Otherwise you'd use purple-leaved Japanese barberry. But this species might be a pest in your state, as it is some other places back there.

A good cultivar of purple smokebush would be a great choice if you treat it like a cut back shrub. No smoke, but gorgeous purple foliage.

There are hybrid barberry which are good garden plants and stay compact.

There are several ninebark cultivars with a 'Diablo' parent that should fit the bill. Don't buy a smoke tree and cut it down.

Dan

There are dark foliage forms of Elderberry (Sambucus). I like 'Black Lace'.

What purple-leaved hybrid barberries would those be? B. x ottawensis purpurea? That fruits and is tall-growing. The last two mentioned above are also tall-growing.

Lack of fruiting from a few dwarf Japanese barberry cultivars has been reported from a trial or two. But those are dwarf and hummocky, not medium-sized.

Yes, thank you all. I forgot about elderberry. That would be a nice choice. I do not want to use barberry, too thorny (my only thorny plants are roses and those I will tolerate!) and yes, invasive in this part of the country too. Of the ninebarks I have looked at 'Coppertina' and 'Summer Wine'. I think 'Summer Wine' is more compact and 'Coppertina' and 'Diablo' are more like the species, is this right? Weigela 'Wine and Roses' might do, and I've seen even more dwarf versions called 'Fine Wine' and 'Midnight Wine'. Those are supposed to stay under 2 feet tall!

So narrowing the choices down, which would you choose -'Summer Wine' ninebark, Weigela 'Wine and Roses', or 'Black Lace' elderberry?

I have 'Summer Wine' and like it a lot, forgot about Sambucus 'Black Lace'. The weigela wouldn't be bad either. The difference would be the ninebark would have more winter interest IMO and the weigela likely would give you the most fls. In your zone the Sambucus might need the most water. Ninebark has the least leaves, the other two depending upon how they like the spot. Here in Colo only the ninebark is expected to flourish.

Dan

A smoke bush (Cotinus coggygria) is not a tree; it is a shrub that is perfectly adapted to being cut back every spring, just as Buddleia davidii is. A good purple cultivar produces spectacular foliage when treated that way. A smoke TREE, Cotinus obovata, is not adapted for cutting back, and I was not recommending that it be cut back.

Yes. C. coggygria is commonly called by both S.- bush and S.- tree in the trade, which is why folk use the Latin. I'm glad you cut back your plant every spring to get even more purple in your foliage, and if the OP moves and the new homeowner doesn't feel like doing the work, they are stuck with a large shrub-small tree too large for the spot. We have 'Royal Purple' in the yard and it is larger than the OP's rqmts, but it is planted in a space that is appropriate for its mature size.

Dan

'Summer Wine' Ninebark all the way! I have one that is absolutely stunning at 3 years old. It flowers profusely, is gorgeous even in the winter....I have no complaints about it!

I definitely recommend leaving it's natural, lovely arching habit...don't shear it into something crazy. ;D

andrea

I love cotinus but I'd rather plant it somewhere it could get to its preferred size and enjoy the 'smoke'. I understand some people do cut it back to get the intense color back every year.

Since the location I am looking at is near a foundation corner I'd like to restrict the size without a lot of pruning to keep it its natural shape. The ninebark is looking good to me as this will be a fairly dry area and near a brick house so is bound to be a bit alkaline.

How big does 'Summer Wine' get for you?

'Summer Wine' is a new cultivar to the trade and I'm not sure how many people have one at mature size yet, except for folk who did garden trials. I'm counting on mine being ~5x5 ft.

I'm selectively pruning mine after bloom to favor upward-growing branches and select branching to the side, as it is in the middle of a mounded bed with other plants nearby, including Physocarpus o. 'Coppertina', which I'm allowing to spread near 'Summer Wine'. Zero problems with these shrubs so far.

Dan

I'm torn between 'Summer Wine' ninebark and 'Wine and Roses' weigela. Here's a photo of where I want to put it, right at the corner of the foundation. 'Wine and Roses' has deeper purple foliage which I like, but the ninebark has so many assets like winter interest. For context, the plants nearby are 'Lemon Princess' spirea and 'Hummingbird' clethra on the left and lady fern, variegated polemonium, Sarcococca, and 'Cream Cracker' shrub dogwood on the right.
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Looking eastward from the front door. The purple shrub is Loropetalum.
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A view from the front. The dogwood shades the area only very early in the morning.
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If I were designing that yard I'd do the ninebark and put some Veronica 'Aztec Gold' near the path under it to both play on the groundcover and go with the spiraea at a different eye level. The ninebark will play off that path wonderfully, weave in with the barberry and carry your eye further out to the pasture there, and from the pasture along the path it sets the tone for the rest of the walk back.

The weigela fls might be a little hot for that site for my tastes IMHO. Everything is subtle and muted then - bang -. If that's what you want then go with the weigela.

Dan

To me, that space needs a little height to it. I'd go with the Ninebark.

Dave
Milwaukee

ditto Ninebark 'Summer Wine'. I've been disappointed in W. Wine and Roses.

P. Diablo is great too but will get too big.