Plant of the Week: Loropetalum

There are a number of varieties of Loropetalum, however, the main distinquishing feature of this plant is the burgundy colored foliage with “Fringe” type pink flowers.

Loropetalum Plum is one of the more common varieties that grows about 3-4 feet high and wide. Flowering is heaviest in spring and winter but sporadic flowers are likely to occur at any time of the year. It is essential to prune several times during the growing season to promote full, bushy plants. Lorpetalum will not tolerate wet soils or salt so cannot be grown in salt zones. It is cold hardy and deer resistant as well.

Lorapetalum

Another popular variety is Loropetalum Red Chocolate. This new, compact loropetalum has the reddest blooms of all cultivars. Dark burgundy foliage retains its color throughout the year. It is great for specimen planting, mass plantings and borders. It blooms late winter to early spring and sporadically summer and fall. It also likes well-drained garden soil with rich organic matter. It too is cold hardy and deer resistant and also can grow to about 4’x4’.