How to pair Loropetalum?

In contrast to zesty foliage or flowering

Burgundy to purple shades pair well with anise-green tones. The tangy green brightens purple foliage, which can look a little dull. A pairing of these two colours is a fail-safe way to combine with Loropetalum. We are spoilt for choice among the green flowers and chartreuse foliage, and here we suggest some perennial plants and shrubs that will thrive in the same growing conditions, namely bright partial shade, moist, slightly acidic soil.

Beside a Loropetalum ‘Hot Spice’, group at least one other evergreen such as Coprosma ‘Marble Queen’ in mild climates, which brightens with its marbled foliage, and Nandina domestica ‘Lemon Lime’. For foliage, play with that of the alchemillas, whose flowering will coincide with that of Loropetalum, and a Helleborus foetidus, with its charming recurved green flowers. Include some spring-flowering plants in pink-red tones, such as columbines ‘Crimson Star‘, ‘Ruby Port’ or ‘Nora Barlow‘ to follow on from Loropetalum’s flowering. For extended flowering into summer, plant a few bulbs such as dwarf Aster ageratoides ‘Harry Schmidt’.

This scene is perfect in the garden for the transition from late winter to spring!

Clockwise from top left: Loropetalum ‘Hot Spice’, Coprosma ‘Marble Queen’, Alchemilla mollis, Aquilegia ‘Crimson Star’ and Helleborus foetidus ‘Sopron’

In a pot on the terrace

Different varieties available on the market remain modest in size, making most Loropetalum ideal candidates for container growing. Its evergreen nature is clearly a major asset for this use. Just take care to place it on a balcony or terrace sheltered from cold winds, given its overall moderate hardiness. On a small space it is particularly interesting to introduce distinctive foliage colours and shapes, and to incorporate other evergreen or semi-persistent foliage.

For example, surround Loropetalum ‘Ruby Snow’, which bears white flowers on purple foliage, with a dwarf honeysuckle whose mauve to purple flowering often occurs at the same time, such as ‘Chic et Choc‘. Beside them, add some attractive foliage, such as that of Pittosporum ‘Midget’, which stays neatly ball-shaped in its container, and the airy quality of Stipa tenuifolia. To complete this soft scheme, a small Japanese maple such as Acer palmatum ‘Ornatum’ will, over the years, add some height and a spreading silhouette. Its finely cut foliage and colours ranging from bronze through orange to purple are particularly appreciated, blending perfectly each season with ‘Ruby Snow”s purple foliage.

Each of these plants can be grown in containers on small balconies as well as on medium-sized terraces.

Clockwise from top: Lonicera ‘Chic et Choc’, Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Midget’, Stipa tenuissima, Loropetalum ‘Ruby Snow’ and Acer palmatum ‘Ornatum’

In a "winter garden" to warm the garden

A trend from England invites us to think of the garden as a winter setting, for the full palette of colours that flowering and bark bring in the cold season. With its persistence and bold colours, flowering from February, a Loropetalum chinense var rubrum has a rightful place in a border where other winter radiances are invited, such as a Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Diane’ or ‘Jelena‘, with graceful orange-red filaments that will flower from January, and dogwoods with decorative bark such as a Cornus alba ‘Magic Flame’.

Some perennials will be included, such as oriental hellebores to dress the ground with their grace in shades from white to pink, even almost black. Here we have chosen a double, pink-speckled hellebore, Helleborus ‘Double Blanc Guttatus’, but there is a wide range to choose from among oriental hellebores. They have the advantage of flowering for a long time, accompanying successive blooms. Also consider a Japanese quince, such as the striking ‘Kinshiden‘ with cream-and-green flowers, to support Loropetalum flowering around March.

Take the opportunity to place all this beauty in view of a remarkable bark such as that of a Betula septentrionalis, a Prunus serrula (Tibetan cherry) or an Acer griseum, if you have any in the garden.

