I bought a few of these this year. To start the year of i was not so excited about the tree. As the spring turned to summer (if you say that about our weather this year) the tree in the sun started to turn a dark purple red. It is now the first of August and I think the tree looks great. It is a dark red purple with a wonderful dark green on the inside poertion of the tree. The tree is a nice compact tree. I would rate it high for interest and color
I am really liking this tree as the summer goes on. It's coloring is quite nice with the dark rich red/purple and the green leaves below. Some of the red/purple leaves are lighten up. I would put this tree high on my list for circinatums.
I have not owned 'JFS-Purple' so I can not compare. I did see a Pacific Purple a few years back at a nursery but was not to impressed by its bark color. I have three Burgundy Jewel and this one planted in a hot full sun bed has become the most vivid of them The other two are more in shade and are just ok in that location. All three of them have a wonderful dark purple red bark.
I agree with you, Charlie, I think Burgundy Jewel is a jewel colorwise. I have both of mine in full sun which is required to bring out the shades of dark reds and glowing greens. I love the contrasts of reds & greens in the same leaf or neighboring ones which creates that jewelled look. The pallette of colors my trees show throughout the growing season is impressive.
'JFS-Purple' at outlets here had quite purple shoots and I think more leaf color than a small 'Burgundy Jewel' I have grown for perhaps several years. I would want to see multiple examples of each growing next to one another (same exposure and soil etc.) before I sized each up.
The ones I have are different sizes and one of the three was field grown so they are not the best to get a complete comparison. The field grown tree is the one with the best color. It also has better shape, though not as tall. As far as I know the trees could all be the same with a smidgen difference. I try and stay out of that arena.
Plants of each I have seen looked different from one another. But it is suspicious when cultivar types never(?) put on the market before are represented by more than one introduction during the same general time period.
I wanted to post my new Burgundy Jewel on here to show how it performs over the coming years. So here it is at the beginning of February 2022.
A beautiful tree. When I bought it in May 2018 : Oops, wrong photo. This one I keep when it's got seeds that I can sell as 'Violet Miracle'... ;0)
I was really surprised to see that when the leaves came out, they were plain green. Now they seem to put a little colour although it's mainly in the shade (Apr. 18, and Apr. 29) :
20th May 2022 and my Burgundy jewel is now the colours it should be. Unfortunately the aphids have been attacking it. But that can be remedied......