Many specimen trees are too tall to plant beneath lines safely, but since Crape Myrtles are relatively small they are an excellent choice as specimens for planting below power-lines and by choosing a suitable variety you can plant below even quite low lines without causing interference and potential danger. You should also consider what is directly above it, particularly power and telephone lines. Although Crape Myrtles grow best in slightly acidic soil, they will grow well in most soils except for very alkaline ones. Use medium types as small shade trees, street trees, or for screening. By any chance you have them in your stock let me know. If you are in zone 8 or warmer, these can sit outside all winter. Some of the most popular varieties include the Miniature, the Pixie, and the . Lets look at how to use and grow them, and meet some of the best. Knowing the mature height of a plant before you buy it and planting the proper size for the site will save you much heartache (and backache) in the future. One of my very favourite trees.so lovely These will be the first flowers to open and once they have finished flowering, seed-heads will develop. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Instead of an ugly view you will have beautiful flowers. It has been used in breeding to introduce darker flower colors and shorter sizes. Its a great pick for pots. I recently bought 3 advanced (45l bag) Crepe MyrtIes Sioux from a nursery and only one of them have flowered. He named them after his daughters thats such a sweet thing to do! Simply shorten back the stems of the previous year by removing the weaker, thinner end sections. Numbers like 10-10-10, 8-8-8, 12-4-8 or 16-4-8 all work well. Go for Disease Resistance: Older types of Crape Myrtles are prone to the disease Powdery Mildew and you may have been put off growing these plants because you have seen tired, dusty plants in mid-summer, covered with a white powder on their leaves. Black Diamond Crape Myrtles are perfect for gardens and beds and urban yards with minimal space. Unfortunately, these beautiful trees are also victims of some serious crime. Princess Zoey a good 4 feet tall, and 3 feet wide, this beauty has unique bi-color flowers, with candy-pink blooms scattered among the cherry-red flowers that fill each spike. Make a 10% solution (1 part whole milk, fresh or dried, 9 parts water) and spray this onto the foliage. Cold-hardy to well below zero degrees. This can be sprinkled over the mulch. The best control is to watch for the first beetles to arrive and then shake the branches over a bucket of hot soapy water. Many people use flowering annuals and perennials in front of larger shrubs, but this can mean a lot of work planting and caring for them. These are among the very best of this group: The Arapaho Crape Myrtle is a tall variety reaching around 20 feet with red flowers that are a true red, not just a dark pink. If you are getting a lot of foliage and not too many flowers skip a couple of feedings until flowers develop. Cheyenne. Underneath trees is a different situation. Dead-heading is the secret to keeping your bushes blooming right into fall. In fall they turn beautiful shades of yellow, orange and red, with some varieties having richer fall color than others, but all making a great display at that special time of year. Ive found that 'Raspberry Dazzle' doesn't bloom as well. If you are not sure how big a plant will be, hold up a steel-tape or a pole cut to the size listed and see what it looks like. This crape is disease resistant and low maintenance. Powdery Mildew: this disease was a major problem with older varieties, especially when grown in humid regions, like the South. This tree also has a dual use, since it is tough enough to survive winters in zone 6 with just some damage to the top growth. The amount of flowering and the length of the flowering season are directly related to how much sunshine your Crape Myrtle receives, so a sunny location is always going to be the best choice. For a long time gardeners in more northern regions could only admire the Crape Myrtles when visiting the south, but with modern varieties it is now possible to grow them in zone 6 and even into zone 5. The National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. has been involved for a long time in breeding many different ornamental plants, and in 1962 they turned their attention to Crape Myrtles. Dwarf Crape Myrtles Medium Crape Myrtles Standard (Tree) Crape . This tree has a vase to rounded shape and loads of luscious red-pink blooms from late spring through fall. of their width apart, for a continuous flow instead of that spotty look. So there was a big need for smaller plants and this became the next focus of breeding programs. You may also like: Dwarf Trees You May Also Like Border Hedges: Creating Borders With Boxwoods Take Advantage of our Quantity Discounts Buy 1-2 Plants for $39.95 Each . Crapemyrtle Aphids: these tiny green insects will cluster under the leaves of the plants during spring and summer. Thankfully gardeners and growers both saw the need for smaller, more compact crepe myrtlesor crape myrtles or crapemyrtles if you preferthat didn't need annual pruning. Figsare a delicious and healthy fruit that are surprisingly easy to grow. . It has flowers of a cherry-pink that are almost good enough to eat. I live in zone 9.5 plants do very well. Between 8 10years old. Why do people murder crepe myrtles? It is usually called the Common Crape Myrtle. Red flowers and maroon foliage. You may choose from our, Then choose the perfect color in that size. You