The Versatile Crape Myrtle

The crape myrtle is one of the most rewarding small trees or large shrubs for the landscape. Its ease of propagation, long blooming period and ability to grow under nearly every soil condition make the crape myrtle a widely used and greatly admired ornamental.

The flowering season for crape myrtle begins in June or July, and continues until fall. Each long cluster of flowers (panicle) is composed of hundreds of one to two-inch, red, pink, white, lavender, or purple flowers. Leaves are often garnet tinged in the spring, glossy dark green in the summer, and dull to intense yellow, orange or red in the autumn. When the leaves fall in the winter, the crape myrtle becomes a living sculpture. The trunk and branches have an attractively gnarled, twisted character with smooth bark varying in color from light straw to rich deep brown. Patches of bark flake off (exfoliate) in early summer to reveal new bark ranging in color from light pink to pale green.

Crape myrtle is very versatile in the residential landscape. Single-trunked or multi-trunked specimens make ideal small shade trees for a sunny deck, terrace, or entrance walkways. Multi-trunked plants can be used as a visual barrier, a specimen plant in the garden, or a dominant landscape feature when planted singly or in groups. Semi-dwarf and dwarf types are suitable for foundation plantings, use in containers, or even as larger groundcovers. Occasional pruning may be required to maintain desired size and form. Background plantings of evergreen shrubs or trees may be employed to further emphasize the floral spectacle of crape myrtle. Crape myrtle can be used to created an "allee" in a large garden area. Allees are usually long walkways where the plants are spaced so their canopies touch and enclose the pathways. There is even a patented, miniature weeping form good for use as a bonsai plant or in hanging baskets.

- Crape myrtles are available in many flower colors and plant heights. Plant height is categorized as dwarf (less than 3 feet), semi-dwarf (3 to 6 feet), medium, (6 to 12 feet) and tall (greater than 12 feet).

- Crape myrtle should be located in an area that receives full sunlight for most of the day. Otherwise, a weak spindly plant with a few flowers can be expected. Plants growing in shaded areas will also be plagued by plant diseases such as powdery mildew.

- Crape myrtle tolerates a wide range of soil conditions, but grows best in a heavy loam that is slightly acidic (pH 5.0 to 6.5). Nutrient requirements are minimal; high fertility levels produce excessive vegetative growth and fewer flower panicles. Applications of 6-6-6 or 8-8-8 fertilizer in early spring at the rate of 1 to 2 pounds per 100 square feet of planting bed may be beneficial to established plants, especially those growing on poor soils. Mulches of pine bark or hardwood chips are beneficial in retaining soil moisture and minimizing soil temperature fluctuations during the summer.

- Heavy pruning must be done each year, if large specimen type blooms are desired. However, one of the most fascinating aspects of the crape myrtle is its unusual plant form. When the form is destroyed by severe pruning, then the blooms will be all that remains for one to enjoy. By a selective method of pruning, the unusual sculptured form, flowers and colorful foliage make it a plant with year-round charm.

- Frequently crape myrtle is attacked by aphids and white fly. Aphids are small green colored lice-like insects that suck the sap and cause small malformed leaves. The white fly and aphids excrete a honeydew material on which a black fungus (sooty mold) lives. Both aphids and white fly can be controlled by spraying with an appropriate insecticide.

- Powdery mildew is a common disease of Crape myrtle, especially when it is grown in damp shaded areas. This fungus disease causes the plants to be unsightly, but also can cause some defoliation and actual death of severely infested stems. Control can be achieved by spraying with an appropriate fungicide or planting resistant cultivars. The National Arboretum's cultivars Acoma (semi-dwarf with white flowers), Hope (semi-dwarf with white flowers), Comanche (medium height with coral pink flowers), Hopi (medium height with medium pink flowers), Miami (tall tree with dark pink flowers), and Natchez (tall tree with white flowers) are highly resistant to powdery mildew.


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