Best of all, it grows to its mature size quite fast. Learn about this deciduous shrub or small tree with reddish purple foliage and fragrant white flowers. A monrovia exclusive. It is short-lived and prone to significant insect and disease problems. Purple sand cherry is a widely planted, deciduous, small tree. Stay classy ® purple leaf sand cherry ’s handsome warm burgundy foliage is arranged on airy, upward growing branches. This truly compact, improved sand cherry has a great upright and spreading habit, with dense branching from the ground up, and very clean, red- purple to maroon-colored foliage that does not fade during the summer. Find out its size, hardiness, uses, and common pests and diseases. White-pink single flowers appear in spring before the foliage emerges. Thanks to the warmth of the red tone, it does not have a black hole look like you may have found with other dark leaved plants. · learn how to grow purple leaf sand cherry (prunus x cistena), a hardy, deciduous flowering shrub with white-pink flowers and purple leaves. Great for spring color in a shrub border. Learn how to grow and care for prunus x cistena, a deciduous shrub with deep purple-red leaves and fragrant flowers. Find out its native range, zone, height, spread, culture, problems and uses. The purpleleaf sand cherry has a large growing zone which covers most of the united states and provides a striking contrast between leaf, stem, and flower color that’s perfect for almost any garden. It has an upright, spreading habit, with reddish-purple foliage and fragrant whitish-pink flowers.