Loropetalum chinense is a hot-pink relative of the witch hazel.
The most dangerous thing that can happen at a plant fair is that you find something you’ve never heard of before. There I was, wandering innocently around the last RHS plant fair in London when I saw what looked like a hot pink witch hazel.
The stall holder managed to calm me down enough to tell me that this is Loropetalum chinense, which is a relative of the witch hazel, but produces these stunning, striking blooms, and prefers an acid soil.
And even though I was on my way to work, and even though I had promised myself I would just pop in and out of the plant fair, and even though my soil is chalky (though it has a lot of heavy clay in it too, and gardeners all around seem to grow large magnolias and camellias in it without any trouble), I bought it.
I’ll grow it in a pot - it will reach about 4ft when it is mature - and put it in the greenhouse over winter as it is not fully frost hardy. And I hope that anyone who visits my garden will be as mesmerised by my hot pink witch hazel as I was when first I saw it.
that’s such a lovely shade of pink
Of course you bought it, what else was there to do? It’s beautiful - and I’m sure it’ll grow for you! #hdygg