Loropetalum (Chinese Fringe-Flower) Care, Cultivars & Growing Guide

Quick Guide to Growing Loropetalum

USDA Hardiness Zones: 7b to 9b

Best Soil: Well-drained

Sunlight: Full sun to part shade

Watering: Drought tolerant once established; if necessary, water deeply during prolonged dry periods.

Care Tips: If needed, prune after spring bloom; avoid planting in poorly drained areas.

Blooming: Clusters of fragrant, fringe-like flowers in late winter to early spring; some cultivars rebloom in fall.

Loropetalums or Chinese fringe-flowers (Loropetalum chinense and Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum), also known as Chinese or evergreen witchhazels, are semi- to evergreen shrubs or small trees in the witchhazel family (Hamamelidaceae).

They can be cultivated from the Foothills to the coast of South Carolina (USDA Cold Hardiness Zones 7b to 9b).

Loropetalum Origin & Introduction to the U.S.

The white-flowered, green-leaved loropetalum (Loropetalum chinense) is native to China, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, and India. It was introduced to the U.S. in 1908 but received little interest.

About 80 years later, rare pink-flowering forms of redleaf loropetalum (Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum) with purple leaves from Japan and China were introduced to the U.S.

In the late 1980s, two U.S. National Arboretum introductions, ‘Blush’ and ‘Burgundy’, joined 15 other pink-flowering selections. The soaring demand for pink loropetalums led to a flurry of new cultivars that continues to this day.

The scientific name of loropetalum (Loropetalum chinense) is derived from the Greek words for strap and petal, which refers to its narrow, fringe-like flower petals.
Robert F. Polomski, ©2025 Clemson Extension

The reddish-pink flowers combined with the reddish-purple leaves of Chang Nian Hong (Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum ‘Chang Nian Hong’ Ever Red®) justify its popularity as a multiseason interest shrub.
Robert F. Polomski, ©2025 Clemson Extension

Mature Size & Growth Habit

Chinese fringe-flower (Loropetalum chinense) grows 10 to 20 feet (ft) high and wide with a round-to-vase-shaped form. Cultivars of white- and pink-flowered loropetalums vary in height and width, as described in the Cultivars section below.

Ornamental Features

White-flowered Types

The new leaves emerge olive-green and gradually mature to dark emerald-green.

The white, straplike flowers are borne in clusters along the branches in late winter to early Spring and have a pleasing fragrance. Certain cultivars bloom again in the fall.

The lower limbs can be removed (limbed-up) to expose the beauty of the peeling, exfoliating bark on mature trunks.

Pink-flowered Types

Pink-flowered, red-leafed loropetalums, depending on the cultivar, may bear flowers that range in colorful shades of pink to red.

In the spring, some cultivars produce purplish new leaves that change to green, while others maintain the purple color throughout the growing season.

Landscape Use for Loropetalum Shrubs

• Loropetalums are a hallmark of durability and versatility.
• They thrive in full sun to part shade.
• Tolerates drought once established.
• Choose cultivars according to their function in the landscape: specimens, focal points, accents, screens, or hedges.
• Add appropriately sized cultivars to flowering borders, beds, and foundation plantings.
• Loropetalums tolerate shearing: they can be trimmed into a variety of shapes and sizes or trained as an espalier on a trellis or wall.
• When loropetalums have outgrown their space, renovate them by removing the stems and branches to within 6 to 12 inches of the crown.
• See HGIC 1053, Pruning Shrubs and HGIC Blog A Shrub Do-Over Involves a Makeover for more details.

Chinese fringe-flower (Loropetalum chinense) erupts in the spring with a volcanic display of white flowers that attract attention as a specimen in the landscape.
Robert F. Polomski, ©2025 Clemson Extension

The exfoliating bark of Chinese fringe-flower (Loropetalum chinense) provides year-round interest.
Robert F. Polomski, ©2025 Clemson Extension

Burgundy loropetalum showcases its range of functionality as an espalier on a five-wire trellis in full sun.
Robert F. Polomski, ©2025 Clemson Extension

Loropetalum Pest, Diseases & Problems

Heavy infestation of olive galls, a bacterial disease, on loropetalum branches.
Paul Thompson, ©2025, Clemson Extension

Loropetalums are:

• Relatively resistant to deer browsing.
• Generally pest-free.

However, they are susceptible to a bacterial gall disease called olive gall (caused by the bacterium Pseudomonas savastanoi):

• Galls develop on the stems and trunk.
• Galls may girdle or kill the underlying tissues, resulting in branch dieback.
• The entire shrub may eventually die if the galls occur on the trunk.
• For more information on olive gall, see Bacterial gall on loropetalum; Pseudomonas savastanoi.

Prevention & Management

1. Purchase healthy plants free of any galls or knots.
2. Prune infected branches several inches below the gall.
3. Sterilize pruning tools between cuts by dipping them in a 10% bleach solution (1 part chlorine bleach added to 9 parts water).
4. Rinse the blades with clean water and oil to prevent corrosion.
5. Dispose of the pruned branches.
6. Severely affected loropetalums should be removed and destroyed.

