Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Purple Hopseed
Purple Hopseed is the purple-leaf form of the fast, evergreen hopseed that Valley yards use for privacy. Its narrow bronze-green leaves turn deep purple in the cool months, with the richest color in full sun. It takes Valley heat, needs little water once rooted, and can be sheared into a hedge or left natural. Plant it as a colored screen, a windbreak, or a color accent beside green desert plants.
Best for: Colored privacy screens and hedges, windbreaks along open edges, hot sunny sides of the yard, and purple contrast beside green and gray desert plants.
Plant a row 4 to 5 feet apart for a dense screen that fills in fast. Left alone it can reach 10 to 15 feet, or you can shear it at fence or wall height. The purple leaves read as a darker backdrop than a green hedge.
Its upright, dense growth and year-round leaves make it a common windbreak. Space plants 4 to 6 feet apart along an open side yard or lot line so the branches knit together.
Give it full sun for the deepest purple. It takes Valley summer heat and hot south-facing walls, and once rooted it gets by on a deep soak every week or two in summer. Set it beside green or gray plants for contrast.
It is not a shade plant, and in shade the leaves stay greener. Soil that stays wet can rot the roots, so skip low spots and heavy watering. Frost near 20°F can damage the leaves.
- Dense privacy screen4-5 ft apart, center to center
- Looser, natural screen6-8 ft apart, center to center
Give it regular water the first year so it sizes up. After that, water deeply every 1 to 2 weeks in summer and about monthly in winter. More water makes it bigger.
It needs little pruning, and if you shape it, do it in spring. It takes shearing as a formal hedge or can be left natural.
Plant it in soil that drains well, since warm, wet soil leads to root rot and yellow leaves.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
How fast does Purple Hopseed grow?
It grows fast, though it is a little less vigorous than Green Hopseed, so a green row fills in a bit sooner. Regular deep water through the first year helps it size up.
How tall and wide does it get?
About 10 to 15 feet tall and 8 to 15 feet wide when left to grow. More water grows it bigger and less water keeps it smaller. It takes shearing, so you can hold it at fence height.
How far apart should I plant it for a privacy screen?
4 to 5 feet apart, center to center, for a dense screen. Go 6 to 8 feet apart for a looser, natural look. The hedge calculator in the Spacing tab will count plants for your fence line.
Which size should I buy?
Larger sizes give more height on day one. Smaller sizes cost less and grow fast once rooted. The size guide above the price shows what each size is best for.
Why is my Purple Hopseed green instead of purple?
The color shifts with the season and the sun. Leaves are bronze-green in summer heat and turn deep purple in cool weather. In shade they stay greener, so plant it in full sun.
How often should I water it?
Water deeply on a set schedule through the first year while it gets rooted. After that, a deep soak every one to two weeks in summer and about once a month in winter is enough. Never let it sit in soggy soil.
Will it grow in caliche?
Yes, if water can drain. Fill the planting hole with water as a test. If water is still standing a day later, break through the caliche or dig a drainage hole beside the root ball. The Care and Planting tab walks through both.
Does it need pruning?
It needs very little pruning. You can shear it into a formal hedge or leave it in its natural shape, and if you do trim it, spring is the usual time.
Is it HOA approved?
Hopseed is commonly allowed on Valley HOA plant lists, and some lists name the purple form. Lists vary, so confirm with your HOA before planting.
Can I plant it near a pool?
Hopseed is a common poolside screen, and its roots are not known to be aggressive. Female plants drop papery seed capsules, and those can end up in the water.
Is Purple Hopseed toxic to pets?
Yes. The fruit, the papery seed capsule, is poisonous because it contains saponin, a compound that tastes like soap.
Does it flower?
Yes, but the flowers are small and greenish and easy to miss. Female plants follow with papery seed capsules that turn pink in spring and summer, and birds come to eat the seeds.
Purple Hopseed for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Purple Hopseed (Dodonaea viscosa 'Purpurea') is the purple-leaf form of hopseed, a fast evergreen screen for Valley yards. It has the same sun, water and pruning needs as the green form. Its leaves shift from bronze-green in summer to deep purple in winter. Below is what to expect in an Arizona yard, from spacing and color to water, cold and how it compares with Green Hopseed.
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Purple Hopseed as a privacy screen in Arizona
Purple Hopseed is planted the same way as green hopseed: as a fast, evergreen screen along fence lines and block walls. It grows upright and dense and holds its leaves all year. You can shear it into a formal hedge or let it keep its natural shape.
How far apart do you plant Purple Hopseed?
Plant it 4 to 5 feet apart, center to center, for a dense privacy screen. For a looser, natural screen, go 6 to 8 feet apart. At 4 feet apart, a 40 foot fence line takes about 10 plants.
Why is Purple Hopseed green in summer?
The purple is a cool-weather color. In summer heat the leaves turn bronze-green, then deepen to purple and burgundy as the weather cools. Full sun gives the richest color, and plants in shade stay greener.
How much water does Purple Hopseed need in Phoenix?
It is a low-water shrub once rooted. Water deeply on a schedule through the first year. After that, a deep soak every one to two weeks in summer and about monthly in winter is enough. Soil that stays wet is the main thing to avoid.
Does Purple Hopseed handle Phoenix heat?
Yes. Hopseed takes the heat of Phoenix summers and handles hot south-facing walls. It wants full sun and is not a shade plant, so skip shady spots.
Is Purple Hopseed cold hardy?
The purple form is rated hardy to about 18 to 20°F. Frost in the low 20s can damage the leaves. It stays evergreen through a normal Valley winter.
Purple Hopseed vs Green Hopseed
Both are Dodonaea viscosa, with the same water, sun and pruning needs. Purple has bronze-green leaves that turn deep purple in cool weather. It grows a little less vigorously than green. Green gives a brighter green screen, while purple reads darker.
Is Purple Hopseed a good oleander replacement?
Hopseed is one of the common low-water alternatives to oleander in Arizona. It has a similar upright habit and makes the same kind of dense, evergreen hedge. The purple form gives that screen a darker color.
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