Ruby loropetalum

Sun

Full sun to partial shade; morning sun with afternoon shade is helpful in hot climates. Too much shade reduces flowering and purple leaf colour.

Water

Keep evenly moist while establishing. Once rooted, water deeply during prolonged dry spells; avoid constantly wet soil.

Soil

Acidic, humus-rich, well-drained soil, ideally around pH 5.0-6.5. Alkaline soil can cause yellow leaves and poor growth.

Height

4-6 ft (1.2-1.8 m)

Spread

4-6 ft (1.2-1.8 m)

Flowers

Clusters of bright pink, narrow-petalled flowers in spring, sometimes with lighter repeat flowering later in the year.

Foliage

Evergreen. Small, oval leaves emerge ruby-red to reddish purple, then mature towards dark burgundy or olive-green. Colour varies with light, temperature and leaf age.

Growth

Moderate, becoming faster in warm conditions with adequate moisture.

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Deer resistant
• Heat tolerant
• Wildlife
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1.6 ft (0.5 m)

2. After 1 year

   2.5 ft (0.75 m)

3. After 2 years

   3 ft (1 m)

4. After 3 years

   4 ft (1.3 m)

5. After 5 years

   5 ft (1.5 m)

   full size

About 4 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Growth rate

Fast

• Plant with the top of the root ball level with, or slightly above, the surrounding soil.
• Water deeply through the first growing season, allowing the surface soil to begin drying between waterings.
• Spread 2-3 in (5-8 cm) of organic mulch over the root zone, keeping it clear of the stems.
• Apply a modest amount of slow-release fertiliser for acid-loving shrubs in spring if growth is weak.
• Choose a sheltered position in colder areas and protect young plants during severe freezes.

Pruning. Prune just after the main spring flowering, shortening stray shoots and removing dead or damaged wood. Avoid repeated hard shearing, which spoils the natural shape and can remove developing flower buds.

Spring

Plant once the soil is workable and severe frost has passed; water thoroughly.

Spring

Refresh mulch and feed lightly if needed.

Late spring

After flowering, lightly shape the shrub and remove winter-damaged shoots.

Summer

Water during extended dry weather and check pale or declining plants for drainage or soil-pH problems.

Autumn

Avoid hard pruning and nitrogen-rich feeding that encourage frost-tender growth.

Winter

Protect young plants from severe freezes and drying winds; check that the root zone is not waterlogged.

• Plant as an informal hedge, allowing enough space for its rounded mature outline.
• Use beside pale-flowered azaleas or white camellias for contrast with the dark young foliage.
• Place in a foundation border where its evergreen framework remains visible through winter.
• Combine with ferns and Japanese forest grass along a lightly shaded woodland edge.

Garden styles it suits: Southern, Traditional, Woodland, Modern courtyard, Japanese and Low-maintenance.

Plant it with: Azaleas, Camellias, Japanese pieris, Japanese forest grass, Autumn fern and Lilyturf.

Wildlife: Flowers provide some food for visiting insects, and dense evergreen growth offers shelter for small birds.

• Yellow leaves with green veins often indicate nutrient lock-up in alkaline soil: test the soil, correct unsuitable conditions and use chelated iron only as a targeted treatment.
• Root rot and dieback occur in poorly drained soil: improve drainage, reduce watering and replace badly affected plants rather than replanting into the same wet conditions.
• Spider mites can cause stippled, dull foliage in hot, dry weather: rinse leaf undersides and use an appropriate insecticidal soap if an infestation persists.
• Cold winds and hard freezes can scorch leaves or kill shoots: provide shelter and wait until spring growth begins before cutting back to healthy wood.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses, and no particular part is recognised as poisonous. Species-specific information for horses is limited; it is an ornamental plant, not food or forage.

• Other purple-leaved loropetalums (Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum cultivars)

  Many have nearly identical flowers and young foliage. 'Ruby' usually forms a rounded shrub with leaves that become greener as they age, but a reliable nursery label is the best way to confirm the cultivar.

• Chinese fringe tree (Chionanthus retusus)

  This is a deciduous small tree with green leaves and white fringed flowers, rather than an evergreen shrub with pink flowers.

• Purple-leaved Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii purple-leaved cultivars)

  Barberry has sharp stem spines, small yellow flowers and deciduous leaves; loropetalum has unarmed stems and pink ribbon-like petals.

Loropetalum comes from Greek words meaning strap and petal, referring to the narrow flower petals; chinense means Chinese, and 'Ruby' refers to the reddish colouring.

Propagation. Take semi-ripe cuttings in summer and root them in a moist, free-draining medium with humidity and gentle warmth. Seed will not reliably reproduce the characteristics of 'Ruby'.

Accepted botanical name

Loropetalum chinense

Native range

Assam, China South-Central, China Southeast, Japan, Taiwan and Thailand.

Measured

Average height 820 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0) and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.