SEATTLE, Wash. — Gardening guru Ciscoe Morris teaches Rachel Belle all about crape myrtle trees.
Anyone who grew up in the south probably had a crape myrtle growing in their neighborhood. Botanically known as Lagerstroemia, these are the perfect trees to handle our hot dry summer droughts. These trees love heat and sunshine and won't even bloom if they aren't in a hot sunny location. These generally low growing trees offer appeal throughout the seasons. They have lustrous foliage in spring, large colorful flowers in the fall, fantastic fall color and beautiful exfoliating bark.
Crape myrtles bloom on new growth, so prune them in early spring before they break dormancy. Prune to remove limbs and twigs that are growing back toward the center of the tree; to remove limbs that rub against each other; and to remove small, low-hanging limbs that will one day hang out over a walkway, path, or lawn.
‘Sioux’ is a lovely variety that produces an abundance of large, bright pink flower clusters during summer. Its foliage is the darkest green of any crape myrtle and turns to a handsome purple color in fall. The bark is tan in color and the twigs have a reddish color. It gets 12'-15' tall and 8'-10' wide. It's a Multi-stemmed small tree, and one of the first crepe myrtles to bloom every season.
'Enduring Summer' Crape Myrtle is a compact flowering shrub that only grows to about 4 to 5 feet tall, so it can fit anywhere. This versatile crape myrtle also thrives in containers and can be kept on the porch, or patio to add a burst of hot color to the space. They have clusters of vibrant red blooms that really stand out in fall..
'Acoma' Semi-dwarf grows to about 6 - 10 feet tall and wide. It has snow white flowers and spectacular Purple Red fall color.
'Moon Light Magic' and 'Midnight Magic' both have dark red, almost black leaves all summer long. 'Moon Light Magic' has white flowers, while 'Midnight Magic' has pink flowers. 'Midnight Magic' is an upright grower to 12 feet tall, while 'Midnight Magic' has pink flowers and a more open spreading habit to 8 feet tall and wide. These hybrid crape myrtles only bloom if they are planted in hot sunny locations and we get a hot summer, but the leaves are so beautiful you won't really care.
So, if you're looking for a small, drought tolerant tree with great flowers in fall, fantastic fall color and beautiful bark, give crape myrtle a try. You won't be sorry!
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