Plants With Maroon Leaves

Maroon leaves add a dramatic, almost architectural quality to garden compositions and indoor displays. If you are looking for plants with maroon leaves, you have a stunning array of options to choose from, each offering deep, rich color that can serve as a focal point or a perfect contrast to greener foliage.

This guide will help you select, grow, and care for these beautiful plants. We will cover popular varieties for both indoor and outdoor settings, providing clear care instructions to ensure your maroon-leaved plants thrive.

The world of burgundy, wine, and deep purple foliage is vast. These plants are valued for their year-round color, which often intensifies in full sun. Here is a broad overview of the main categories you can consider for your space.

Popular Outdoor Plants With Maroon Foliage

Many shrubs, trees, and perennials feature stunning maroon leaves. They are excellent for creating landscape depth and visual interest across seasons.

Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum): Cultivars like ‘Bloodgood’ and ‘Emperor I’ are famous for their lacy, deep red-purple leaves that hold color well through summer.
Purple Smoke Bush (Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’): This large shrub boasts rounded, wine-colored leaves and wispy pink flower plumes in summer that look like smoke.
Copper Beech (Fagus sylvatica ‘Purpurea’): A majestic tree with smooth, coppery-purple foliage that turns a rich copper in fall.
Purple Leaf Plum (Prunus cerasifera ‘Thundercloud’): A small ornamental tree with dark purple leaves and light pink spring blossoms.
Diabolo Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diabolo’): A tough, adaptable shrub with deeply cut, dark maroon leaves and attractive peeling bark.

Excellent Indoor Plants With Maroon Leaves

For interior spaces, many tropical plants offer incredible maroon and burgundy tones. They purify the air and add a sophisticated touch to your decor.

Ruby Rubber Plant (Ficus elastica ‘Ruby’): Features broad leaves variegated with shades of pink, cream, and deep green, often with a burgundy underside.
Ti Plant (Cordyline fruticosa): Many varieties, like ‘Red Sister’, have strappy, vibrant leaves in combinations of burgundy, pink, and green.
Velvet Leaf Philodendron (Philodendron micans): Known for its heart-shaped, velvety leaves that are bronze-green with maroon undersides.
Wandering Jew (Tradescantia zebrina): A fast-growing trailing plant with striped leaves of purple, silver, and green on the top and a solid deep purple beneath.
Calathea ‘Dottie’ (Calathea roseopicta ‘Dottie’): Has almost black leaves with a feathered pattern of pinkish-maroon in the center.

Annuals And Perennials For Seasonal Color

These plants are perfect for filling garden beds and containers with seasonal maroon foliage. They often pair beautifully with flowering annuals.

Coleus (Plectranthus scutellarioides): Available in hundereds of patterns, many varieties like ‘Black Dragon’ or ‘Wizard Scarlet’ are predominantly deep maroon.
Coral Bells (Heuchera): Perennials with a mounding habit; varieties like ‘Palace Purple’ or ‘Blackout’ have ruffled leaves in shades of purple and maroon.
Ornamental Pepper (Capsicum annuum): Some cultivars have dark purple-black leaves and produce colorful, upright peppers.
Purple Fountain Grass (Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’): An ornamental grass with burgundy-red blades and soft, feathery plumes.
Dusty Miller (Jacobaea maritima): While known for its silver foliage, some forms have a distinct purple or maroon tint overlaying the fuzzy leaves.

How To Care For Plants With Maroon Leaves

While care needs vary by species, plants with dark foliage often share some general requirements. Understanding these will help you maintain their vibrant color.

Light Requirements For Optimal Color

Light is the most critical factor for intensifying maroon pigmentation. Most of these plants need ample light to produce the anthocyanins responsible for their dark hues.

For outdoor plants, full sun to partial shade is usually ideal. Indoor plants typically need bright, indirect light. Too little light can cause the leaves to fade to green or become leggy as the plant reaches for light.

Full Sun Plants (6+ hours): Purple Smoke Bush, Diabolo Ninebark, many Coleus varieties.
Partial Sun/Shade Plants (3-6 hours): Japanese Maple, Coral Bells, some Heuchera.
Bright Indirect Light (Indoors): Ruby Rubber Plant, Ti Plant, most Philodendrons.

Watering And Soil Needs

Consistent moisture is key, but overwatering is a common mistake. Well-draining soil is essential to prevent root rot, which can quickly damage these plants.

Check the soil moisture regularly. For many plants, you should allow the top inch of soil to dry out before watering again. Using a pot with drainage holes is non-negotiable for container plants.

