Globe Topiary - Loropetalum Chinense

Globe Topiary Loropetalum Chinense

Loropetalum Chinense
The Chinese Fringe Bush, Latin name Loropetalum Chinense, is a slow-growing evergreen member of the witch hazel family that flowers in winter and makes excellent topiary. Our version is trained as a topiary globe to show off a profusion of bright winter flowers.

Chinese fringe bush has evergreen foliage that’s small and overlapping making it a very forgiving topiary choice. Its green foliage grows slowly and strongly and is often tinged with red-purple undersides. Sweet-scented winter flowers can be white, pink or red such as the pinky-purple flowers on the cultivar Loropetalum Chinense ‘Fire Dance’. All flowers are strappy star-shaped blooms, much like its cousin the witch hazel, and flower profusely on the end of short branches in the colder months.

Height and Spread of Loropetalum Chinense
Chinese Fringe Bush is naturally compact and grows in a ball shape. It will reach 50 cm to a metre in all directions, but you can keep it smaller with regular trimming.

How Hardy is Loropetalum Chinense
This is a hardy plant down to sub-zero temperatures.

Loropetalum Chinense will grow throughout the UK but will do best in a sheltered spot away from harsh winds that can cause leaf drop and damage flowers.   

How To Use Loropetalum Chinense
Chinese Fringe Bush is a great choice for topiary enthusiasts as it takes well to training and is happy to be clipped. Because it’s an evergreen Loropetalum brings winter structure to a flower border and colour to a patio or deck when it’s grown in pots. Its rounded form creates an unusual pathway border too. Chinese fringe bush is a good choice for wildlife gardens as it provides shelter for over-wintering insects and its winter to early spring flowers provide much-needed nectar for pollinators in the colder months.

How To Care For Loropetalum Chinense
This fragrant evergreen prefers well-drained rich soil but it performs well in all soils so long as it isn’t waterlogged. It’s best to keep Loropetalum sheltered from gusty winds and frosts to ensure the foliage and flowers are not damaged. Prune away any dead or damaged growth in mid-spring before any flowers appear and again after flowering has finished. Because Chinese fringe flower likes rich soils, a thick application of mulch before flowering encourages strong, healthy foliage and bright blooms.