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UT Gardens' Plant of the Month:
Chinese Fringe
Flower
Submitted
by Beth Willis
Chinese fringe flower, or Loropetalum
chinense var. rubrum, is a wonderful ornamental
shrub that will liven up your fall landscape with its dark
burgundy foliage and bright pink blooms.
Evergreen
in warm climates, blossoms start appearing as early as March.
The Chinese fringe flower blooms heavily through the spring
and early summer, continuing sporadically throughout the
summer and fall.
The
Chinese fringe flower, a native of Asia, is a close relative
of witch hazel and fothergilla. A green form with white blooms
was introduced to the United States in the late 1800s, but it
is the recent introduction of the pink-flowered varieties that
has ignited such interest in this shrub.
Size,
form, foliage and bloom color of the Chinese fringe flower can
vary widely, depending on the cultivar selected. This
versatile plant is best propagated by stem cuttings, which
should root fairly easily.
Once
established, these flowering shrubs grow quickly to a maximum
height of 8 to 10 feet and spread 10 to 12 feet. Most
varieties can be pruned, and some are suitable to shape in a
small tree form or train as a standard or espalier. Several
true dwarf varieties are available. These grow no taller than
2 to 3 feet.
New
foliage is typically bronze, pink, or burgundy, which may
change to green or burgundy as the leaves age. Tightly
clustered, long, narrow flowers resemble pom-poms at the ends
of branches. Blossoms can be white, yellow, pink, or
red.
This
colorful shrub does well in full sun to part shade. Although
full sun encourages better blooms and deeper foliage color,
the Chinese fringe flower benefits from afternoon shade in
very hot climates. Soil should be moist, but well drained. The
foliage can start to wilt if the soil becomes too dry, but
should bounce back after a deep watering.
The
Chinese fringe flower has no problems with pests or diseases.
Much like an azalea, the blossoming bush prefers an acidic
soil. It should be fertilized periodically with a formula for
azaleas and rhododendrons.
Hardy to
zone 6 or 7, this shrub may need extra protection from wind
and cold in the north. It also may lose some foliage in colder
climates.
Some
notable selections of the Chinese fringe flower
are:
'Blush' –
one of the first pink-flowered varieties introduced. Foliage
is green to burgundy.
'Burgundy' – dark burgundy to maroon foliage with hot
pink flowers. Has received the Mississippi Medallion
award.
'Daybreak's Flame' – pairs bronze-green foliage with
bright pink blooms on an upright form.
'Pipa's
Red' – boasts burgundy foliage with a purplish-pink bloom on
an upright form.
'Plum
Delight' – also known as 'Hines Purpleleaf', with burgundy
foliage and pink flowers. May be more cold hardy than other
varieties.
'Snow
Muffin' – a dwarf variety with white flowers and green
foliage.
'Zhuzhou
Fuchsia' –an upright form with long, arching branches.
Beth
Willis is a graduate student in the University
of Tennessee Department of Plant Sciences. She
works under the guidance of Dr. Susan Hamilton, director of
the UT Gardens. The UT Gardens are a
project of the Tennessee Agricultural Experiment
Station. The original gardens are located in Knoxville on Neyland
Drive. Additional gardens are located in Jackson on
Airways Blvd. Admission is free, and the Gardens are open to
the public seven days a week during daylight hours.
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Contact:
Terri
Friedman or Patricia McDaniels at UTIA Marketing and
Communications,
(865) 974-7141
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