Cultivars of Loropetalum

The following list of selected cultivars (listed in single quotes) is presented not as recommendations but as examples of the variations that exist in flower and leaf color, form, and size.

White-flowered (Loropetalum chinense)

• Jazz Hands® Dwarf White, ‘Hakuou’, PP 27,751: Mounding, 3 ft tall and wide cultivar produces white flowers and green leaves.
• Glowing Horizons® Carolina Moonlight®, ‘NC1002’, PP 18,977: Dense, compact, 6 ft tall and wide; creamy-white flowers and olive-green leaves. It was discovered in 2001 as an open-pollinated seedling in North Augusta, South Carolina.
• Emerald Snow®, ‘Shang-White’, PP 21,738: Produces an abundance of white flowers in spring and fall. New lime-green growth matures to green. Discovered as an open-pollinated seedling in a nursery in Independence, Louisiana.

A pair of Shang-White (PP 21,738 Emerald Snow®) creates a stunning display of white blooms in the spring and again in the fall.
Robert F. Polomski, ©2025, Clemson Extension

• Snow Muffin®, ‘Snowmound’: It produces white flowers in the spring with light green leaves that mature to olive-green. It is compact and prostrate when young. A five- to seven-year-old shrub was 18 to 24 inches tall with a spread of 3 to 3 1/2 ft. It develops a mounding habit with age, where a 25-year-old specimen measured 4 to 5 ft in height and 6 to 7 ft wide. It was discovered in 1988 as a seedling in a nursery in Seneca, South Carolina.
• ‘Snow Panda’: Its medium-green leaves are nearly hidden by a smothering display of white flowers. Reported to grow 10 ft. high and 8 1/2 ft. wide in 15 years in Washington, D.C., but in Raleigh, a 7-year-old plant was observed to grow 7 ft tall and 12 ft wide. Introduced by the U.S. National Arboretum in 2011.
• Ruby Snow®, ‘sPg-3-002’, PP 25,832: It produces white flowers and burgundy leaves that mature to bronze. Over time, some branches may revert and produce pink flowers. Observed to grow 8 ft tall and 14 ft wide after 6 years. Selected in 2003 in Kawaguchi City, Japan.

Pink flowers (Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum)

Depending on the cultivar, this maroon-to-red-purple-leafed variety has blossoms that range from pink to fuchsia to reddish-pink. Height and width vary by cultivar, of which there are many.

• Jazz Hands® Mini®, ‘Beni Hime’, PP 27,752: Pink springtime flowers and season-long dark purple leaves occur on this dwarf, mounding cultivar that reportedly grows 1 ft tall and 3 ft wide.
• ‘Blush’: Along with ‘Burgundy’, one of the two original selections of pink-flowered loropetalums introduced by the U.S. National Arboretum. Pinkish-red flowers appear in the spring, and there is a light display in the fall. New bronze-red growth matures to olive-green. Its growth habit is more compact and dense than ‘Burgundy’. Matures to a height and width of 8 to 10 ft. Originated in Nihonkaki Nursery in Kawaguchi City, Japan.
• ‘Burgundy’: Delivers a prolific display of hot pink flowers in the spring with a smattering of flowers throughout the growing season, especially in the fall. Young reddish-purple leaves turn purplish green to dark olive green as they age. In the fall, the oldest leaves turn orange-red to red. Reportedly matures to a height and spread of 14 ft.

Burgundy loropetalum (Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum) produces bright pink flowers in the spring and a light floral display in the fall.
Robert F. Polomski, © 2025 Clemson Extension

• ‘Carolina Midnight’: It has reddish-pink flowers and reddish-purple leaves. Reportedly grows 10 to 12 ft high and 8 to 12 ft wide in 10 years.
• ‘Ever Red®, ‘Chang Nian Hong’: It has red, springtime flowers with dark burgundy leaves that maintain their color into the summer. Matures to a height and spread of 6 ft.

After the reddish-pink blooms of Chang Nian Hong (Ever Red®) fade, the reddish-purple foliage maintains its color all season long.
Robert F. Polomski, © 2025 Clemson Extension

• ‘Cherry Blast’: Reddish-pink flowers in spring and dark purplish-red leaves during the growing season. Reportedly attains a height and spread of 6 ft.
• ‘Darkfire’: This mid-sized cultivar has pink flowers and very dark leaves that remain purple even during the heat of summer. Plant size is 5 to 6 ft tall and wide.
• ‘Daruma’: Its bright pink springtime flowers with sporadic blooms in the fall. Young burgundy leaves fade to green. It has a dense growth habit with a height and spread of 16 ft.

Unpruned Daruma loropetalum creates a spectacular floral screen in the spring.
Robert F. Polomski, © 2025, Clemson Extension

• Little Rose Dawn® Glowing Horizons™ ‘GriffCRL’, PP 16,615: Prolific display of dark pink flowers with reddish-purple leaves that age to greenish purple in the summer. Observed to grow 18 ft tall and wide after 16 years. Discovered as a branch “sport” or mutation of ‘Ruby’ in Watkinsville, Georgia in 1996.
• Jazz Hands® Variegated®, ‘Irodori’, PP 27,713: pinkish-red flowers and young green leaves splotched with white and pink; they eventually mature to purple. Observed to grow 6 ft high and 4 ft wide.

