Re: Question of the day

Loropetalums don't seem to do well here in So Cal at all.  That said, the best looking one I know of is planted (I actually planted it) outside my mother in law's hot, poorly irrigated and windy front condo garden in Chatsworth, one of the most extreme condition areas of the San Fernando Valley, north of Los Angeles (and just slightly milder than where Ben Armentrout Wiswall lives).

I took her to the nursery to pick out some plants and tried my best to dissuade her from choosing a Loropetalum, but to no avail.  So, it grows there, happily, and I'm always amazed to see it!


On Jul 18, 2011, at 7:22 PM, Ernie Wasson wrote:

Hi Carol,
I was memorized when the purple Loropetalums first came out but have come to dislike them since they often look like you describe. One of those plants that looks awesome grown in a nursery pot but goes downhill soon after.
Ernie

On Jul 18, 2011, at 9:36 AM, Carol Moholt wrote:

Loropetalum chinense 'Chang Nian Hong'

Never plant a brand new introduction!  You just don't know its growth pattern from a catalog description or a view in a 5 gallon container.  This plant is rangy, with stems stiffer than my German Shepherd dog's legs.  The other issue is that the leaves are bright red, and I was assuming a more burgundy green red as with the pink and plum flowered varieties.  I bought this because of the bright red flowers, which are lovely, but the rest of the bush is so bright red you never even see the flowers.  I put in three, as a major understory shrub planting in the front of the house, under bedroom windows and they just isn't working. I also have many other red-leaved plants in that area.  However, to pull them out and start over is going to make for a big hole in an established border.

Carol

On Jul 18, 2011, at 9:11 AM, Nan Sterman wrote:

Woke up thinking about this this morning - What do you regret planting in your garden (or someone else's) and why?


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