Clockwise: Loropetalum rubrum, Chaenomeles ‘Kinshiden’, Hamamelis ‘Diane’, oriental hellebore, and decorative-barked dogwood ‘Magic Flame’

In a white garden or a shrubby border in white-and-yellow tones

If purple is more often associated with loropetalum, the type species, Loropetalum chinense, and some more compact cultivars such as the ‘Carolina Moonlight’ variety, or ‘Ruby Snow’ mentioned above when grown in a pot, stand out with a delicate white flowering, infused with green at the heart of the flower. Surrounding them with white, cream to pale-yellow blooms will provide a radiant, very bright display from late winter, like an ode to the first days of spring.

For example, plant in partial shade or non-scorching sun a Loropetalum chinense (one of the taller specimens) surrounded by a Garry eliptica, with long, drooping cream inflorescences, and a long-flowering botanical camellia with evergreen foliage such as Camellia transnokoensis. A few shrubs with delicate pale-yellow flowers on bare wood — Chimonanthus praecox, Corylopsis pauciflora, and Edgeworthia chrysantha — will make a beautiful companion. If deciduous, the Edgeworthia will develop an attractive winter silhouette over the years and interesting foliage for the rest of the season.

All shrubs mentioned here remain modest in size and prefer neutral to acidic soil, which makes it possible to design this bed in a small garden, urban garden or enclosed garden.

Clockwise from top: Camellia transnokoensis; Chimonanthus praecox; Garry eliptica; Loropetalum chinense; and Edgeworthia chrysantha

In a Japanese garden

Loropetalum, with its rounded, flared silhouette, fits well with Japanese garden aesthetic. Its purple foliage works wonders with that of Japanese maples with bronze- or gold-foliage such as ‘Orange Lace‘, whose colouring changes with the seasons. Here is a suggestion featuring a purple Loropetalum ‘Plum Gorgeous’, with a spreading habit, which can also adapt to an acid-soil border in part shade, in which case plant around it several shrubs for heather soil.

A Azalea serpyllifolium, botanical and dwarf, delightful with small leaves and pale pink spring flowering, will provide soft tones that contrast with the bold purple Loropetalum. Pair it with a larger azalea, such as ‘Jolie Madame‘, to add volume to the group.

Around them, plant a Fatsia japonica, some ferns such as Coniogramme emeiensis or a few clumps of black ophiopogons and liriope for staggered flowering in late summer, together with a variegated Pieris, ‘Pieris japonica ‘Little Heath Variegata’, and a Skimmia japonica ‘Rubella’ whose flowering shades echo the Loropetalum. Ideally, plant a small cloud-pruned conifer (Ilex crenata, yew…) or a dwarf pine to emphasise the Japanese atmosphere. You can also include in this large border a small hydrangea that changes colour in autumn, such as ‘Daredevil’ with its sublime hues echoing the Loropetalum.

Clockwise from top: Loropetalum ‘Plum Gorgeous’, Azalea serpyllifolium, Skimmia japonica ‘Rubella’, cloud-pruned Ilex crenata and Pieris ‘Little Heath Variegata’

In a tone-on-tone border

Try a Loropetalum in an all-pink-and-mauve planting, for an enchanting tone-on-tone spring display. It’s a Loropetalum with intensely pink flowers, the Loropetalum chinense ‘Ming Dynasty’, and a Judas tree that will dazzle with spectacular pink blooms, on bare wood in April for Cercis siliquastrum. Around them, a myriad of pink flowers appearing at the same time are essential: Mistress tulips planted in drifts, a pink creeping bugle groundcover to provide a cheerful small groundcover, purple heucheras that will flower later with delicate blooms, etc. A few Bletilla striata ‘Purple’ or ‘Blue Dragon‘ will take over from May or June.
Consider adding some mid-summer flowering, for example Alstroemeria ‘Mauve Majesty’ to ensure a long flowering period into autumn.

This beautiful bed will be particularly at home in a pink garden.

Clockwise from top: Cercis siliquastrum, Bletilla striata ‘Purple’, heucheras ‘Plum Royal’, Loropetalum ‘Ming’ and tulips ‘Mistress Mystic’