Purple-Leaved Cherry Trees, Large

Prunus cerasifera Nigra: Purple Leaf Cherry Plum Trees in Standard Sizes

The tough and beautiful Prunus cerasifera Nigra, the purple or black cherry plum, is a famous inner city choice, with its reliability in poor soils, spectacular spring blossom and great foliage colour. It's one of the first cherries to flower, sometimes coming into bud in late February in warm urban areas. The buds open into blush-pink, single flowers, contrasted against rich burgundy-black-purple stems. Soon, glossy, pale copper new leaves emerge, which mature to deep purple, then fire up to rich reds and orange in autumn, providing interest throughout most of the year. In the winter months its dense mushroom-shaped crown brings pleasing structure.
Browse our other ornamental cherry trees.

It does bear fruit, although not regularly. The juicy red plums are sweet, and are better for making jam than eating fresh.

Delivery season: Cherry plums are delivered bareroot during late autumn and winter, approximately November-March inclusive.
Choosing a size: Small trees are cheaper, easier to handle and more forgiving of less than ideal aftercare, so they are best for a big planting project. If instant impact is your priority, or if you are only buying a few plants for use in a place where it is convenient to water them well in their first year, then you may as well use bigger ones. All our bareroot trees are measured by their height in centimetres above the ground (the roots aren't measured).

Features

• Final height/spread: 8m x 6m
• Foliage: deciduous, deep purple
• Use: specimen, street tree
• Pink spring blossom can start in Feb. March-April is normal.
• Richly coloured foliage in spring, summer and autumn
• Soil: well drained
• Native: no
• RHS Award of Garden Merit
  

Growing Purple Leaf Cherry Plum Trees

Give it a bit of sun, plant on soil that's not waterlogged, and it will grow. It will tolerate all but the toughest of conditions. It's shallow rooted, so it's ideal on streets and next to structures: town planners love it.

It's a gorgeous small tree, perfect for small and medium gardens, where it will give you good screening planted in front of a shed or outbuildings. It makes a brilliant specimen, or a subject for an avenue of trees: imagine tree after tree covered in blossom in early spring. Underplant your tree with plenty of early spring bulbs for a fabulous show in March. Choose crocus bulbs in pale and interesting shades to complement the tree's soft-pink blossom, dark bark, and mature leaves.