Down here in Florida, we take semi-hardwood cuttings and use the liquid type rooting hormone, which is more successful with rooting shrubbery cuttings.

I have done the purple leaf lorapetalum successfully about 5 times out of 30. I hadn't heard about taking the heel, I will try that soon. I take semi-hard cuttings, dip in harmone and either put in good potting soil and "tent" it in plastic, or stick directly into the ground (mostly compost) by a mister. You won't have good roots before the trade. I usually wait about two months and then find just the beginning of roots. I lose most of mine at this point when I transplant them too early. The green leaf ones are a different subject. I have rooted those much more successfully and in a shorter time. And both take about two years before they begin branching and looking like anything but the cutting you began with--they don't lost their leaves during the process.