Trees the Colour Purple

So why is foliage purple?

Plant leaves carry three primary classes of pigments that are relevant to the process of photosynthesis. These pigments are chlorophyll, carotinoids and anthocyanins.

Green plants generally contain a lot of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll molecules are very good at soaking up blue and red light from sunlight so these plants appear green to the human eye. Green is the type of light used the least by chlorophyll. When a leaf has a high concentration of chlorophyll relative to other pigments, the leaf appears green.

The reverse of that, where plants appear purple, blue or red is caused by a higher concentration of anthocyanin to chlorophyll present in leaf. Anthocyanin is a pigment very good at absorbing green light from sunlight, so the foliage on these trees appear red, blue or purple to the human eye.

On the right is a lovely selection of purple-foliaged trees, that remain predominantly purple all year. Adding any of these to your landscape will definitely up the interest value! While most purple trees don’t tolerate afternoon sun, a position where they get morning sun is perfect. This is a small consideration in light of the amazing affect when you team purple foliage with grey or lime green foliage plants.

If straight purple is not quite your go but you need some colour foliage inspiration, here is a selection of spectacular trees for autumnal colour. These delightful deciduous varieties turn various shades of yellow, orange, red and purple across the cooler months particularly from March to May.  

The year-round stunning foliage of Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple'

Cercis 'Forest Pansy' showing its dramatic impact against green in the landscape