On 7/29/11 dwarf purple pixie were planted in the front of my house facing North. All along front close to the house. I live in St. Petersburg FL. Since planting we've had plenty of rain. I've noticed they've lost leaves now looking sparse as if dying. What can I do to save these beautiful plants?

Answer #1 · Brent Wilson's Answer · Without seeing the plants and knowing the soil; how well or poorly drained it is, it's hard to give a proper diagnosis. My best guess is that the problem has to do with drainage. Loropetalums prefer very well-drained soil...as they do not like wet feet: consistently moist or wet soil. Regarding hardiness, Purple Pixie loropetalums should do okay in your USDA Zone (9b) as they are listed as hardy in zones 7a to 9b.

I've got several patches of Purple Pixie planted in my own landscape. The one's that are doing the best are planted on a sloped area that provides good drainage and full sun. I did lose two out of three in a patch that was planted in a low-lying area on the south side of my home. I'm in the nursery business and we have several Pixie's planted under a Drake Elm that are doing great. They are growing in morning sun with afternoon shade and on a slope with well-drained soil. This particular group were the first Pixie's that we ever received at our nursery several years ago.

What to do about your plants? I would suggest lifting a plant out of the ground to check the soil for moisture. If the soil is wet or boggy, and does not drain well, I'd do something to improve the drainage. This usually requires putting in a drainage system or raising the soil in the area. If the soil cannot be raised in the entire area, the plants can be lifted up and planted higher in their own "raised mound." Planting in a raised mound allows the roots of the plants to grow down to the water table rather than sit in the water table. If you determine the problem is drainage, do something as soon as possible to improve drainage. Otherwise, the plants could develop root rot, if they haven't already?

This being said, it could be a problem with insects or disease however I've not seen these problems with Purple Pixie Loropetalum.

Hope this info helped.)