Pink Shrubs

Tricolor Beech

• Tricolor beech (Fagus sylvatica "Purpurea Tricolor") is a small tree or shrub bearing large, wavy purple leaves. In the spring, these leaves emerge with purple centers and hot fuschia-colored margins. In northern climates, where winter has just passed, these flamboyant leaves provide a shocking blast of color. In the summer, the leaves change color to deep green within and pale pink margins. Autumn transmutes them to gold. Tricolor beech is hardy in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 7, a region extending across the central United States. It is cold-, heat- and humidity-tolerant, and resists the ravages of deer, insects and disease. This tree is non-invasive and requires neither fertilizer nor pruning.

Taylor Japanese Maple

• Another lovely pink shrub is the Taylor Japanese maple (Acer palmatum "Taylor"). Japanese maples are small, delicate trees and shrubs bearing distinctly shaped leaves with deep lobes and pointed tips. These shrubs are commonly cultivated for the ornamental value of their foliage. The Taylor variety has green leaves edged in a thick margin of bubblegum pink. This variety grows to heights of 4 feet and widths of 3 feet. It loses its leaves each fall, regrowing them in the spring. Taylor Japanese maple trees prefer sun or partial shade and moist, well-drained soil. Slightly acidic soil rich in organic matter is ideal. It is hardy in USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to 8.

Flamingo Chinese Cedar

• Flamingo Chinese cedar (Toona sinensis "Flamingo") is a rosy-leafed variety of Chinese cedar (also known as Chinese toon), a small, fragrant deciduous tree native to China. Chinese cedar bears long, compound leaves comprised of 10 to 24 pointed, almond-shaped leaflets. These leaves somewhat resemble those of the rowan tree (Sorbus genus). Chinese cedar has been cultivated for its wood in China since the 3rd century B.C., and is traditionally used in that country for medicinal purposes. Today this attractive plant is grown primarily as an ornamental. Flamingo Chinese cedar is hardy to Zone 5. It prefers moist soil, and can thrive in either acidic or alkaline conditions, in full sun or partial shade.

Flamingo Dappled Japanese Willow

• Flamingo dappled Japanese willow (Salix integra "Flamingo") is a cultivated variety of dappled Japanese willow, a dense, round shrub growing up to 9 feet high. Dappled Japanese willow bears graceful, thin, arching branches adorned with oblong leaves. On the "Flamingo" variety, these leaves are a mixture of subdued green and light cherry hues. This variety grows to an average of 3 feet tall, somewhat shorter than other dappled Japanese willows. It does best in full sun, is hardy to Zone 5, and tolerates drought.