Crape-Myrtles in Southern Landscapes
92One of the most beautiful of summer blooming shrubs and trees in southern landscapes is the Crape Myrtle.
The official name of this eye-catching plant is Lagerstroemia.
The crape myrtle can be grown as a bushy shrub or as a tree all depending upon how it is pruned and trimmed. New draping varieties can even be displayed in hanging baskets.
The height of the various forms of crape myrtle varies from about 18 inches to over 40 feet.
Color variations and shades of the different varieties can range from white to pink to lavender to purple and even red.
- Lagerstroemia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Information about growing habits of the different species of crape myrtles
- HGIC 1009 Crape Myrtle Pruning : Extension : Clemson University : South Carolina
How to properly prune crape myrtles
The plants thrive in hot and sunny climates so are generally seen in Zone 6 and below in the United States. There are, however, newer and hardier varieties that can grow in colder climes.
The Lagerstroemias are native to India, Australia and southwest Asia.
Their very showy blooming period lasts from 60 to 120 days and adds so much in the way of grandeur to yards, parks and esplanades when the right time of year arrives.....that being summertime here in the south.
The blooming period can actually be extended if the spent flowering heads are pruned off. As the flowers develop on the new growth each year, this allows for another flower head to develop in time to re-flower.
We used to have two crape myrtles in the front of our yard at our old house years ago. They grew fairly rapidly as most plants do in the south and produced gorgeous flowers.
One problem we had with them and why we ultimately removed them was the constant battle we had with powdery mildew, leaf spot and black sooty mold.
All of these things can occur on crape myrtles and I have now discovered how this could have been better handled.
At the time, I took leaf samples into a nursery and all that they told me to do was spray with fungicide every week or two until the problem was resolved.
Now.......long after the fact.......I have learned that our plants were not pruned properly to allow much needed air flow through the branches which could have kept the problem from developing in the first place, or, at least minimized it.
There is a good video and link describing how proper pruning can not only alleviate fungal problems from developing, but can also create a much more pleasing appearance to the crape myrtle plants as they grow into wonderful specimens of great beauty. Be sure and watch the video if you are considering planting crape myrtles in your yard or garden.
The other thing that has happened over the course of years is that hardier disease resistant varieties have been developed.
So do some homework before you purchase crape myrtles and you will be rewarded by years of flowering splendor for many months of each year.
The bark of the crape myrtles keeps shedding and peeling off and what eventually results is a white-like hard stalk that is smooth and is alluring in its own right.
One neighbor that used to live near my mother at her former house was cutting down a couple of crape myrtle trees but was saving the attractive pieces of stalks (branches) to be utilized as drapery rods. They would have provided not only support for the curtains or drapes but would have been focal points of beauty all by themselves.
What a clever use of these eye-catching hard wood branches!
The photos in this hub show just a few of the many brilliantly blooming crape myrtles in our neighborhood today.
When my family moved from Wisconsin to Texas many years ago, we heard someone refer to crape myrtles as the "lilacs of the south."
They do have a similar shaped flower head but do not have the fragrance of lilacs.
If you think of crepe paper and then look at a crape myrtle blossom, you will understand how it got that name. Very delicate ruffled and thin petals make up a crape myrtle flower.
Landscapes all over the south are graced this time of year with the varicolored crape myrtles in a heyday of peak color. Few blooming shrubs or trees offer so much coloration for so long a time. As the heat sizzles, the crape myrtles are at their sublime best.
Nicely pruned crape myrtle used as landscape foundation plant against house.
Pruning and trimming crape myrtles correctly
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Comments
Thanks kiran.
They're lovely, aren't they? I used to park my car under a crape myrtle and loved to see it covered with the petals -- the sides of the street would be thick with the petals after a while.
What a lovely plant. I don't suppose we have them in the UK with our mixed climate. Are they know by any other name I wonder?
Hi Teresa, Yes, as they shed the flowers the ground becomes colored as well..........or a car if parked underneath. I agree with your assessment.....they ARE lovely. Thanks for the comment.
Hi Ethel, Check under the name Lagerstroemia and see what pops up as to whether they can grow in your climate. With the heartier hybrid varieties being developed, who knows?
These are so beautiful - they look like some kind of heavenly mix of lilacs, rhodedendrons, and cloud shrubs - wish they would grow here! Thanks for sharing the lovely pictures, too.
Hello RedElf,
I'll have to look up cloud shrubs as I am not familiar with them. These really DO remind me of lilacs (the blooms, at any rate.) Thanks for reading and leaving a comment.
Nice! Are crape myrtles the same as bougainvillias? They look similar to me.
Hi Melody, No......crape myrtles are entirely different from bougainvilleas. The latter are beautiful and grow as bushes, but not as trees. Also, the petals are larger than those found on crape myrtles. Hope this helps.
I would've mistaken crape myrtles for lilacs! Thanks for such an in-depth explanation of a beautiful example of Mother Nature's gems!
We thought the same, JamaGenee, when we moved from Wisconsin to Texas. Ah.......but the sweet smell of the lilacs was missed. These crape myrtles bloom longer, however.
Thanks for all the info. We have a crape myrtle against our house, but is it a big bushy shrub and it is killing my azaleas. I guess I have to do some serious pruning.
Hello ohwhatfun, Hope this hub gave you some good ideas of just how to prune your crape myrtle. They really are pretty trimmed up to grow as trees. Maybe your azaleas and crape myrtle can happily co-exist. Thanks for leaving your comment.
They are my favorite flowering tree. The leaves turn a pretty orange/red in the fall and even the intricate shaped branches are pretty when they are winter-bare.
Hi Donna, Thanks for adding the bit about the autumn colors of the leaves. Forgot to mention that in my hub. I agree about the branches being very pretty...especially as they grow larger.