Creating The Ideal Soil Mix

A good basic potting mix for most maroon-leaved plants includes two parts potting soil, one part perlite or pumice for drainage, and one part compost for nutrients. For acid-loving plants like Japanese Maples, you might need to incorporate peat moss or an acidifying fertilizer.

Fertilizing For Health And Vibrancy

Feeding your plants supports strong growth and leaf color. Use a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer (like a 10-10-10 formula) during the active growing season, typically spring and summer.

Reduce or stop fertilizing in fall and winter when plant growth slows. Over-fertilizing can lead to weak growth or even burn the roots, so always follow the instructions on the product label.

Design Ideas Using Maroon Foliage

Plants with dark leaves are incredibly versatile in design. They can create moody, romantic gardens, modern minimalist displays, or striking contrasts.

Creating Contrast And Depth

The deep color of maroon leaves makes lighter colors pop. Use them alongside plants with silver, chartreuse, or bright green foliage. They also look stunning behind or next to flowers in complementary colors like yellow, orange, or white.

Pair a Purple Smoke Bush with silver Artemisia and yellow Coreopsis.
Underplant a Copper Beech with a carpet of green and white hostas.
Mix maroon Coleus with lime-green Sweet Potato Vine in a container.

Using Maroon Plants As Focal Points

A single specimen plant with bold maroon leaves can anchor a garden bed or serve as a centerpiece on a patio. Place them where the eye is naturally drawn, such as at the end of a path, beside an entrance, or in the center of a circular bed.

Good focal point plants include Japanese Maple, a large Ti Plant in a decorative pot, or a topiary form of Purple Leaf Plum.

Common Problems and Solutions

Even with good care, you may encounter some issues. Here’s how to identify and address common problems with maroon-leaved plants.

Leaf Color Fading To Green

If your plant’s leaves are losing their maroon color and turning green, insufficient light is the most likely cause. The plant is producing more chlorophyll to capture the limited available light.

Solution: Gradually move the plant to a brighter location. For indoor plants, consider using a grow light to supplement natural sunlight, especially during darker winter months.

Pests And Diseases

While generally resilient, these plants can be susceptible to common garden pests like aphids, spider mites, and scale. Fungal diseases like powdery mildew can also occur, especially in humid conditions with poor air circulation.

Inspect Regularly: Check the undersides of leaves and along stems for pests.
Improve Airflow: Space plants appropriately and prune dense growth.
Treat Early: Use a strong spray of water, insecticidal soap, or neem oil for pests. For fungal issues, remove affected leaves and apply a suitable fungicide.

Propagation Tips For Maroon-Leaved Plants

Many plants with colorful foliage can be easily propagated, allowing you to create more plants for free. Stem cuttings are the most common method for both indoor and outdoor varieties.

Propagating By Stem Cuttings

This method works well for plants like Coleus, Tradescantia, Rubber Plants, and Philodendrons.

Using clean, sharp scissors, cut a 4-6 inch stem section just below a leaf node.
Remove the leaves from the bottom half of the cutting.
Place the cutting in a glass of water or directly into a pot of moist potting mix.
Keep it in a warm spot with bright, indirect light. Roots should develop in a few weeks.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Causes The Maroon Color In Leaves?

The maroon, purple, and red colors are caused by pigments called anthocyanins. These pigments often develop in response to sunlight and can help protect the plant from UV damage and extreme temperatures.

Do All Plants With Maroon Leaves Need Full Sun?

No, light requirements vary. While many need full sun to develop their deepest color, others, like some Coral Bells and Calatheas, prefer partial to full shade and will scorch in direct afternoon sun.

Can I Grow Outdoor Maroon Plants In Containers?

Yes, many are excellent container plants. Japanese Maples, small Ninebarks, Coleus, and Heuchera all thrive in pots. Ensure the container is large enough and has excellent drainage.

Why Are The Leaves On My Maroon Plant Turning Brown At The Edges?

Brown leaf edges are often a sign of low humidity, underwatering, or a buildup of salts from fertilizer. Increase humidity around the plant, check your watering consistency, and flush the soil occasionally with plain water to remove excess salts.

Are There Any Edible Plants With Maroon Leaves?

Yes. Some lettuce varieties like ‘Red Oak Leaf’ and ‘Lollo Rossa’ have reddish-maroon leaves. Ornamental kale and cabbage also display beautiful purple and maroon tones and are edible, though often grown primarily for their looks. Red-veined sorrel and certain basil varieties also feature dark stems and leaves.