| Height: |
|
1-12'
depending on variety |
| Width: |
|
3-8'
depending on variety |
| Exposure: |
|
Sun
or partial shade. Foliage color is more intense
in sun. |
| Water: |
|
Low
once established |
| Hardiness: |
|
USDA
Zones 6-9 |
| Pruning: |
|
Not
necessary however may be pruned or sheared
to maintain height and more dense form. |
Once
in a while there is a new plant that makes an
impact over the entire country. The new Chinese
Fringe Flowers or Loropetalum have been making
news all over the country. Cascading branches
covered in dark purple-red leaves and spider-like
dark magenta flowers are a wonderful addition
to the landscape.
Many
varieties are now available. What sets one variety
apart from another is primarily mature size and
intensity of foliage color. Lower growing shrub-form
varieties such as 'Ruby' and 'Plum Delight' are
excellent choices for foundation plantings as
they grow to around 5' in height and an equal
spread. 'Purple Diamond' is a recent introduction
in this category and is the first loropetalum
with leaves that are purple all the way through,
on both the top and underside of the leaves.
'Zhuzhou'
and 'Pizazz' are two taller growing varieties
best suited for screens, tall hedges or tree-form.
The
most recent introduction, which we have only begun
to use in landscape planning, is 'Purple Pixie'.
Purple Pixie is the first purple-leaf groundcover
loropetalum we have seen growing 12-18" in
height and about 3' in width
Due
to the variations in mature size it's important
to plant the right loropetalum in the right place.
|
