Evergreen Shrubs (Flowering) – Carolina Midnight Loropetalum

• Carolina midnight loropetalum

Botanical name: loropetalum chinense ‘carolina midnight’

Beginner friendly?: yes

Average size at maturity: 10 – 15 ft in height and a 6 – 10 ft spread

Bloom time: year-round 

Hardy zone: Zones 7-10

Flower color: pink

Foliage color: purple/red/green

Growth rate: grows 6 – 24 inches a year 

Pruning instructions: Prune as soon as the plant is done flowering. Do not remove more that ¼ of the size of the plant at once

Propagation methods: cut a stem just below a node and place in water until roots start to emerge

Landscape use: Accent, Bed, Borders, Hedge, Mass Planting, Screening

Light needs: 4 – 7 hours of sun a day

Special features: can be maintained as a shrub or trained to grow as a small tree

Watering instructions: water every other day for the first 3 – 4 months and then reduce watering to about once every week or 2 depending on the amount of rainfall throughout the week

Fertilizing instructions : Use 8-8-8 every 2 months during growing season

Best time to plant: spring, early summer

Best type of soil: loamy 

Companion plants: nandinas, agapanthus, daylilies

Toxicity level: non-toxic for humans and petsI

nvasive species: no