help identify a tree I thought was dead

Hello! I recently moved in to this house, which had a few trees int he garden that look very dead.

One of them however seems to have sprung back to life this year. But I have no idea what it is. The leaves are a deep reddy purple kind of colour. These pictures are pretty much all the growth I can see so far, so it’s not a lot to go on.

If anyone has any idea, that would be great!

 

Wondering if it's copper beech.
Strange way of growing though, how long has it been "dead".

 

I’m not certain. I moved in in summer 2021 and it looked dead then, didn’t do anything all that year then this year we have quite a few of these little new sprouts.

it does look quite Beechy now you say it.

 

Wouldn't like to say why a tree should remain dormant all that time and then suddenly start to grow again, unless it was suffering from drought perhaps.

 

Other trees in the garden had already been (definitely) killed by invasive ivy growing into the garden and wrapping itself around said trees. Maybe this one sprang back to life when I cut all the ivy back in the garden so it was less competition

 

Oh that’s good to know @shiney. Thanks. In that case I should probably try determine what else killed these trees before planting new ones.

 

Ivy doesn't kill trees but it sure puts a strain on them, I hate the stuff, it smothers everything and makes trees more likely to blow down in winter, being evergreen.

It must also compete for soil moisture, it probably has its proper place in wild woodland but not something I think deserves a place in a controlled garden even my wild garden.

 

Not Fagus sylvatica atropurpurea...copper beech.

 

Oh ok then, maybe a crabapple?

 

Aside from the trees it’s wrapped around we’re having to completely replace 10m of fence and half a deck that it’s destroyed, so it’s done enough damage for now.

thanks @Silver surfer and @pete I’ll have to see if it grows much more and any more obvious clues it gives

 

Hello. It looks like Prunus cerasifera Nigra (purple leaf plum) to me. It's an ornamental tree so don't get any ideas about bumper crops of fruit! Generally they look OK for the first few years, then they turn manky, leggy and horrible. I'd say that your tree is getting to that stage.

 

I think you might be right @HarmonyArb! Quick google image search and the trunk does look quite similar visually too. So I think I'll let it do it's thing this season, maybe next too. and if it doesn't do anything visually appealing, might be time to cut it down.

Thanks!