Native Plants

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Friday - February 26, 2010

From: Lincoln, NE
Region: Midwest
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Scale on non-native Loropetalum in Lincoln, NE
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

Hi,I have found lots of scale insects on my Loropetalum (esp the young leaves) and ended up spraying some white oil to get rid of them. Unfortunately, I might have overdone it and the young shoots are all dead and my entire tree is turning brown. The leaves are withering. Is it dying? How should I "revive" my poor tree?

ANSWER:

Lorapetalum chinense, sometimes called "Fringe Flower," is native to China and Japan and therefore out of our range of expertise, since the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is committed to the care, protection and propagation of plants native not only to North America but to the area in which they are being grown. Nativity to an area may be a first clue to what has happened to your plant. Loropetalum is mostly grown in the Southeastern United States, hardy in Zones 7 to 10. Lancaster County, NE appears to be in USDA Hardiness Zone 4b to 5b, with average annual minimum temperatures ranging from -30 to -10F. Your plant may have simply frozen to death, other pests aside. Since we have no idea what the "white oil" you sprayed with is, we can't say if that contributed to the problem.