Planted in the right location, they do not require pruning however, they tolerate even heavy pruning very well. Karen Russ, ©2009 HGIC, Clemson Extension Loropetalum chinense may be limbed up to form small trees. Loropetalums respond well to a light application of slow-release fertilizer in early April and again in mid-May. Once established, they are very tolerant of drought conditions. Transplanting easily from containers, their preferred growing conditions include sun to partial shade (especially afternoon shade) and moist, well-drained, acidic soil with plenty of organic matter. Loropetalums are cold hardy in USDA zones 7-10 and require minimal maintenance. Individually, the purple-leafed forms provide a good contrast to both green and golden foliage plants and are a superior replacement to thorny, red barberry shrubs. The white-flowers of the species tend to be less visible against the leaves from a distance, but are very attractive when viewed up close.
#Bush with green leaves soft thorns white flowers full#
In full bloom, the many cultivars of the pink-flowering variety are showy eye-catchers. Low-growing forms are being selected for this purpose. Loropetalum can be an effective groundcover, but may require periodic removal of vertical stems. Joey Williamson, ©2009 HGIC, Clemson Extension rubrum may be planted close to form a hedge. When limbed up, they form lovely, small trees. They make attractive hedges, but lose their naturally graceful form if heavily pruned. They are attractive when grown in clusters or mixed screens as well as foundation plantings, single specimens, espaliers and bonsai. Loropetalums show excellent versatility in the landscape. The growth rate on upright, taller cultivars is medium to fast. Generally, 3 to 6 blooms are clustered at the tips of shoots as well as in leaf axils. The white to off-white or pink flowers are about one-inch long with petals that are 1/16 th-inch wide.
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The simple, finely toothed to entire (smooth-edged) leaves are 1- to 2½-inches long and arranged alternately on somewhat arching branches.
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It has a loose, slightly open habit and a roughly rounded to vase-shaped form with a medium-fine texture. However, it is capable of greater height as evidenced by the 100-year-old specimens in Aiken that are 35 feet tall. Loropetalum chinense is an evergreen shrub that generally grows to a height of 10 to 15 feet with a similar to somewhat smaller width. Since that time, these plants with their masses of blooms from mid-March through mid-April, and scattered blossoms during the rest of the season, have become justifiably very popular. in 1880, but was not generally known until the purple-leafed, pink-flowering forms were introduced in the late 1980s/early 1990s. The green-leafed, white-flowered species was introduced to the U.S. Joey Williamson, ©2012 HGIC, Clemson Extension rubrum Purple Diamond™ make it easy to understand the increased popularity of this shrub. The masses of vibrant, fuchsia-pink blossoms and deep purple leaves of Loropetalum chinense var.