Loropetalum Species, Chinese Witch Hazel, Chinese Fringe Flower, Pink Fringe Flower

On Jun 6, 2021, containers_only from Vancouver,
Canada wrote:

Mine came to me for temporary care in a beautiful ivory ceramic tub. It looked bedraggled. I lifted it out, unplugged the drainage hole and put down some bark chips, fresh soil and a bit of fertilizer. It responded with spectacular new growth and beautiful colour. It got 4-5 hours of morning sun in zone 6a/b Vancouver, Canada. I was worried about its zone 7 rating but it has thrived and survived a mild winter no problem. I'm NOT going to be happy giving it back. I wonder what their price would be???

On Feb 9, 2014, darrellga from Dalton, GA wrote:

I have used this plant extensively for my home landscape over the past 15-20 years. This includes several varieties including Blush, Burgundy, White, and some in between whose names I cannot recollect. It has flourished in and out of sun, and during drought.

However, the recent "polar vortex" cold snap (Jan 2014), which hit my NW Ga home, has seriously damaged most of the plants. (Temps got down to 3-6 Deg. F, for maybe 4-5 days.) I have a couple of bushes with longer smaller leaves, which appear to be completely dead.

We have not seen temps this low here in maybe 30 years. In past years temps down to 10 deg F have not damaged the plants. So, I thought that I would issue a warning here, to advise others that Chinese Witch Hazel is not very tolerant belo... read morew 6 deg. F temperatures.

On Mar 25, 2012, Maggiepttrsn from College Station, TX wrote:

I am a new gardener, I don't have much experience under my belt. I am in the 8-9 zone.. I just got a Chinese Pink Fringe Bush for my 20th birthday. It says full sun, and I have been keeping it watered (although not too much) and today I found that the flowers had all shriveled! The weather here in College Station (Millican, TX) is beginning to warm up exponentially, I wonder if the sun was just too much for this plant? If anyone has had a similar experience or has some advice, it would be greatly appreciated!

On Feb 4, 2011, Cville_Gardener from Clarksville, TN (Zone 7a) wrote:

I planted Fringe Flower year before last here in zone 6b. It did little the first year. However, once established this past year, it has doubled in size and bloomed well. It has thus far withstood the very cold winter and the unusual amount of snow and ice we've had with no problem ... and still has its leaves. It provides interest all year around withstanding hot and humid summer weather as well as cold winter weather.

On Aug 7, 2010, jazzy1okc from Oklahoma City, OK wrote:

My fringe here in OKC is about 7 years old and HUGE! I originally bought this one-gallon plant because it's evergreen and because it had an unusual branching habit. The branches formed an interesting 90 degree angle. I purposely planted it so that it would eventually grow AROUND the northeast corner of our house. It worked! Now it is a 10 foot tall shrub on the east side of the corner, masking a rainbarrel and providing shade and contrast for a variegated weigela on the east side of the corner. On the north side of the corner, it is limbed up like a small tree and provides shade for hostas, ferns, and other shade plants. The best part is that it blooms several times a year, whenever the weather is cool and damp for a day or two!

On Apr 21, 2010, nifty413 from Garland, TX (Zone 8a) wrote:

In mild-winter climates, this plant can easily reach 15 feet or more in height.

On Jul 17, 2008, Qagrifol from Oakland, CA wrote:

After 20 years of unsuccessfully trying to get any type of flowering or color-foliage shrub to grow the Chinese Fringe Flower took off and thrives. We've not done severe pruning or shaping so it is over 10 feet high with long broad branches, perfect for peeking thru the oak and palm trunks in a "woodland" hillside garden. In spring it is completely covered in the superb little fringe flowers.

It doesn't get an extraordinary amount of summer water. The trees keep it shaded from the hottest part of the day. It's the Montclair/Piedmont hills of Oakland, CA so it's heavy clay soil. We've never ammended the soil or fertilized it.

