Say hello to Purple Diamond® Semi-dwarf Loropetalum, tamed and improved for today’s landscape. With compact growth and enriched color, Purple Diamond brings loropetalums into the 21st Century. No longer relegated to the spacious back forty, loropetalum can now take center stage in the landscape. Here are a few ways to use this garden gem.
Radiant Accent
The fountain-like form and deep purple color make for a striking accent in the garden. Purple Diamond® has the richest color of any purple-leafed loropetalum on the market, and its color lasts all season – despite summer heat or winter chill. Try planting Purple Diamond in entrance beds to welcome visitors year round. The spring floral display will wow guests, and you may enjoy encore performances of the vibrant pink blossoms throughout summer.
Design Tips
- Create contrast to draw attention – try golden or silver-blue foliage.
- Texture also provides contrast. Pair Purple Diamond with grasses or the fine-textured ‘Soft Caress’ Mahonia.
- Let Purple Diamond shine – limit other purple foliage in close proximity.
- Echo the color purple in nearby flowers. Try a a mass of Little Blue Fountain™ Agapanthus.
- Accentuate the vase-like form of Purple Diamond with contrasting forms such as the low mounding Yewtopia® Plum Yew or columnar evergreens.
Mass Color
The compact size of Purple Diamond® Loropetalum is ideal for massing in beds and borders. Groups of plants will add a bold pop of color in a large border. For a formal design, plant in rows for a lush hedge. Or plant a playfully winding line of purple through a large bed. Go modern by planting a rectangular block of Purple Diamond in a grid pattern. Depending on the color of your house, Purple Diamond can make a stunning foundation. This application works best with light-colored facades.
Design Tips
- Avoid pruning hedgerows of Purple Diamond® – the arching foliage will create a stunning, natural hedge.
- There is such a thing as too much purple – balance Purple Diamond® with plenty of greenery in a foundation planting.
- Loropetalum is excellent for stabilizing soil. Plant in masses along slopes.
- Play with color in a bed or border. Pair Purple Diamond® with the golden foliage of ‘Lemon Lime’ Nandina and echo the foliage color in the bulky blooms of ‘Big Daddy’ Hydrangea.
- Repetition is a useful device. Repeat clumps of Purple Diamond® throughout the design.
Purple is a great color for garden design as it harmonizes with so many other colors in the landscape.
