Loropetalums are not much seen around my region because, I believe, the soil is not sufficiently acidic. RHS advice is actually to plant in ericaceous compost. Also moist and well drained. Could your Italian garden provide those conditions?

Lorapetalums are very popular around here because they have a reputation for easy to grow plants and of course their unique color. They do NOT stop growing at whatever the tag says so you can definitely grow it around roses but be prepared to prune it if you want to keep it at a certain size. They are definitely worth trying.

Not familiar with the cultivar. The species became popular in the 80's in Gulf Coast region, I believe. The approx. 30 year old plants I am familiar with are now small to medium sized trees today.

I would expect the form of this cultivar to be similar to the semi-dwarf crepe myrtles (albeit maybe less drought resistant). I have not seem them perform well since moving to Central Texas, which might back up @floral_uk's observation.

Could be a very attractive backdrop to a large pale pink rose though.

Thanks, all. From what I've read/heard, loropetalum prefers acidic conditions but is NOT in the same league as azaleas, rhodies, or even camellias. The bed in which I wish to try it is one in which I hope to grow several purple floribundas, therefore I used a LOT of potting soil specific for ericaceous plants in order to make it. I know that our Diane Brakefield uses a fertilizer specific for acid-loving plants to keep her roses happy, so I figure a loropetalum might be worth a try if I maintain a fert regime that helps kep the soil on the acid side.

As far as the size-at-maturity goes, that seems a little more problematic. Some of the Internet sites I'm seeing says it only gets to be about 30 cms tall at most, others say it gets up to 1 meter tall. Now, 1 meter would be too tall for the spot I have in mind, but if it is, instead,a short plant with a weeping habit (as it's name seems to imply) it ought to be OK. Unfortuneately the very petit ones like "Purple Pixie"don't seem to be available here, at least not on-line. So, this would be an experiment,but isn't everything? https://www.shootgardening.com/plants/loropetalum-chinense-ruby-runner

It is so pretty. Good luck with this project!

Let's hope for the best. I can't find much info at all about this loropetalum "Ruby Runner"-almost nothing in English and very little in italian, even though a couple Italian nurseries offer it.

Googling dwarf loropetalums in English gave me varieties that don't seem to be available here ,though one nursery in Puglia seems to offer "Purple Pixie", but they don't have anything else special and don't seem to have an on-line buisness. It's not worth gambling on that,methinks. We shall see!

Bart bart, my soil is too alkaline to grow loropetalum, I tried one in the ground (improved with a tonne of ericaceous compost) and it turned a horrid olive green/brown colour. I do grow Black Pearl well in a large pot in an ericaceous mix, which keeps it relatively well behaved and purple. It doesn’t mind the odd watering with my alkaline well water when I run out of rainwater, but it does need to be kept well watered in general otherwise it wilts and it does prefer some afternoon shade.

Better behaved and tolerant of my alkaline soil, water and drought conditions is a columnar smoky purple/red berberis called Helmands Pillar, but that is a back of border shrub. Similarly, a compact purple euphorbia Miner’s Merlot does really well with little attention, copes with edge of border/draping over stone conditions and is exceedingly polite. The latter does have yellowish flowers, so pairs well with apricot and yellow roses and can also look good with reds.

Thanks, Nollie. I realize it's a gamble, but gardening is always so trial-and-error. I did find a purple euphorbia at an on-line nursery from whence I hope to order, but it doesn't have the look I'm after at all. If the loropetalum seems unable to accept this spot, I can dig it up and put it in a pot (I've got "Black Pearl" in a pot, too!), and try using ajuga or something instead...

BTW, do you get your plants from on-line nurseries? If so, can you share some addresses? Thanks in advance!

Oh very much so, bart, sometimes plants you think won’t work do well and vice versa

I buy from a mix of local GCs and French online nurseries for a much wider choice . Promesse de Fleurs is really good for shrubs, but their perennials have been more miss than hit for me of late, often mislabelled or duds. LePage is much better for perennials but not the easiest site to browse or search.

https://www.promessedefleurs.com

https://www.lepage-vivaces.com

Thank you, Nollie! will check them out.