Would Loropetalum rubrum Do Better In Clay or Topsoil (Loam + Compost)

2 years ago

last modified: 2 years ago

I have some nice Loropetalum chinense var rubrum that I want to plant as a hedge, under the base of another hedge, to provide some color variation. Because the area I am planting in will accumulate puddles of slow draining water during heavy rain - it is at the base of a long slope away from the home - I am going to build a raised bed for the planting. Would these plants prefer to be in an ordinary California clay soil or in a topsoil that drains better? The clay soil is a clay loam, not hard clay. But it is certainly far away from a sandy loam. The topsoil I would buy from the garden center would be a sandy loam that has some finished bark compost added. I could optionally just mix my own topsoil from 90% sandy loam + 10% finished garden waste compost.

Does anyone who has experience with this species have any ideas on the preferred soil for the raised bed?

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Comments (3)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
2 years ago
the general suggestion with BAD clay soil ... is to use a loose friable soil on top. and plant high ... so as to create proper drainage ... and to give the transplant time.. to put its roots down into the clay soil ...

clay soil in and of itself is not a bad soil.. nutrient wise ... its the potential for improper drainage... that might cause root issues... not allowing the transplant to survive long enough to adopt to native soil ...

having no hands on experience with your clay soil ... i dont know what to tell you to do specifically... but the usual default is to plant in native soil ... if you can get away with it ...

but .....

planting under old well established shrubs can be hard in the sense of water competition ... and if you dig.. every root of the elder you cut.. WILL be replaced by new feeder roots.. in the hole you dig.. probably faster than your babe can grow its own in that hole ... [this is the reason digging holes under maples is so problematic] ... so in this example.. planting in a berm of new soil.. might give the babe a head start ...

hows that for beating around the bush.. and not giving you an straight answer.. lol.. pun intended ...

thats the variables.. you figure out how to do it in your little slice of heaven.. keep us posted .... as you usually do ...

ken
westes Zone 9b California SF Bay thanked ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
westes Zone 9b California SF Bay
Original Author
2 years ago
@ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5 I am going to interpret that as "yes to a raised bed" and "yes to some kind of topsoil or sandy loam with organics added"
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Sara Malone Zone 9b
2 years ago
My Loropetalum are all in native soil - a lot of adobe here. They're pretty tough. And with the frequency that they are used in commercial plantings in Sonoma County, I'd say my experience is not unique.
westes Zone 9b California SF Bay thanked Sara Malone Zone 9b