Walton's Plant Library

Other Names:  Chinese Fringe Flower, Chinese Witch Hazel

Description:

A delighful spring-blooming shrub with stunning pink strap-like flowers literally smothering the plant; coppery new foliage that matures to plum adds a nice texture; an easy to grow and well-behaved shrub for general garden use

Ornamental Features

Plum Delight Chinese Fringeflower is draped in stunning fragrant hot pink strap-like flowers along the branches in early spring. It has plum purple evergreen foliage which emerges coppery-bronze in spring. The oval leaves remain plum purple throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Plum Delight Chinese Fringeflower is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Plum Delight Chinese Fringeflower is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Plum Delight Chinese Fringeflower will grow to be about 8 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 8 feet. It has a low canopy, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. It is particular about its soil conditions, with a strong preference for rich, acidic soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.