Loropetalum chinense

Hamamelidaceae

The Chinese Fringe Tree can be grown as a flowering shrub or a flowering tree, depending on the available room and how you prune it. It has greyish-green leaves and pink blooms in the spring that resemble a piece of fringe.

If left to grow, it can reach 6 ft. with an 8 ft. wide span. This plant prefers either full or partial sun. In Florida, with our intense summer suns, it's better to give it some shade. Because it prefers an acid soil, I have mine planted right beside a bed of azaleas on the east side of the house where it gets morning sun and afternoon shade. Plant blooms are white, red or blush (pink).

I have a second shrub on the north side of the house and it, too, gets morning sun and afternoon shade. I've had my fringe trees/shrubs for less than a year so my experience with them is limited yet. My neighbor to the right, Martha, has several fringe plants growing as shrubs and they are lovely. My plans call for the fringe on the east side to remain a shrub and the one on the north side to grow as a tree.