Looking for a medium sized shrub with purple leaves

Would appreciate some advice please

I'm looking for a medium sized (2-3m but can be slightly larger) shrub with purple leaves which I can plant in a north/north east facing border. It will get some sun first thing and then again late afternoon. Preferably evergreen.

Any suggestions please?

Already have an Acer Atropurpureum.

 

1st 2 which come to mind are Cotinus Coggygria and Sambucas Black Lace. I have both, the latter being a fairly new addition to my garden and I'm very pleased with it. The Cotinus is pretty slow growing in comparison to the Sambucas, both I think would be ok with the aspect but neither are evergreen. The Sambucas as it's name suggests has leaves that are almost black while the Cotinus is more puple leafed and has nice Autumn colour. To my mind both shrubs are a great adition to any garden being handsome, easy to accomodate and pretty much trouble free. If neither of these suit sure you'll get other suggestions.

 

Mine too . Perhaps also Sambucas Black Beauty if you want normal-leaf rather than lacy-leaf.

I cut them back hard each spring

For evergreen there are some Berberis (names like atropurpurea This and atropurpurea That)

 

There is also Physocarpus Diabolo. As with the cotinus and the sambucus, you can keep them at the size you want by judicious pruning. It's not evergreen, however. There's another physocarpus with reddy-black leaves that I saw yesterday that is probably a recent cultivar.
Out of the three, even though i love them all, I would rate them for beauty:
1. Cotinus
2. Sambucus
3.Physocarpus.

 

Thanks for the suggestions guys

I'm also thinking of Prunus x Cistena or else another Acer. Decisions, decisions.

 

Nipped into Morrisons and got another Acer Atropurpureum for a tenner. Job done and the border will look more 'balanced' if I have an Acer each end.

 

Not a plant I knew ... as luck would have it was at an open garden yesterday and a plant vendor there had some Physocarpus "Lady in Red" ... so I bought some

 

I'm sure there is a Hebe that matches your description. How about a purple phormium like phormium Maori queen as an alterrnative