Irodori loropetalum (PP 27,713 Jazz Hands® Variegated®), planted in groups or en masse, draws attention to its pink flowers and young, variegated leaves that mature to purple.
Robert F. Polomski, ©2025, Clemson Extension

• Jazz Hands® Dwarf Pink, ‘Kurenai’ Daiou’, PP 27,748: Dark pink flowers and purplish leaves. Observed a 9-year-old specimen that is 7 ft tall and 10 ft wide.

The pink flowers of Kurenai loropetalum (USPP 27,750 Jazz Hands® Dwarf Pink) nearly hide the purple leaves in the spring.
Robert F. Polomski, ©2025, Clemson Extension

• Cerise Charm™,’Kurobijin’, PP 23,176: Pink flowers and season-long deep reddish-purple leaves. Grows 3 to 4 ft tall and wide in 10 years.
• Purple Pixie®,’Peack’, PP 18,441: Bright pink flowers and dark purple leaves. Weeping, mounding habit with a mature height of 1.5 to 3 ft tall after 3 years. New growth tends to grow vertically, but it cascades downward over time, making a suitable groundcover.

When the springtime flowers fade on Peack (PP 18,441 Purple Pixie®) loropetalum, its purple leaves maintain their attractiveness as a durable groundcover in full sun locations.
Robert F. Polomski, ©2025, Clemson Extension.

• First Editions® Crimson Fire™, ‘PIILC-I’, PP 25,534: Dense, mounding habit with bright pink flowers and season-long reddish-purple leaves. Six-year-old plants were observed to grow 10 ft tall and wide, discovered as an open-pollinated seedling at a nursery in Watkinsville, Georgia.

A shrub border of PIILC-I loropetalum PP 25,534 First Editions® Crimson Fire™ maintains its reddish-purple leaves all season long.
Robert F. Polomski, ©2025, Clemson Extension

• Purple Daydream®, ‘PIILC-III’, PP 25,471: This dwarf cultivar has dark pink flowers and dark purple foliage throughout the growing season. After five years, the height and spread were observed to be 3.5 ft tall, 7 ft wide, respectively.
• ‘Ruby’: Bright pink flowers with reddish-burgundy young leaves that mature to hunter green. Reported mature size of 12 ft tall, 10 ft wide.
• Purple Diamond®, ‘Shang-hi’, PP 18,331: Pink flowers and deep purple leaves throughout the summer. A 14-year-old plant was observed to grow 15 ft tall and wide.

The dark pink flowers of ‘Shang-hi’, PP 18,331, Purple Diamond® complement its purple leaves that retain their color throughout the growing season.
Robert F. Polomski, ©2025, Clemson Extension

• ‘Zhuzhou’ (also ‘Zhuzhou Fuchsia’): Tallest and most treelike with deep pink blooms and dark maroon leaves that maintain their color through the summer and was observed to grow 30 ft tall and 20 ft wide after 25 years. It is the most cold hardy of the pink-flowering forms.

Zhuzhou loropetalum tolerates shearing and training into a treelike form.
Robert F. Polomski, ©2025, Clemson Extension

References

1. Author unknown. 1999. ‘Blush’ and ‘Burgundy’ Chinese fringe-flower. U.S. National Arboretum Elite Plants Gardens Unit. Washington, DC. [accessed 10 July 2025].
2. Avent T. 2022. “Name that plant – the misuse of trademarks in horticulture.” Perennial plant articles. Plant Delights Nursery, Inc. 17 May 2022 [accessed 12 July 2025]
3. Avent T. 2023. Loropetalum, Loves and Lies. Juniper Level Botanic Garden. 20 March 2023. [accessed 12 July 2025].
4. Brickell CD, Alexander C, Cubey JJ, David JC, Hoffman MHA, Leslie AC, Malécot V, Jin X. (eds). 2016. International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants, 9th ed. International Society for Horticultural Science, Belgium.
5. Dirr, M.A., Y.Q. Huo, and S.A. Hartzler. 1995. A guide to the pink-flowered loropetalums. Nursery Management and Production 11:30-31.
6. Harmon CL et 2018. Bacterial gall of Loropetalum chinense caused by Pseudomonas amygdali pv. loropetali pv. Nov. Plant Disease 104(4).
7. Pooler, M. 2011. U.S. National Arboretum Plant Introduction Loropetalum chinense ‘Snow Panda.’ [accessed 10 July 2025].
8. Pooler, M.R. 2013. Loropetalum chinense ‘Snow Panda.’ HortScience. 48(7):906.
9. Singh, R. 2015. Bacterial gall on Loropetalum; Pseudomonas savastanoi. Louisiana Plant Pathology Disease Identification and Management Series. Pub. 3479. [accessed 10 July 2025].
10. Wu W., Wen S, Feng T, Chen G, Yang B. 2021. Review of Loropetalum chinense as an industrial, aesthetic, and genetic resource in China. HortScience. 56(10):1148–1153.

Originally published 08/09