steve

Thanks for the extensive write-up Steve. I like the look of Physocarpus opulifolius ÂSummer Wine - Seward but I'm worried it might be too tall. I'm trying to stay under 4 feet as I have windows that are about 3 feet above the bed and I don't want to block them too much. So something around 3-4 feet tall would be perfect. (I know, I should have included that originally, but I didn't think about it when I was trying to find a tall sedum.) How tall does it get for you and how wide? I might be able to work it in if it is only 4 feet and not the 6 feet that seems to be the high end of the range in the descriptions I've seen.

I don't really like Barberries much but that's a personal thing. The Hibiscus is pretty but the late rising in the spring might be a problem here as the rose will be up late too. Floppy Sedums could be an issue since it is still on the short end of what I want.

How tall does Weigela florida ÂElvera - Midnight Wine get for you? I had picked out Fine Wine as it seemed a better height and less spread than Midnight Wine or Wine and Roses.

IÂve had 3 weigelas planted in my drip zone for 20 years and they have never grown more than a foot high. In the main part of the yard with normal rainfall they reached their usual height (for this variety) of 3 feet, and would be taller if not for pruning. IÂve decided I just canÂt have them in the drip zone, and have not gotten around to finding something else that can take it.

midnight wine is going to stay around 2 x2 reasonably compact as weigelas going. All of the weigelas are rather large and sprawling shrubs when they happy. You could of course prune them. As of physocarpus I find them in need to be pruned even more as they are happily grow vase like form in every direction and even Summer wine is fast reaching 4x4 in just 3 years.
Sambucus Black lace is one that holds its purple color for me with no problems, it is also sprawly but can be cut down each season same as perennial so no problems there.

How about a coppiced cotinus/smoke bush? In sun, it holds color very well, and it doesn't mind a bit of drought.

I also wonder if somewhere in there you might like a rosa glauca, sometimes called rosa rubrifolia. The more sun it gets, the more purple/red its leaves, but with less sun the leaves are sort of bluish. Either way, it would probably fit with your scheme nicely. Pink single flowers in spring, no real scent--it's really all about the foliage. I have one growing sort of under an eave of my house, so I can vouch for its toughness.

There are some lovely dark foliaged dahlias, but they would be a annual in your area. BTW, the best companions that I've found for the daylily 'Bela Lugosi' are Achillea 'Coronation Gold' and Nandina 'Firepower'. The latter is just starting to lose its winter coloration when the daylily comes into bloom but there's still quite a bit of purplish red in its leaves. The color of the Achillea matches the eye of Bela Lugosi perfectly.

Athen',

I'm so sorry! I have so many Weigela's that I sometimes get them mixed up! Weigela florida ÂElvera - Midnight Wine is a cutie, but it is smaller. I meant to say: Weigela ÂShining SensationÂ. It's really beautiful, just like I described originally. It would be quite easy to keep at 4'. I would simply give it a clipping down to about 3' or 3.5' after it's second mid-season bloom (late-July). Remember, it blooms on old wood so you'll want to give it plenty of time to recover from that pruning before the first frost so that it gives you plenty of blooms next year.

I think you should have no problems keeping the Physocarpus opulifolius ÂSummer Wine - Seward at 4'. No problem, at all. Again, just don't be too shy about pruning.

I think Lindalana's advice about using Sambucus 'Black Lace' and Dirtdiver's advice about using Cotinus 'Royal Purple' or 'Grace' and coppicing them in early spring (like you would a Buddleia) is a great idea for other applications, but I doubt you'd be able to keep them at 4'. They're much more likely to go to 5' or even 6' in one season. It's too bad, because they're both so beautiful; especially for us purple-leaved addicts! As mentioned, they're also tough and drought-tolerant.

Sorry about the boo-boo ealier. Again, best of luck!

Steve

Thank you everyone. I think the Physocarpus opulifolius ÂSummer Wine - Seward is the winner. I should be able to keep up with the pruning and hopefully the lack of water should keep it small enough to fit. I'll have to check and see if I can get it locally. I'd like a Weigela but I'll head linnea56's warning that this might not be the best spot for it. And I do like Cotinus but I think it would be too large for this spot. I'll keep the Sambucus as my back up choice as it does look nice too but again might be a little large.

I should mention that my Physocarpus 'Summer Wine' is as large and rangy as 'Diablo'--an enormous shrub. I'd go for Berberis 'Helmond's Pillar'.

Thanks laceyvail. That Barberry does look like the perfect size. I like that it is very upright which is what I want for this spot. I wasn't going to consider a Barberry but it does look like a better fit than the others. I'll have to think about it.

Here are some of my perennials with purple-tinted foliage, as they progressed through the season. I've intermixed them with some Phlox and grasses with variegated foliage and think the combination looks pretty. All of these have proven to be pretty drought tolerant once established.

This is Eupatorium 'Chocolate', Phlox Nora Leigh, Calamagrostis 'Overdam'(1st season so it's small), and Sedum Matrona and Purple Emperor.

July 6th -
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August 14th -
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October 5th -
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