RSS
Home
Backyard Living 101: What's an ornamental plum tree?
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Backyarde living 101: What's an ornamental plum tree?
Because of its dark foliage and contrasting colorful flowers, the ornamental plum (Prunus cerisifera) is one of the most popular trees used in landscaping. The deep purple leaves add an accent to predominantly green landscapes and catch the eye in a garden. The Ornamental plum, sometimes called the purple-leafed plum or black plum, is an easily grown tree that doesn’t have a lot of pests.
Not only does this small-growing tree come in a variety of foliage tints but it offers showy flowers that are single or double as well as dark, medium or light pink, white or a blend of the two. Since it has a neat habit of growth, it requires little trimming or other care. Give this Prunus full sun and regular water. On the whole this tree is not fussy about soil so long as it is well drained.
Grow the purple leafed plum in full sun. Water it occasionally so that the water seeps deeply into the soil rather than giving it regular surface watering. It can be moderately drought tolerant.
Most people expect the ornamental plum to be fruitless, but many varieties will produce tiny underdeveloped fruit and still others are capable of growing a whole crop of edible fruits. Check the fruiting habits of your ornamental plum before designing and planting it in a location where dropped fruit could stain pavement beneath.
Leaves and flower color are variable. Try the Prunus cerisifera ‘Hollywood’ for a green leaf that is red beneath. Use the Prunus 'Hollywood' variety for garden décor that produces edible and tasty fruit. P. ‘Thundercloud’, with its dark burgundy leaves and pink flowers makes a nice shade tree as it will grow to a tall 25’. There are a few varieties that will even top out at 40’ tall.
Use the ornamental plum as a shade tree, a focal point in a garden or to add a dark accent in your landscape.
Related Articles:
Comments
- Backyard Living 101: Who do I call for help?
- Landscape design 101: How can I find free landscape software?
- Backyard living 101: Why build a raised garden bed?
- Landscape Design 101: How do I avoid problems with garden professionals?
- Backyard living 101: What kind of soil do I have?
- Backyard Living 101: What’s the right lawn grass to plant?
