Planting, caring for and hibernating belt blossom

This colorful plant with extraordinary flowers is a real gem in the garden. The ornamental shrub shines in full splendor, while most of the other plants are not yet in the starting blocks.

The Belt Flower (Loropetalum chinense) is the ideal plant to give your garden that certain something even in the cold season. Everything you need to know about care, location requirements and the most beautiful varieties of the evergreen shrub can be found here.

Belt flower: origin, flowering and characteristics

As the botanical name of the belt flower suggests, it has its origins in China, Japan and northeastern India. There it can even reach a height of up to three meters. In our climate, the evergreen shrub grows to about 1.5 meters high and roughly the same width. The deciduous wood is mostly strongly branched and characterized by a bushy, dense growth. The leaves of the belt bloom are ovate, with entire margins, slightly pointed at the end and alternate on the shoots. In addition, leaves, petioles and young shoots have light hairs. Depending on the variety, the leaves are intensely purple in color and the flowers have pink-red or rich green leaves and bloom white or pink. The flowers of the

Loropetalum chinense sit in groups of three to six in the leaf axils on annual and perennial wood. They also remind something of them Witch hazel (Witch hazel) and not without reason. Because both plants come from the witch hazel family (Hamamelidaceae). Despite the strikingly designed flowers, the belt flower is not exceptionally bee-friendly.

tip: The shrub is only partially hardy and needs to be protected from prolonged freezing temperatures, which is why the container culture is ideal in most locations.

The most beautiful belt blossom varieties

Of course, among the most popular varieties of belt flower are those that add the most color to the garden. We will present these to you in more detail below.

• Loropetalum chinense ˈEmerald Snowˈ: This variety wears an emerald-green foliage with snow-white flowers and grows to around 60 to 90 cm tall. The main flowering time of "Emerald Snow" is in spring.
• Loropetalum chinense ˈBlack Pearlˈ: The leaves of the Black Pearlˈ variety are deep dark red to blackish red and the pink flowers also appear in March and April. This belt flower can reach a height of 150 cm.

• Loropetalum chinense ˈEver redˈ: A somewhat smaller specimen with a height of 70 to 80 cm and a width of around 100 cm is the ˈEver Redˈ variety. It is adorned with reddish flowers from March to April.
• Loropetalum chinense ˈRuby Snowˈ: The contrasting play of colors of the flowers and leaves make this variety a special eye-catcher. Its flowers are snow-white and the foliage is dark purple. The plant becomes about 80 to 100 cm high and 100 to 150 cm wide. The flowering period extends from February to April.
• Loropetalum chinense "Ming Dynasty": The bronze-colored shoot of this variety later changes to medium green foliage. The pink-red, fragrant flowers appear from March to May. In addition, the shrub can reach a height of 180 to 200 cm.

Location, earth and Co.

The belt bloom should only be planted outdoors in regions with mild winter temperatures, because it hardly tolerates freezing temperatures. However, the shrub is ideally suited for container culture, which also enables frost-free overwintering. This variant should be preferred to outdoor planting in our latitudes. The evergreen plant likes to be in a sunny to partial shade and is best in a protected location.

Notice: Although the belt bloom is an evergreen shrub, it can also shed its foliage in cool locations in winter.

The belt bloom needs a permeable, humus rich, nutrient-rich soil, the pH of which is optimally in the weakly acidic range. Our Plantura Bio-Acid Soil can be mixed in as required. It consists of 100% natural raw materials and is also peat-reduced.

When planting in a tub, it is essential to ensure that the excess irrigation water can drain off. Otherwise, the shrub is not planted deeper than before in the permeable, nutrient-rich soil. An acidic, purely organic substrate should preferably be used here, as is ours Plantura Bio-Acid Soil well suited. If mild temperatures and a protected location allow planting outdoors, a planting distance of about 100 cm should be maintained.

Uses:

• In bucket culture
• As a solitaire in the bed; only in mild locations and with winter protection 
• As a hedge plant; only in mild locations and with winter protection
• Can be formed as a stem
• Cultivated as a bonsai

Loropetalum chinense: The most important care measures

There is not too much to consider when caring for the belt flower. The plant's water requirement is low to medium: the soil should always be well moist, but the shrub can also tolerate periods of drought. As far as fertilization is concerned, the belt flower should be supported at least once in spring with a flowering shrub fertilizer. It is best to use a slow release fertilizer that gradually releases its nutrients and supplies the roots continuously. Our Plantura organic hydrangea fertilizer for example is ideal for plants that prefer acidic soil and has a long-term effect of at least three months. In addition, it is recommended that the soil be replaced with fresh substrate about every two years in spring when growing in a bucket. A pruning measure is almost never necessary due to the strongly branched, bushy growth. If, for example, a spherical shape is desired, the topiary can be carried out in early spring.

Tip: The belt bloom as a blooming bonsai
The belt blossom can even be cultivated as a bonsai in small bowls. In order to achieve the typical growth habit, the branches, shoots and roots have to be cut back regularly. This is done approximately every six to eight weeks from May to September. The so-called wire, in which the branches are wrapped in a spiral with an aluminum wire, is another way of shaping the plant. The repotting, which is also accompanied by the root pruning, takes place about every two years in spring. It is important that a more permeable substrate is mixed in with the bonsai culture. For example, use our acidic soil mixed with 40% granite chippings. Otherwise waterlogging can quickly occur in the narrow bonsai pots.

Is the belt bloom hardy?

Loropetalum chinense tolerates only a few minus degrees and is sensitive to frost. It should therefore be overwintered in frost-free locations. However, as long as the temperature only drops briefly to -3 ° C, the belt bloom can withstand the cold. When wintering, temperatures of 8 to 12 ° C should be maintained. Watering should not be dispensed with during this time, but the amount of water can be greatly reduced.

Is the belt flower poisonous?

The toxicity of Loropetalum chinense has hardly been investigated so far. However, due to the fact that it belongs to the Hamamelidaceae family, consumption can trigger - mostly harmless - heart palpitations. We generally advise against consuming ornamental plants unless they are labeled as safe useful or medicinal plants. Therefore, measures should be taken to discourage children and pets from eating parts of plants.

If you feel like adding even more color to your garden, then we have the right suggestions here: In our special article we provide you Shrubs and trees with intense autumn colors before.