Hi,
>
> Just lost a flowering plum tree thanks to hurricane Isabel in north
> central Maryland. I would like to replace it with a small tree that
> has purple or red foliage throughout the year until it drops its
> leaves in fall or when it goes dormant.
>
> In the very little research I've done, the Crimson King (King Crimson)
> maple tree has the right color but is too large and would overwhelm
> the area as it matures. A red Japanese maple (dwarf) might be an
> alternative, but I understand it too has relatively shallow roots and
> grows slowly, and is not very wind tolerant.
>
> Granted, hurricanes are not prevalent in central Maryland, but my area
> gets strong winds during summer thunderstorms, etc.
>
> Any suggestions?
I have a mock crabapple tree that has red leaves all summer long. I don't know the scientific name for it, but you should be able to find a picture. It's grown rather slowly, but is a really nice size (about 8 feet tall) now after 8 years or so. The roots appear deeper than my maple, at least I can't see them bulging up. :-)
I hope you didn't get any more damage than that from Isabel.
Leslie