Crepe Myrtle
Plant type: Ornamental tree
Common name: Crepe Myrtle
Botanical name: Lagerstroemia indica
This versatile tree works in every garden and offers four seasons of interest: Sinuous limbs tipped with dried seedpods add an architectural element to the winter and spring landscapes. Summer flowers are followed by fall color.
USDA hardiness zones: 7-9
Key feature: Showy summer flowers.
Average landscape size: 3 to 40 feet tall and 3 to 20 feet wide, depending on cultivar.
Growth rate: Fast
Deciduous
Light needs: Full sun
Water Needs: Regular water, but can withstand some drought.
Flower: Lightly showy pink, red, lavender, purple, or white summer flowers.
Soil requirements: Tolerant of many types as long as it is well-drained.
Foliage color: Medium green. Orange, red, or yellow fall color.
Care: DO NOT cut branches back hard in late winter. You may lightly prune tips, limb-up to expose form, and reduce trunks to three or five, or to remove dead or dying wood. Fertilize young trees in spring.
Forms: ‘Natchez’, ‘Potomac’, ‘Delta Jazz’, ‘Muskogee’, and more.