A large, fast-growing shrub grown mostly for its foliage: the leaves are green on top and purple underneath, so the plant flickers with color in a breeze. Small lavender-purple flowers appear at the branch tips in late spring and early summer. It takes Phoenix heat in full sun and works as a tall screen or a small multi-trunk tree.
Living with it in the Phoenix Valley
Watering
Follow the shrub schedule in our Landscape Care guide. Deep, infrequent soaks suit it better than frequent light watering. Extra water speeds growth, so leaner watering helps keep its size in check.
Pruning
It takes pruning well, from a loose natural shape to a trained multi-trunk tree. Do major pruning from December to early March; light shaping is fine most of the year. Frequent shearing removes the flowering tips.
Cold
Established plants often drop many of their leaves in early winter and leaf out again in spring. Young plants can be nipped by frost but recover quickly.
How our designers use it
Tall screening
Its quick growth and size make it a fast, leafy screen along walls and property lines.
Foliage color
The purple leaf undersides add depth beside green shrubs and bright bloomers, and they show well under landscape lighting at night.
A small patio tree
Trained up on a few trunks, it becomes a light shade tree for courtyards and side yards.
Good to know
Around the pool
Some leaf drop in winter and flower litter in summer, and the blooms draw bees. Keep it set back from the water’s edge.
Winter look
Mature plants can go partly bare in winter. Where a spot must stay green all year, pair it with evergreens or choose a different screen.
