Tree of the Week: Popular, Pink-Flowered, The Purple-Leaf Plum

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‘Tree of the Week’ was chosen this week, and written, by our friend Pieter Severynen, a landscape architect, arborist and, we think, a poet of trees.

‘Did you know that the City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power gives away trees? Visit www.GreenLA.com/tree/index.htm or call 1-800-GreenLA. At the various tree giveaways in the city, the Purple Leaf Plum is usually the first one to go. Most people fall in love with its deep dark purple foliage.’

‘The tree is ‘Prunus cerasifera ‘Krauter Vesuvius’ – ‘K.V.’ Purple-leaf plum. Carl Krauter of Bakersfield introduced this darkest of the purple leafed plums in 1957, hence the name. This well-behaved, vase shape to rounded, small tree, 15-20’high, 10-15’ wide, loves full sun to part shade. Single pink flowers adorn the bare branches around February, at the end of its winter leafless period. It produces little to no fruit, takes dry conditions, and has few problems. Branches have a tendency to all emanate from one spot on the trunk, so prune the tree at an early age to make later maintenance easier. If you find its in-your-face leaf color too gaudy, try one of its more subtle cousins such as P.x blireiana (the ‘x’ means it is a hybrid) or P.c.‘Thundercloud’.’

Comments? Questions? Use the comment function to submit nominations for next week’s Tree of the Week? (Flowers and shrubs are always elligible).

Thanks, Pieter. Email Pieter: plseve@earthlink.net
Photo Credit: Monrovia.com