Chinese fringe flower

Identification and origin

Loropetalum chinense belongs to the witch hazel family, Hamamelidaceae; in fact, it was first described as Hamamelis chinensis. It is native to East Asia, from Assam through southern and southeastern China to northern Thailand and Vietnam, as well as Taiwan and Japan, on the islands of Honshu and Kyushu. There it grows in open woodlands and thickets. The genus name comes from the Greek for “strap petal,” and the epithet chinense means “from China.”

It is an evergreen to semi-evergreen, multi-stemmed shrub with arching branches and a rounded to vase-shaped habit. In gardens it usually reaches 6–8 ft tall and as wide, but an old, unpruned plant can exceed 13 ft and even approach 19.5 ft; it takes five to ten years to reach mature size. Young twigs are coppery brown and densely hairy, and the bark on older trunks peels.

The alternate, oval to elliptic leaves are 1–3 in long and line up in a single plane along the branches. Dark green above and paler, grayish below, they feel rough to the touch. In late winter and early spring, bloom lasts two to three weeks: clusters of three to six lightly fragrant flowers open at the branch tips, each made of four narrow, wavy petals like thin straps. Some cultivars rebloom lightly in fall. The fruit is a small, woody, hairy capsule.

The species has white flowers and green leaves. The variety rubrum, the most widely planted today, bears pink to red flowers and purple to burgundy foliage. Common cultivars include ‘Snow Muffin’, a dense, white-flowered mound; ‘Emerald Snow’, white, blooming in spring and fall; ‘Shidare’, with long weeping branches; ‘Ever Red’, with red flowers and burgundy leaves, about 6 ft tall; ‘Purple Pixie’, a weeping dwarf that works as a ground cover; and ‘Zhuzhou Fuchsia’, the tallest and most cold-hardy pink form.

Light

It grows in sun or part shade. Flowering and leaf color are best in sun, but in regions with hot summers, light afternoon shade suits it better. Choose a spot sheltered from cold winds.

Watering

Once established, Chinese fringe flower is drought tolerant. It then needs water only during long summer dry spells: when it does, water deeply to moisten the whole root zone rather than giving small amounts.

The soil should stay moist but never soggy, because the roots rot in ground that holds water. Check the soil before watering: if it is still moist below the surface, wait. It does poorly with reclaimed water.

Potting mix

It needs humus-rich, moist, well-drained, and above all acidic soil, with a pH below 6. It adapts to clay, loam, or sandy soils, but not to waterlogged ground or shallow chalky soils. In neutral to alkaline soil, the leaves turn yellow (chlorosis) and the plant can suffer from copper deficiency.

A layer of mulch over the roots protects them from winter cold.

Temperature

It is grown in the ground in USDA zones 7b to 9b. It withstands frost down to about 23 °F, but not much colder: in the coolest regions where gardeners try it, plant it in a spot sheltered from winter winds, mulch the roots generously, and provide winter protection, or overwinter it in a cold greenhouse.

Repotting

It transplants easily. In mild regions it can be planted almost any time of year; in colder areas, plant in spring so it is well rooted before winter.

It also grows in large containers, in a big pot with a drainage hole and an acidic, humus-rich, free-draining mix. Repot in spring into a pot only slightly larger once roots fill the container. For long-term container growing, pick a compact cultivar such as ‘Purple Pixie’, which stays around 12 in – 3 ft, or ‘Jazz Hands Mini’, about 12 in tall.

Pruning

Chinese fringe flower takes pruning well but rarely needs it. If needed, prune right after spring bloom. It tolerates shearing into a hedge or training as an espalier against a wall, and it can also be shaped into a small tree by limbing up the trunks to show off their bark.

Avoid overdoing it, though: the stress of repeated shearing leads to early decline. Choose selective hand pruning, branch by branch, over shearing with power hedge trimmers, and pick a cultivar whose mature size fits the space from the start. An overgrown plant can be renewed by cutting the stems back to 6–12 in above the crown. Disinfect tools between cuts to avoid spreading bacterial disease.

Propagation

Cuttings are the usual method. In summer, take semi-ripe cuttings, meaning current-season shoots whose base is starting to harden, and root them with bottom heat. Take them only from healthy plants without galls, using tools disinfected after every cut. Dipping the cuttings briefly, for about 10 seconds, in a 10% bleach solution and then rinsing them in clean water reduces the risk of passing on bacterial gall. Seed is another option.

Common problems

• Yellowing leaves (chlorosis): neutral to alkaline soil that is not acidic enough.
• Stunted shoots, small, distorted new leaves that look dried out: copper deficiency, common in ‘Ruby’ and in high-pH soils; a foliar copper spray corrects it.
• Rough, dark galls on the stems, dying branches: olive knot, a bacterial gall (Pseudomonas savastanoi). It spreads on tools and in splashing water during wet weather; cut out affected branches well below the gall, disinfect tools in a 10% bleach solution, and destroy badly affected plants.
• Dull purplish spots on the leaves: leaf spot, encouraged by cool, wet weather, and uncommon.
• Declining plant: poorly drained soil and root rot, alkaline soil, or overly severe pruning.
• Pests: watch for spider mites and aphids; powdery mildew and anthracnose are possible. Deer usually leave it alone.

The same symptom can have several causes: look at soil, watering, exposure, and pruning history together before drawing conclusions.

Toxicity

No toxicity has been reported for people or pets. As with any ornamental plant that is not grown for food, still keep children and pets from chewing the leaves.