Plant Spotlight: Loropetalum in your Charleston Landscape
If you've been considering a yard makeover, now is the time to get your hands dirty in the garden! Thanks to our wonderfully mild weather, fall is the best time to plant woody trees and shrubs here in Charleston. Wether you're hoping to add a pop of color, create a privacy screen, or accent your existing landscaping, Loropetalum chinense or "fringe flower" may be the perfect option for your space. Learn more and consider adding loropetalum in your Charleston landscape this season!
Loropetalum grows well in USDA hardiness zones 7-10 and makes a wonderful addition to your Charleston garden! Originally hailing from Asia, these evergreen shrubs were introduced in the U.S in the 1880's and soared in popularity in the 1980's when the purple leaf and pink flowering varieties became widely available. Loropetalum leaves are rough and feel a bit like sandpaper. The simple, ovate leaves are arranged in a alternating pattern, growing about 1.5 inches long. In contrast, the flowers are wispy, delicate, and resemble fringe. Both leaves and flowers are available in a variety of colors and while bloom time varies, most are typically blooming in early spring and some varieties will bloom again in the fall.
Care and Maintenance
Loropetalum are durable and versatile! They thrive in full to part sun, but leaf color often looks best with some afternoon shade. These shrubs prefer well draining and acidic soil, are considered drought tolerant once established, and can grow anywhere from 3 to 20 feet tall depending on the variety. Different cultivars are available depending on your preference for size, color, or specific landscape use. Smaller, pink leaf cultivars work well as a specimen plant or a pop of color in your landscape while large, green cultivars make wonderful privacy hedges. These woody shrubs tolerate pruning well and can even be trained into shapes in your garden. Ensure you're pruning through the summer and fall, after the shrub is done flowering in the spring.
Emerald Snow
A beautiful cultivar, typically growing 4x6 feet tall and wide, with bright green new growth that darkens over time and white flowers in the spring and fall.
Cerise Charm
A smaller, compact cultivar only growing 3x5 feet tall and wide with dark burgundy leaves and hot pink flowers later in the spring.
Jazz Hands Variegated
The first variegated loropetalum cultivar with hot pink flowers and leaves that start green with pink and white variegation and then turn dark green and purple over time, typically growing 6x4 feet tall and wide.
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