We have also successfully rooted new starts from semi-hard branches cut as soon as the plant stops its major bloom in May or June.
... read more

On Oct 22, 2006, brittsgrams from Salisbury, NC (Zone 7b) wrote:

We love ours!! Grows like mad. I now live in SC however I am moving to NC in 2 weeks. I want to propagate some for me and my father-in-law! Does anyone know how to do this? Thanks!!

On Jun 2, 2006, SierraTigerLily from Boca Raton, FL (Zone 10b) wrote:

I love the foliage and flower combination on this plant. But I have to admit that I've already lost one plant. I am still trying to determine whether my tree fern and hibiscus hogged all the water in the bed or whether the witch hazel doesn't like the sulfur level of our well water. I'll keep you posted.

On Jun 1, 2005, doss from Stanford, CA (Zone 9b) wrote:

I love this shrub. I have some that are 8 feet tall and the others I have kept to 4 with pruning. They are probably 20 years old. I would say that in zone 9 they will not grow in full sun and resent afternoon sun. I've lost several in this situation. While it is more sparse than the ones with half day sun, I have one that grows and blooms in bright shade. Sometimes it reblooms here at the very end of summer, but it is not as intense as the first bloom. The dark pink new growth and the texture of the leaves makes this plant beautiful all year round.

On Nov 1, 2004, Azalea from Jonesboro, GA (Zone 7b) wrote:

My neighbor gave me a small one about 3 years ago - It has grown very fast - doubling every year, so I prune it back fairly severly to get a fuller look. I love the pretty pink flowers I have found that this plant is very easy to root from cuttings - I start them in damp sand.

On Apr 20, 2004, angelap from Weatherford, TX (Zone 7b) wrote:

I have had great success with this shrub. As I live in west Texas growing conditions - brutally hot and dry - I have it planted in full shade, where it gets about an hour of early morning sun. This hasn't affected it's bloom or the leaf coloration. My Pink Fringe is a backdrop for false nettle and early spring miniature narcissus. It shares space with an old rosemary plant and they get along quite nicely. I water deeply once a week during the worst of the summer heat, when we have day after day of 100+ temps. It tends to wilt a bit, but perks right up when September rolls around and the temperatures drop.

On Mar 1, 2003, htop from San Antonio, TX (Zone 8b) wrote:

San Antonio, Texas

One of my favorite plants. I planted two in the ground against a wooden fence and under oak trees, and two others in large planters. These receive morning sun. The ones in the ground have not suffered freeze burn to the leaves at 26°F, but the flowers did suffer. An excellent plant for our region due to its heat and cold hardiness, as well as suffering no insect damage. I brought the pots inside during the coldest weather and they produced blooms inside a bedroom that receives very little light!

The deep green and purple leaves and the magnificent deep pink feathery flowers which appear through all seasons because of our mild weather make this an exceptional specimen plant. I have two varieties: one is a taller-growing variety which I used... read more as a screen in the background to set off greener plants and hostas in one spot. The other variety is lower, more dense growing so it is used in the foregound. Beneath the taller variety under an oak tree, I planted evergreen ferns which grow to about 20 inches. Oxalis (wood sorrel) which blooms pink in the spring is planted as ground cover in front of the ferns to complement the pink of the purple fringe plant.

For optimum performance, the soil shoild be highly acidic with lots of compost. I used 1/2 garden mix and 1/2 peat moss in the holes in which they were planted which were twice the size of the rootball. Until established,they should be watered frequently in hot weather. After established, I water them when the leaves start to wilt somewhat. In containers, they need to be watered frequently if the roots are starting to bind. Fertilize alternating between an all purpose fertiler and an acidic fertiler. I do not know if the plant will bloom in total shade. With filtered sunlight and/or morning sun, they do very well. My neighbor saw mine and bought 2 of the tall variety which she planted in full sun near a pond feature. They appear to be doing fine so far.