The midsummer color show is followed by foliage that turns yellow, orange, and red in fall.
The sculptural trunks' smooth, pinkish-gray bark peels off in winter for additional intrigue.
Crape myrtle grows quickly and enjoys a long life span.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Where to Plant Crepe Myrtle
Need shade near apetite patio?
Or do you garden on a tiny lot?
Crape myrtle may be the tree for you.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
In warmer climates, it grows up to 25 feet tall, but you canprune it to limit growth.
In beds and borders, underplant crape myrtle withdark green groundcoverfor a striking plant combination.
Choose a location with full sun and moist, loamy, well-drained soil.
Once established, crape myrtles can handle hot, dry locations where other plants may fail.
Start by watering your crape myrtle deeply.
Next, dig a hole at least three times the width of your plant’s root ball.
Keep the depth of the hole even with the root ball or slightly more shallow.
Ease your myrtle out of its container and place it in the center of the hole.
Replace half of the displaced soil and tamp down to remove air pockets and secure the roots.
Soak the soil and then finish backfilling the hole with displaced soil.
The crown of the root ball should be even with or slightly above ground level.
Tamp the soil down and water the tree deeply.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Crape Myrtle Care Tips
Crape myrtle is asouthern favoritethat comes in a brilliant array of colors.
Plus, it grows quickly and thrives in heat, sunshine, and humidity.
Just be sure to choose a location with good air circulation to help prevent powdery mildew and other diseases.
Credit: Terra Nova Nurseries
Light
Crape myrtles require lots of sun to grow prolifically and produce the best blooms.
Plan to water your plants deeply during the first growing season to establish an extensive root system.
Reduce watering levels and frequency to about an inch per week once plants are established.
Credit: David Nevala
Asoaker hosefor approximately 60 to 200 minutes (depending on size) each week should do the trick.
Temperature and Humidity
Crape myrtles prefer temperatures between 50 and 95 Fahrenheit and moderate to high humidity.
They are quite heat tolerant and will only begin to wither from exposure when temperatures exceed 100 .
Credit: Ralph Anderson
In such extremes, the summer bloomers may experience scorching and leaf loss.
Avoid overfertilizing as this will boost foliage production at the expense of flowers.
Pruning
A crape myrtle appropriately sized for its planting site requires minimal pruning.
Credit:BHG / Evgeniya Vlasova
So, in small or tight spaces, choose semidwarf or dwarf cultivars.
Prune trees in late winter by removing crossed or rubbing branches.
Snip away fast-growing suckers arising from the ground around the plants.
Credit: Stephen Cridland
Maintain clean trunks by pruning away low branches.
Crape myrtles grow naturally into a graceful, vaselike shape.
Yet some gardeners prune them to create single-trunk formsor to remove old wood and promote new growth for flowers.
It’s an option, butconservative pruningis best for crape myrtles.
Prune to maintain air circulation andavoid toppingwhich is aggressive pruning that reduces the plant size by at least half.
At best the plant is damaged; at worst it never recovers.
In confined locations, opt for varieties that top out at just 3 to 4 feet tall.
The container you choose should have excellent drainage and ample space for your tree or shrub to grow.
Use a well-drained, slightly acidic potting mix and plant your crape myrtle in the spring.
Once planted, water your crape myrtle deeply just until the excess drains from the pot’s holes.
Container-grown crape myrtles may need more water than those grown in the ground.
Water two or three times weekly during the hottest months, but don’t overdo it.
Even in containers, crape myrtles enjoy moist soil, but can’t tolerate sogginess.
Apply a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer every 2 to 3 weeks during the growing season.
If you oughta repot your crape myrtle, do so in late winter when the plant is dormant.
Diminish these issues by planting your crape myrtle in full sun and giving it plenty of air circulation.
Crape myrtlebark scaleis an issue in some locations (particularly western Tennessee) and can be treated with pesticides.
Scale is not the only issue when it comes to pests.
Watch out for Asian ambrosia beetles,Japanese beetles, aphids, andleafhoppers.
As needed, trim away any broken, damaged, or diseased limbs with sterilized pruning shears.
With sterile, sharp pruners, take a 6 to 8-inch cutting from healthy new growth.
The cutting should include at least 3 or 4 leaf nodes.
Remove all the leaves from the base of the cutting and dip the cut end inrooting hormone.
If you like, place the entire container in a plastic bag to create a greenhouse-like environment.
It grows 20 feet tall and wide.
Plant in zones 7-9.
It grows 4 to 5 feet tall and wide.
Plant in zones 79.
It grows best in zones 4-9.
It grows 12 feet tall and wide in zones 7-9.
The easy-to-grow, evergreen shrubs can be used ashedges, privacy screens, and topiaries.
They also work beautifully in both formal and informal gardens.
Boxwoods prefer well-draining soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0.
Coral Bells
Coral bellscome in a rainbow of colors and are extremely low maintenance.
Hosta
Hostasare among the easiest plants to growespecially when grown in the shade.
So, they make an excellent understory plant for mature crape myrtles.
Plus, they come in awide variety of patterns, colors, and sizes.
They prefer rich, well-drained soil and can stand up to occasional periods of drought.
Hostas are hardy in zones 3-9.
In zones 5-9, they offer large, cone-shaped flower heads from late spring to early summer.
The blooms start white and fade to pale pink, beige, and ruby as the season progresses.
They are hardy in zones 3-10.
It is a natural process and not a sign of disease or infestation.
When this happens, enjoy a peek at the bark below and leave the tree alone.
In most cases, a flowerless tree is resulting from a lack of sun.
This can be due to an insufficient planting location or an overly-crowded canopy.
However, a lack of flowers could also be a sign of over-pruning.
Above all, consider the size.
Next, consider the shape.
Crape myrtle typically features multiple trunks.
The best-looking specimen for your landscape will probably feature trunks of nearly equal size.
If one trunk in a trio is notably smaller than the others, the plant will look asymmetrical.
