![]() Water Requirements of Loropetalum Purple Pixie: The Cultivar Purple Pixie has bright lavender pink strap like flowers that nearly cover the plant in spring. The tiny clusters of strap like petals absolutely cover the plant in the spring and they bloom intermittently throughout the summer and again pretty heavily in the fall and winter months here in the North Florida landscape. If your familiar with the blooms of the Northern plant Witch Hazel, a relative of Loropetalum then you know the bloom of Loropetalum plants. – Loropetalum gets it common name Chinese Fringe Flower and its Latin name Loropetalum from it delicate strap like blooms. A 3 -4 ft OC ( center or one plant to the center of another) should be adequate where a 2 ft center to center installation may be overcrowding these plants. Make sure when planting Loropetalum to give them some room, planting to closely only makes pruning a frequent chore that didn’t have to be, give them room to spread vertically and you will be much happier with them once they have reached your desired height. While other Loropetalum plants may quickly establish itself into the landscape, Dwarf purple pixie seems to be a little bit slower to root making the establishment period quite a bit longer than other selections we commonly use in North Florida landscapes. – Purple Pixie is a slow growing shrub that you can expect to reach its full potential by its third to fourth year in the landscape when planted from a 3 gallon pot. If you prefer them this way remember to taper the top of the shrub to be narrower than the bottom to allow adequate light to reach the lower branches. – Although they can be maintained into a more formal squared hedge it is not recommended as it requires frequently pruning that tend to expose bare branches on the sides of the shrub when attempting to turn them into a more formal narrow boxed hedge row. Prune these shrubs into a rounded mushroom form and keep the foliage off the ground to work with the plants natural shape and habit. Purple Pixie grows more slowly and has a very weeping arching habit. ![]() – Most loropetalums grow quickly and have an open slightly arching branch habit. Growth Habit of Loropetalum Purple Pixie: There weeping habit of the branches keeps the foliage low to the ground. – Loropetalum Purple Pixie Loropetalum can reach sizes of 1-2 feet High | 4 feet Wide at maturity. Salt tolerance low to moderate Size Variance of Loropetalum Purple Pixie: – Loropetalum plants prefer rich moist but well drained slightly acid soils. Loropetalum True Dwarf Purple Pixie Soil Preference / Salt tolerance: Trim back lightly once or twice a year to flush new purple growth. Purple new growth gives way to green as the leaves age during summer. Evergreen foliage of the Loropetalum Purple Pixie shrub has unique leaves that make them easy to differentiate from other Loropetalum selections because of their small sized crinkled deep purple leaves on weeping branches . Although some green leaf Loropetalum varieties will tolerate a fair amount of shade many of the purple leaf varieties will tend to loose color and fullness when planted in areas without adequate sunlight. Loropetalum Purple Pixie will prefer a full sun to partial sun with at least 6 hours of good direct light in the North Florida | Jacksonville | St. ‘Purple Pixie’ True Dwarf Loropetalum Preferred Sun / Shade Exposure : There are many varieties to choose from each with their own mature size ( some as small as 3 ft and others reaching 12-15 ft full grown), form, flower color ( ranging from white to shades of pink and even deep dark burgundy red), Loropetalums even vary in leaf color and shape. They have since the introduction of purple flowering varieties in 1990 quickly become a North Florida garden favorite for both foliage and flower color in the landscape. Loropetalums are native to Japan and Southeast Asia and brought into cultivation in the United States in 1880. Loropetalum / Chinese Fringe Flower Origins: NOTE : THESE PLANTS ARE NORMALLY AVAILABLE IN SPRING ONLY AND OR SPECIAL ORDER ( see CAUTION: below under watering for more information on why I don’t keep these in inventory except in certain times of the year ) Augustine area Landscape (Loropetalum chinensis ‘Peack’ ‘ ( being sold under the trade name of ‘Purple Pixie’ ) S & J Nursery’s Guide to Growing Dwarf “Purple Pixie” Loropetalum Chinese Fringe Flower in the Northeast Florida Jacksonville | St.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |