Gardening : <i> Dodonaea viscosa </i> “Purpurea”

Purple hop bush

Evergreen shrub with purple leaves and insignificant flowers

The first Dodonaeas I ever noticed were (still are) at the Los Angeles State and County Arboretum in Arcadia--an entire hedge of them near an enormous live oak tree.

One look at their extraordinary mahogany color and I knew I’d have to own one some day. I can’t resist purple or silver leaves, or any of their reddish or gray permutations, and this weakness has occasionally led to disaster. But with Dodonaeas, I had a winner.

Such a bush: graceful, slender leaves, a nice, round, spreading growth habit reaching 12 to 15 feet (it can be tree-like if you insist--just remove all but one main trunk; it also can be kept to a modest 4 feet by careful pruning). It has serious drought resistance--we’re talking desert--and tolerance of almost any soil you can throw under it and all the sun you can give it.

Dodonaea is impervious to ocean wind, and it also thrives in a lawn with frequent watering. Plus it grows fast.

Whether a gleaming accent in the overall greenery or shoulder-to-shoulder with its own kind, it looks terrific. It is particularly handsome in back of a lower, silver shrub--one of the artemisias, or santolina--and it sets off orange flowers to perfection (but red flowers get lost next to it).

There is a green Dodonaea, which has all the cultural characteristics of the purple but none of the color fascination. In fact, if “Purpurea” does not receive enough sunlight, it too will turn green--or parts of it will. “Saratoga,” with the deepest color, keeps its purple even in the shade.

The nursery trade hasn’t lavished too much attention on Dodonaea yet; there are only the two purple varieties, “Purpurea” and “Saratoga,” and one green. “Purpurea” is available at S. B. Nickerson nurseries in Culver City and Fallbrook and at other Southern California nurseries.

“Saratoga” is not widely available; one source is Christensen Nursery Co. in Saratoga, Calif., where Jack Christensen says he won’t have a good supply for at least six months.