Well, good news- I can't say that a hungry deer wouldn't eat them but they don't prefer them. I've had several for about five years now and so far, so good. Mine are in partial shade in an area where deer have eaten other plants ( Indian hawthorne, sweet potato vines, etc.) and no damage .

My deer have never touched the Loropetalums and I have several planted in different places around the garden, but I know of other gardeners who have experienced problems with deer browsing them.

I just planted about 6 of them this Spring. We have a ton of deer here and so far nothing. It's only been 10 days, but so far so good. I'll let you know if anything changes.

My deer herd picks them clean in winter and leaves them alone in summer -- meaning that I don't get spring blooms unless I fence them off with a 32" high edging fence in winter through spring.

I do get blooms in the fall because they don't eat them in summer.

I moved one of my two inside the cottage garden fence last September because I was tired of not having a pretty loropetalum in spring. The other one is fine and blooming right now because I did protect it with the temporary fence over the winter and it is still behind that edging. So, this is the first time since they were planted in 2005 that I have blooms on my loropetalum (and leaves for that matter).

I wrote up a story about plants that are on "deer resistant lists" that haven't been deer resistant with my local herd.

Cameron

Here is a link that might be useful: Deer resistant or not

Thanks. Did y'all plant any specific variety, or just loro's in general?

I wound up with 3 different varieties with 3 different sun/shade requirements, and I'm running our of room for the shade types. Will they not do well if they are in full sun? One of the instruction cards say NO pm sun, which sounded pretty clear to me, but sometimes those cards are printed for all varieties of shrubs.

In my experience, the Loropetalums take anything from full sun to part shade. In the shade, the purple-foliage ones are not as purple.

Okay, thanks spazzy.

I have some in bright shade and they hardly grow at all.
However with the ones in sun, I wouldn't mind some deer browsing every 6 weeks!

I have loropetulums in three locations around my yard.

Front yard (where the deer and buffalo roam)is in brutal sun, never any deer damage - this border gets huge and takes a hard whacking back every fall with grace.

Back sideyard, enclosed, loropetulum border is in dappled sun, at best - deer have yet to jump the fence, and this border group takes some yearly trimming, but isn't as exuberant or high maintenance as the front yard group.

Finally I have one specimen plant atop a timber retaining wall backed by a stockade fence. This loropetulum is cresting 10' tall now (I've let it go wild) and while in a direct South sun, I think the fence shields it's back (?). So, I from my view, loropetulums pretty much take whatever you can dish out.

BTW ..... this is the first year in six or seven that NONE of my loropetulums have bloomed, lots of pretty new red leaves, but nothing flowery other than a little fringe-flower or three here and there. But, there's a hedge of them nearby and they've been flowerless too. Must be their 'rest' year.

The one that I moved is now in full sun and is blooming and is retaining the dark foliage. The older one is in sun until early afternoon and it's fine and blooming.

Zigzag...interesting...I've got a Zhuzhou Fuschia' cultivar that didn't really bloom this year. There were a few blooms here and there, but it wasn't a profuse bloomer like in years past. Glad to know some others held back a little this year as well.

And as far as sun vs. shade...loropetalums will take about anything you give 'em EXCEPT high pH or dry soils. I've also found them generally to underachieve in full shade, but they still make nice plants. Mike Dirr's comment - "...once established displays a tenacity just short of Ilex cornuta." I believe that statement!

Great input folks. Thanks so much. That's what I was hoping to hear. I've got a few onther spots I'd like to put them.