Both photos by Bob Bowie
The crepe (my preference) myrtle tree boasts bright flowers, which vary from deep purple to red and white and shades in between, as well as an eye-catching mottled bark. It is a deciduous tree which blooms for 60 to 90 days in the summer.
Lagerstroemia, commonly known as crape myrtle or crepe myrtle, was named after the Swedish merchant Magnus von Lagerström. He was a director of the Swedish East India Company who supplied Carl Linnaeus with plants for his collection. Native to China, Japan, and Korea, the crepe myrtle was introduced to Charleston, South Carolina in 1790 by the French botanist André Michaux.
Crepe myrtles flourish and flower most heavily in full uninterrupted sunlight. They like a medium amount of water with the soil consistently moist but not soggy. Flowering is compromised by shade, frequent irrigation, lack of heat, and over fertilization. Deer seldom eat any variety of crepe myrtle. Mildew, aphids, and leaf-hoppers can be problems.
Its seed is a capsule, which is green and soft initially and then ripens to a dark brown or black dryness. These capsules release small winged seeds. In addition to starting from a seed, a crepe myrtle can be grown from a cutting of an existing tree. Here’s how. In spring or summer, take cuttings where they meet the main branch about 6 to 8 inches in length with about 3-4 nodes per cutting. Remove all the leaves except the last two or three.
Crepe myrtles bloom on new wood and should be pruned in winter or early spring. Never prune crepe myrtle in the fall and winter since it compromises their hardiness.
Watch this video on how to prune a crepe myrtle properly from Southern Living.
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In closing, a quote from The Hidden Summer by Gin Phillips that captures these gorgeous trees in season.
The blossoms are scattering off the crape myrtles every time the wind blows, falling like hot pink confetti.
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