The crape myrtles are simply beautiful. I like them because the blooms last long. Thanks for the how to prune and trim crape myrtles correctly.
They are beautiful, I wish we had them in Arizona and if we do I certainly have not ran across any. I also love the Apple Blossom (sigh) if only we could see them everyday.:)
Hi Celesta, Happy to be of help regarding the correct pruning methods. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Hi AEvans, You may not have crape myrtles, but you have saguaro cactus; the Grand Canyon; Oak Creek Canyon and so much more. Need I go on? LOL
Iha
Hi frogyfish, Your same comment copied 3 times so I only approved one of them. Not exactly sure what you meant by Iha but thanks, none-the-less. LOL
Great hub, crape myrtles are one of my very favorite shrubs. I like to use them them pruned as multi trunk trees. A local nursery where I live has a huge Natchez crape myrtle in the front of their business, it is the largest crape myrtle I have ever seen and it is beautiful when it is full of blooms.
Hi dllhubpages, The nursery using the Natchez crape myrtle in front of their business is using the best of advertising methods. Bet they sell a bunch of them there. I also like them trimmed up as trees, but I admire them whereever they are when they are in full bloom as they are right now. Thanks for leaving a comment.
They are beautiful. I'd be interested in learning more about those that may do ok in colder climates. (I live up in "50-degrees-on-June-12-land".)
Hi Lisa HW, On about page 3 or 4 when I googled crape myrtles was a link having to do with growing crape myrtles in all 50 states, but it would not load. If you are seriously interested, I would consult a master gardener in your area and see if there are varieties that grow successfully in your colder climate. Hope this helps.
These are beautiful! I am finishing moving into my new home and we live right on the cusp of the south on the northern edge. I hope I can get some of these going once the construction crews are gone.
Hello Ashley Joy, Hopefully you will be able to grow them in your area. Have fun in your new home!
These are really lovely, beautiful trees, and obviously appeal to many, just like me. Their shapes are full and bountiful and their colours gentle and mild. They make me glad to be alive, not that I need a reason.
Hi katyzzz, Here's to crape myrtles lighting up our lives! Thanks for leaving your descriptive comment.
Peggy, I love crepe myrtles! Mine is pruned like a tree to expose that beautiful bark, one of my favorite things about crepe myrtles.
Hi Dolores, I agree with you. Love it also. Thanks for leaving a comment.
Goodness, and sorry! for above glitch. I don't know what happened. I have a pale lavender crepe myrtle planted two years ago and I needed to know how to trim it so it would be tall. Was given to me in memory of 12 year old Ginger, a sweet yellow lab mix who died because of that 'plastic poison' dog food. I do enjoy the varied colors of the crepes. Thanks for hub, and sorry for the glitch.
Hi again frogyfish, No apologies necessary. Thought that your "Iha" was some kind of code that I simply did not know. Ha!
Sorry to hear about your sweet dog Ginger being one of the ones affected by that bad dog food. That was certainly a scary time for all of us who are animal lovers.
Hope your crape myrtle thrives in her memory!
Beautiful photos and very informative hub!
Hello jandersen, Glad you liked this and found it useful. Thanks for the comment.
Beautiful photos and very informative hub!
What a great hub! Thanks for the advice about mildew. We've been thinking about Crape Myrtles for our yard, but have serious issues with mildew. Know I know what to look for when shopping for a new tree.
Greetings Karen_S,
So happy if this hub about Crape-Myrtles in Southern Landscapes will be a help to your new planting efforts. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.
Nice Hub!!
Thanks..
Hello EdenvaleShoppes,
Thanks for the compliment on my Crape-Myrtles in Southern Landscapes hub. Hope it offered information that you can utilize. Also thanks for the comment.
Peggy,
We have them all over the backside of property - All of ours are pink - Love looking at them while sipping our coffee on the back patio each morning.
Hello Jon,
What a glorious view you must have of your bank of pink crape-myrtles in your backyard landscape. They are truly the "lilacs of the south." Enjoy that coffee! Thanks for the comment.
Peggy- How I miss crape myrtles! Now living in south, south Florida that just do not do well here. Great photos as well.
Hello Samantha,
Crape Myrtles are beautiful, I'll admit. Perhaps there is too much humidity in Florida? I still miss the wonderful lilac bushes that grow up north. Guess we can't have everything! Thanks for the comment.
"thanks a lot it is so colorful....thanks again......"
KEEP it up '-'
Hello blueangel says:
Glad that you liked this hub about Crape Myrtles in Southern Landscapes. Have more up my sleeve... LOL
Great information! We have one in our back yard & it is so pretty!
Hi MasonsMom,
Glad that you can also enjoy these beautiful crape-myrtles with having one in your very own back yard. They certainly add beauty to southern landscapes! Thanks for leaving a comment.
This was great. My favorite is white, even on the blonde brick house in your picture. The white makes a show case for everything and is so soothing in the heat. I let mine grow tall and have pruned them around a sitting area for shade from the southern sun. When the blooms fall we have summer lovely snow. :)
Hello RTalloni,
I agree with you that white is a cool and restful color in the heat of the summer. From the sounds of it, you really enjoy your tall and shade providing crape-myrtle. Enjoy that summer "snow." A bit easier to contend with than the real thing. LOL
I have three pink Crape Myrtles right out here in my yard and the lady across the street has two. I love 'em. Thanks for the informative Hub. I never knew much about Crape Myrtles. All I do is look at them. :)
Hi James,
Crape Myrtles are pretty and I learned more about them than I knew previously by doing this hub. Thanks for the comment.
kiran8 says:
6 months ago
Another very attractive and interesting hub :) thanks a lot..