John Heider · Gardenality Genius · Zone 9B · 25° to 30° F · Comment About Feeding
Fertilize the Loropetalum in April or after spring blooming and again in June to encourage growth. Use a slow-release ballanced tree and shrub food. Follow the directions on the package, but apply the fertilizer lightly. Water in well so as not to burn shallow feeder roots.

Brent Wilson · Gardenality Administrator · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F · Comment About Planting
Plant Purple Pixie Loropetalum in sites that provide very well-drained soil and full sun to half a days shade. I've had this plant growing in my landscape for four years in both full sun and part shade and all are doing well. A few I had planted in an area where the soil stayed too wet bit the dust. Make sure to plant them in well-drained sites. Purple Pixie can be useful in the landscape as a groundcover on slopes, as a border, in small or large groups to provide bold splashes of color, or in containers where it will spill over the edges.

To plant, dig a hole no deeper than the root ball and two to three times the width of the root ball and fill it with water. If the hole drains within a few hours, you have good drainage. If the water is still standing 12 hours later, improve the drainage in your bed, perhaps by establishing a raised bed. Turn and break up the soil removed from the planting hole. If the native soil is dense, compacted or heavy clay mix in a good organic compost or soil amendment at a 50/50 ratio with the soil removed from the hole. Remove your plant from its container and carefully but firmly loosen the root ball. Set the plant into the hole you've prepared, making sure the top of the root ball is slightly above the soil level. Pull your backfill soil mixture around the root ball in the hole, tamping as you go to remove air pockets. Then water thoroughly and cover with a one to two-inch layer of mulch.

Brent Wilson · Gardenality Administrator · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F · Comment About Pruning
Purple Pixie is a low-growing, dwarf form of loropetalum that requires little if any pruning, only to remove a stray or broken branch.

Brent Wilson · Gardenality Administrator · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F · Comment About Problems
In the four years I've been growing this plant in my own landscape, I've yet to see any problems with insects, pests, or disease. Consistently wet soil can be a killer.