Create magical containers and carpet the garden floor with intense purple foliage and vibrant pink blooms.
This compact variety hugs the ground, spreading its flowing limbs in graceful waves.
With vibrant purple foliage, few plants look as spectacular spilling from containers or cascading over stone walls.
Credit:Southern Living Plant Collection
The evergreen foliage does not fade in the summer or winter, providing rich color all year long.
Purple Pixie Dwarf Weeping Loropetalum dazzles in containers and brings movement and brilliant jewel tones to the garden floor.
Purple Pixie looks lovely flowing down slopes and over terraces, where it works to stabilize soil.
Best of all, these pint sized Loropetalum dont require a lot of pampering.
Purple Pixie Dwarf Weeping Loropetalum is hardy in USDA zones 7-10.
Be sure to locate plants where they will thrive, starting with the proper soil conditions.
Purple Pixie plants require acidic soil with good drainage.
Plants need at least four hours of direct sun each day for optimal bloom.
Soil
The proper soil conditions are critical for Loropetalum health.
Plant Purple Pixie in loose, loamy soil with good drainage to prevent root rot.
Loropetalums thrive in acidic soils, but tolerate soils with pH between 4.0 and 7.0.
Once established, Purple Pixie is drought tolerant, however plants perform best with consistent moisture.
Avoid overwatering, as Loropetalum roots can be prone to rotting in wet soil.
Strive for moist but not soggy soil through occasional deep irrigation when rainfall is insufficient.
Mulch plants with pine straw, shredded bark, or wood chips to retain soil moisture.
Temperature and Humidity
Loropetalums are sensitive to very cold weather.
Plants thrive in the heat and humidity of Southern gardens.
Arid conditions can prove challenging.
In dry climates, mist plants to maintain humidity.
Water potted Loropetalums well before transplanting to prevent the roots from drying out during the planting process.
Dig a planting hole 2-3 times as wide as the root ball.
This allows you to spread the root system.
Gently remove the plant from its pot and loosen the roots.
Back fill the planting hole with soil, pressing the soil down gently with your hands.
Water plants thoroughly and apply 1 to 2 inches of mulch, avoiding the area closest to stem.
Pruning Purple Pixie Dwarf Weeping Loropetalum
Purple Pixie requires very little pruning to maintain its ground-hugging stature.
Trim stems back to a side branch, leaving some stems longer than others.
This helps maintain the shrubs natural appearance.
How To Get Purple Pixie Loropetalum to Bloom
Loropetalums bloom best when they receive ample sunlight.
Be sure the planting site receives at least four hours of direct sun each day.
Pruning Purple Pixie Dwarf Weeping Loropetalum at the wrong time of year can also reduce flowering.
Do not prune in winter or early spring.
If needed, wait until after the spring flowering season to prune plants.
Like other broadleaf evergreens, Loropetalums benefit from protection against strong winter winds to avoid desiccation.
Likewise, broadleaf evergreens need moisture throughout the winter months to prevent desiccating.
verify plants are well watered going into fall and winter.
Continue watering about once a month to keep the soil moist, but not wet.
Stop irrigating if the ground freezes or snow falls.
Plants can also be damaged by extreme cold.
Cover plants with burlap, blankets, or shrub wraps if temperatures are predicted to fall below 0F.
Containers will dry out more quickly than ground soil, even in winter.
Another option is to mound mulch around the pot and wrap in a heavy blanket or burlap.
Consider moving potted plants into an unheated garage when below-freezing conditions are expected.
Purple Pixie stems tend to mound up slightlybefore spilling, giving containers a dense, full appearance.
Select containers with good drainage and use frost-proof pots in areas where frost is expected in winter.
When repotting Loropetalums, select a container that is one to two sizes larger than the current pot.
Remember that potted plants dry out faster than those planted in the ground.
Water containers deeply when the upper two inches of soil feels dry to the touch.
Fertilize potted Loropetalums with a water-soluble fertilizer for acid-loving plants according to label directions from spring through mid-summer.
Plants are not bothered by any serious insect or disease problems.
Occasional pest outbreaks can occur, particularly when plants are stressed due to drought or other factors.
Watch for mites and aphids, which can easily be washed from plants using a heavy stream of water.
Persistent problems can be treated with an insecticidal soap or horticultural oil.
Scales can also impact stressed plants and are best avoided by maintaining plant health through proper watering and fertilization.
Heavy scale infestations can be managed through selective pruning to remove impacted branches or treatment with horticultural oil.
Like many landscape shrubs, Loropetalums can be impacted by powdery mildew and anthracnose.
Adjusting cultural practices is the best way to manage these diseases.
Infected plants can also be pruned to remove severely diseased branches or treated with fungicide.
Bacterial gall can also impact Loropetalums.
This disease causes branch dieback and can ultimately kill shrubs and is recognizable by dark-colored galls on branches.
Prune infected branches out by cutting several inches below the galls.
There is no cure for bacterial gall, however, pruning can limit spread.
Likewise, treating diseased and healthy plants with fungicide can reduce the spread of this disease.
Common Problems
Most problems with Loropetalums can be avoided through proper plant placement and care.
For example, root rot can be avoided by planting in soil with good drainage and avoiding excess irrigation.
Cultural problems can be detected by watching for leaf discoloration.
These can be easily remedied by amending soil pH with elemental sulfur or adjusting fertilization practices.
Cold damage and soil moisture problems are easy to rule out based on weather and irrigation patterns.
Plant diseases can also cause leaf discoloration.
Powdery mildew and anthracnose may cause leaves to turn yellow, but is accompanied by other symptoms.
Inthe case of powdery mildew, white or gray powdery looking growth will be visible on the foliage.
If leaves prematurely wither and drop, this may be a sign of anthracnose.
Despite these occasional challenges, Purple Pixie Dwarf Weeping Loropetalum is overall very easy to maintain.
Proper irrigation and fertilization go a long way toward maintaining healthy, beautiful plants.
Purple Pixie is deer resistant and drought tolerant once established.
And for the most part, you’re able to skip pruning all together.
What more can you ask from this dazzling shrub?