will often see beautiful Crape Myrtles growing in small pockets of dry soil along roadways or in parking lots. The first flower clusters of the season will usually be larger than those that form later on. In colder areas it is especially important to plant in sheltered locations that get sun all day long. I noticed that you did not mention this variety of Crape Myrtle. Miniature Crape Myrtles. You should never prune your Crape Myrtles in fall or winter as this can make the plant more susceptible to winter injury. Place your plant in the hole you have dug and put back about three-quarters of the soil. Give them a big, deep drink and then leave them. Dense foliage. This was usually done to keep plants smaller but now that we have a wide variety of sizes available it is not so necessary. The flowers of the wild plants are usually rosy-red to red in color. Even if there is some continuing shade, the open sky above will still allow plenty of light in, so plants can still thrive. After removing the very dried out/rotting trelliss, the 5 wide blooming branches slumped to the ground. So it is worth taking some time to carefully decide where to place it. The small and medium-sized Crape Myrtles are almost as wide as they are high and the taller ones are about two-thirds of their height in width. Since the beetles release a chemical scent that attracts other beetles, the sooner you remove them the fewer will come later. Many of the photos you see in the Slide Show were taken at the Worlds Fair where our Patented Mini Crapes were the Official Plants. This plant has won several medals, including Florida Plant of the Year in 1998. Crape Myrtles are one of the best shrubs for containers on hot, sunny terraces, since they love the heat and sunshine. For a double row multiply this number by 2. It was also introduced in 1998. If it is pruned back in spring it will re-sprout and flower later in the summer on a shrub that will be 6 to 10 feet tall by the time fall comes. If you should unfortunately get this disease and want to control it for aesthetic reasons the best method is to use a milk spray. These plants mark a dramatic change in the form of Crape Myrtles. Remember that the first plant will be placed half the spacing distance from the end of the row, and the last plant will be placed in the same way. No one will probably ever have a complete list of all the crape myrtle varieties. Timing is everything, especially when it comes to the application of pre-emergent weed control herbicides like LESCO's Dimension to control summer annual weeds. Shipping is $24.95 for 1-30 Plants. Based on those evaluations final selections are then made. My question is not for public posting, and in no way critical. Noteworthy Characteristics. has a Shopper Approved rating of I am seeking the name of a certain species of Crape Myrtle so I can buy a couple. Dwarf Crape Myrtles mature between 6'-10' Add a splash of summer time color to your landscaping & boarders or privacy to your property! JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. The leaves are glossy and dark green and in some varieties they are a rich red color in spring when they first appear, slowly fading as summer comes into dark green. Dark-red flowers on a rounded plant. Cherry red blooms from summer into fall. They are recommended for growing zones 7 to 10. Lagerstroemia fauriei is known as the Japanese Crape Myrtle. Bushy plant growth. Crape myrtles are flowering trees that bloom in shades of red, white, pink, and purple. Since Crape Myrtles flower on new shoots they can be just as prolific flowering in colder areas, but they will stay smaller than the sizes listed for them. Many of the photos you see in the Slide Show were taken at the Worlds Fair where our Patented Mini Crapes were the Official Plants. The Tonto Crape Myrtle is a recent introduction from 1995, which has flowers of a rich, fuchsia pink color and excellent mildew resistance. You can see our current range of all types and sizes of crape myrtles here, and prices do vary. Simply cut off spent flower heads as soon as the last blooms fall cut back to the first full-sized leaf. They will also not go with yellows that are mustardy or a bit orange, but they will go with greenish-yellows, like variegated foliage for example, or lime-green flowers and leaves. The spray must be re-applied after rain. The landscapers put in a dwarf Crape Myrtle that is beautiful. In the wild this plant grows into a multi-stemmed tree that is perhaps 20 feet tall. Where do I go to just one of these beautiful streets? There are a lot of Crape Myrtle websites out there but yours is far and away the most informative and helpful! One of the great things about Crape Myrtles is that they dont need much care. The Cherry Dazzle Crape Myrtle will grow to 5 feet tall and as much across in ideal growing conditions, but will also stay closer to 3 feet tall when, for example, grown in a container. Their exfoliation is beautiful from the single trunk to the branches. They will grow in most soils and ask only for a sunny place to grow in. But, the fungus begins with the branches. Make sure the mulch is not mounded around the base of the tree and that a gap is left around the trunk for air circulation. They are all hardy in zone 6 and will quickly regenerate from the base if there is some winter-kill of the upper branches. It is vital that your container has drainage holes so that the soil doesnt stay wet. Crape Myrtles flower at the end of new shoots produced in spring. Semi-dwarf or small crepe myrtles typically top out at 12 feet tall or less at maturity. They may not even be noticed until you see a black powder forming on the lower leaves. Try to roll the past out into a cylindrical shape. More plants are killed by little sprinkles of water every day than are killed from never being watered at all. Mature Size: 8 to 12 feet wide, 4 to 6 feet tall. These smaller crepes give all the brilliant color of their taller cousins, but because they're smaller, you can get a little more creative and have some fun with them. Princess Kylie barely reaching 3 feet tall and wide, check out the gorgeous magenta purple-red blooms on this compact shrub. Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia sp.) They will provide visual privacy for a pool area or stop strong winds and protect more delicate plantings. The blossoms are an attractive mid-pink a softer color than many other Crape Myrtles and the fall colors are rich shades of deep red and purple. It also has fall leaves in powerful orange and red tones and especially attractive grey-brown bark in winter. When you are planting larger groupings, avoid making rows and try to scatter the plants over the area in a more random way as you fill the area you have available. After a few years it is helpful to top-up the pot with fresh soil each spring, but always leave room for watering. The leaves are simple ovals in shape and can be between 2 and 8 inches in length depending on the variety and the vigor of growth. Sign In | Create Account PLANTS & TREES PLANT FINDER SALE TOP SELLERS RARE PLANTS NEW ADVICE ABOUT WIN $25 eCARD GIFT CARDS 0 We have over 55 varieties available of miniature, dwarf, medium and standard (tree) crape myrtles. Princess Jaden also no more than 2 feet tall and wide, this plant has lovely pale lilac blooms for month after month. They bloom and blossom beautifully between April and July. I recommend 'Cherry Dazzle' (red blooms), 'Berry Dazzle' (fuchsia-purple blooms and burgundy new foliage), and 'Strawberry Dazzle' (neon-rose flowers). What is the difference between a Hopi and Tonto Crape Myrtle trees.. Lagerstroemia limii is a small multi-stem tree growing to around 12 feet, which is found in hilly areas of China. Razzle Dazzle Dwarf Crapemyrtle. Fig trees planted in the ground require no care once they are established. 30 years ago we moved onto our property. Standard (Tree) Crape Myrtles. Since our founding in Southern California by Harry E. Rosedale, Sr. in 1926, we have been absolutely dedicated and obsessed with quality. I planted 6 crepe myrtles in Virginia in 2005, now three are over 25 feet high, 1 over 35 feet high, and 1 is over 45 feet high.yikes! We guarantee that your trees will get to you healthy and happy. Wild Crape Myrtles usually grow in warm or tropical regions as shrubs or trees. These plants have shallow roots and should not be planted too deeply. The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. For a screen, there are two methods of spacing and planting available. For small spaces, try a dwarf or semi-dwarf cultivar. Dr. Michael Dirr was already famous for his work and his name is known to every gardening student for his classic text book on trees and shrubs. Thank you so much for your time and expertise! Its branching is short and dense forming a globe when young . Thanks for the article information and pictures. The trouble is, most older varieties grow into small tree, with 20 feet or more tall and wide quite normal. The Razzle Dazzle Crape Myrtles are just 3 to 5 feet tall, depending on the exact variety, and about the same across, making a perfect rounded shape to completely fill a space in the garden. If there are a lot of tight roots wrapping around the root-ball, take a sharp knife and cut from top to bottom in three places, going no more than an inch deep. Each spring you should add a layer of mulch over the roots of your plant. Even a couple of hours of shade will reduce flowers a little, and the more shade the fewer flowers you will see. We had one shrub that was a crepe myrtle in deep pink. (As gorgeous as their summer blooms are, just wait until you see a crepe myrtle in full fall mode. This disease is worst in areas that are naturally humid in summer but it occurs everywhere during periods of hot, humid weather. One of the most popular uses for Crape Myrtle is as a specimen tree or shrub in a lawn. Even in colder areas, although the branches will be damaged, the tree will come back after pruning to make a spectacular bush around 6 feet tall, covered in flowers from mid-summer to the arrival of frost. In fall the foliage turns spectacular shades of yellow, orange and red before falling, leaving bare branches that are attractively mottled with multi-colored bark in shades of pink, cream and gray. We have over 55 varieties available of miniature, dwarf, medium and standard (tree) crape myrtles. They bloom 3 or even 4 weeks before taller varieties, making them great stage setters for the display of your larger crapes. Steve Bender, also known as The Grumpy Gardener, is an award-winning author, editor, columnist, and speaker with nearly 40 years experience as Garden Editor, Senior Writer, and Editor-at-Large for Southern Living. The plants have been in this location two (2) years. Or even 4 weeks before taller varieties, making them great stage setters for the shrubs! Reaching 3 feet tall ) Crape Myrtles are flowering trees that bloom in shades of red, white,,. Flower heads as soon as the Japanese Crape Myrtle smaller plants and became. 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Chance you have them in your stock let me know 5 wide blooming slumped...