Red Osier Dogwood vs Purple Leaf Sand Cherry - TreeTime.ca

Red Osier Dogwood vs Purple Leaf Sand Cherry

Cornus sericea

Prunus x cistena

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

CUSTOM GROW

Red Osier Dogwood
Purple Leaf Sand Cherry

Red Osier Dogwood is a small deciduous shrub that features deep red stems and twigs year-round, with creamy white flowers in the spring. This shrub will add a nice pop of color to your yard.

Red Osier Dogwood is an excellent soil stabilizer. It is fast growing and becomes drought tolerant once well established.

Purple Leaf Sand Cherry provides bright reddish-purple leaves that turn bronze-green in the fall. In the spring, tiny flowers with a pinkish white hue bloom. The flowers are small, but the impact comes from the shrub blossoming all at once.

The Purple leaf sand cherry can be susceptible to pests and diseases in more humid areas; a typical life span is approximately 15 years. Not suitable for a privacy hedge on its own but is often alternated with lilacs. Often used as an accent plant that attracts birds and bees.

Red Osier Dogwood Quick Facts

Purple Leaf Sand Cherry Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 3a
Height: 2.7 m (9 ft)
Height: 1.8 m (6 ft)
Spread: 1.8 m (6 ft)
Spread: 1.8 m (6 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: any
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Suckering: medium
Suckering: low


Toxicity: the leaves and seed are slightly toxic
Foliage: purple leaves
Fall colour: dark red
Fall colour: dark red
Bark: dark red, showy
Bark: dark red to purple
Flowers: white
Flowers: pinkish
Fruit: dark red fruit
Berries: white waxy
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no

In row spacing: 0.9 m (3 ft)

Between row spacing: 5 m (16 ft)
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Other Names: american dogwood, california dogwood, creek dogwood, dogberry tree, red dogwood, red twig dogwood, redosier dogwood, redstem dogwood, western dogwood
Other Names: purpleleaf sandcherry