The crape myrtle is our flower of the summer. These plants
thrive on sun and heat, with
which we are blessed in great abundance.

These "lilacs of summer" are spectacular when in
bloom, with bold, bright
colors. Most have beautiful bark of smooth, shiny gray or with
bold streaks of deep red to
brown.

No matter what your garden space, you’re likely to find a
crape myrtle to fit. Trees 30
feet tall make excellent patio specimens or small street trees,
while three to four shrubs
can fill pots. The in-between sizes work as hedges, border shrubs
or strong accent plants.

Select Plants the Right
Size

It’s worthwhile to select plants that mature to fill the
available space. That will
reduce the amount of cutting and pruning you will do in the
future.

Large tree forms include Natchez, a 30-foot white bloomer;
Muskogee, with light
lavender flowers; Tuscarora, with dark, coral pink blooms; and
Potomac, with "bubble
gum" pink flowers.

Trees 10 to 20 feet tall include Apalachee, with light
lavender flowers; Lipan, with
purplish lavender; Regal Red, with vivid red flowers; Sioux, with
shocking pink blooms;
and Yuma, a double lavender bloomer.

Selections 5 to 10 feet tall include Acoma, a broad-growing,
white-flowering form; and
Tonto, with bright red flowers.

Dwarfs less than 5 feet tall include Centennial, with bright
purple flowers; Chicksaw,
with late, pink-lavender flowers; and Victor, with deep red
flowers.

Most of these are readily available. A few, however, may be
hard to find.

Plant in Full
Sun

Plant crape myrtles in full sun. Otherwise, flowering may be
reduced or stop all
together. Heat seems to be a requirement for full-fledged
flowering. Cool, shady nooks
with poor drainage are not for them.

Once the plants are established, they’re drought tolerant
and resilient. Sites with
good air circulation will reduce powdery mildew. The selections
with Indian tribal names
released from the National Arboretum are resistant to this
disease.

Crape myrtles need little care. An application of mulch and
a little spring fertilizer
will pave the way for summer flowers.

Prune to Remove
Suckers

Prune them to remove suckers and lower branches, and remove
any crossing branches while
maintaining the natural growth habit of the tree or shrub.
Avoid cutting back large stems
to the same location year after year (the practice now called
crape murder). Watch for
aphids and Japanese beetles.

Crape myrtles bloom on and on for up to three months in
pinks, lavenders, purples, reds
and white. Nearly carefree, they hold up beautifully to heat
and drought and help improve
our outlook during our long, hot summers.