Identification of a Bush With Green & Red Leaves

There are several helpful approaches to be taken when identifying a bush with green and red leaves. Some of those approaches depend on the ability to observe the bush over a long period of time, while other features can quickly allow some suspects to be ruled out. While leaf color is a primary clue to identification, looking beyond the foliage for more information is sound advice.

Note which season the shrub presents its display of color. Shrubs such as the burning bush develop their color in the fall. Burning bush plants have orange-red fruits in the fall and a showy, bright-red leaf coloring. The amount and intensity of color depends in part on the amount of sunlight the bushes receive. The red color on photinia shrubs appears on new growth, so the shrubs are covered in red leaves in the spring. The leaves change to green over a period of several weeks. Leaf shape and flower appearance also may help in identifying a shrub.

Red chokeberry shrubs have fruits that persist throughout the winter. According to the University of Illinois Extension, this is because of the extreme astringency of the fruits. The shrubs prefer acidic soils but will grow in wet or dry conditions. The red fruits appear in the summer, followed by purplish-red fall leaves.

Japanese barberry bushes are one of the first shrubs to develop spring foliage. The green leaves change to fall colors ranging from orange to scarlet and purple. The shrubs have a rounded habit and are armed with numerous sharp thorns. Japanese barberries are small-size, low-growing shrubs.

Rockspray cotoneasters are shrubs that double as a ground cover, as they reach only 2 to 3 feet in height. The shrubs produce orange, yellow and red fall foliage. They tolerate salty, dry and alkaline sites, so they may be found growing in places other shrubs cannot tolerate. The plants' bare stems create an interesting fishbone pattern.

Double-file viburnums have a horizontal, spreading growth habit, but they are also tall shrubs, reaching up to 10 feet in height. The plants develop purplish-red or dull-red coloring in the fall, white flowers in spring and fruits that transition from red to black.

Arrowwood viburnum shrubs reach 12 to 15 feet tall. The bushes provide interest in several seasons, including blue- to black-colored fruits in late summer. The spring flower clusters offer a slightly unpleasant aroma. The shrubs' fall coloring ranges from red to orange and purple, and the plants tolerate a wide range of conditions.

Blackhaw viburnum shrubs have many features in common with arrowwood viburnums, including size, flower appearance and a reddish-purple fall coloring, but they can exceed 15 feet in height.