TREES > CRAPE - MYRTLE
IN THIS pathfinder
CRAPE MYRTLE GUIDES
‘ Crape Flower ’ or ‘ Crape Myrtle ’ is an attractive shrub or small tree which has attractive flowers in the summer and early fall .
Crape myrtle or crepe Vinca minor is the common name for Lagerstroemia species .
The Lagerstroemia genus contains 48 species of tree and shrubs which are native to southeasterly Asia and northerly Australia.1Lagerstroemia L.(n.d . ) . Kew Royal Botanical Gardens . retrieve May 15 , 2023 , fromhttps://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:25461-1#children
These plants are common in landscaping and gardening in warmer temperate climes .
Overview
PreferredFull Sun
ExposureSheltered
Height4 – 8 molarity
Spread4 – 8 M
Bloom TimeSummer / Autumn
PreferredChalk , loam or Baroness Dudevant
MoistureWell - drained
pHAny
The most commonly used specie is the common crepe myrtle , Lagerstroemia indica .
Though this plant may not be ideally suited to the cooler clime and grow conditions in the UK , L. indicahas an RHS Award of Garden Merit , suggesting it can be grown befittingly in these climes .
It is a moderately good choice for coastal gardens or gardens in other milder southern areas .
Why Grow Crape Myrtle?
crape Vinca minor will be a good option for only very sunny and protected garden .
However , where they do gear up flush , they can be very attractive decorative plant life .
The pink , purple or lily-white efflorescence , crinkle moderately like crepe fabric , are borne in summertime and early fall on large , sheer panicles up to 20 cm long .
They will spring up up to 4 - 8 m in height with a similar spread .
Typically , in the UK , they only acquire to the lower final stage of that image due to the ice chest conditions .
As well as being prized as ornamental works for their flowers , crape myrtle also offers interest group throughout much of the year .
These plants are also prise for their healthy lucullan leaf in outflow , which may emerge red with some varietals .
In summertime , the flowers impart a pop of people of colour and yet even after they fade , these plants can also have awful fall foliage , with atomic number 79 , yellow and orange hues .
Even in wintertime , these works can have some cosmetic appeal , with interesting peeling bark in a greyish - orange color which flake off off to let out a smoother underside .
Where To Grow
crepe myrtle requires a tender , sheltered and sunny spot .
It is H3 dauntless , but they do become hardier as the wood ripens in the Dominicus and the plant become established .
In fact , dormant plants can potentially be stout down to around -10 ° C if the Mrs. Henry Wood is well - ripened .
However , this is a flora which will unremarkably ask the security of a sunny south - face rampart to flower successfully in the UK , and the blossoming will usually only be successful in the UK during warm summers , even in the Confederate States .
“ Lagerstroemia indicais most befit to coastal climates in southern Britain or a sheltered garden in urban area , ” supply Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly .
“ These locations will be substantially warmer in winter and more benign for youngL. indicatrees .
“ If grown in more northern or inland location , care will have to be taken to protect plants during the cold wintertime weather . ”
Where outdoors condition are not suited , crepe myrtle might be grown in a declamatory container under ice , as long as the stipulation are light and bright enough as these plants can not grow in shade .
Whether growing in the ground or in a container , crape myrtle will demand loose - drain conditions .
in general , it can be tolerant of a range of different grime types and soil pH levels but will run not to do quite so well in heavily alkaline soils .
It can grow in nutritionally poor soil and is relatively drought - tolerant once establish .
Crape Vinca minor roots propagate out a long way , but they are not invasive or strong , so can sometimes be good choices for planting near paving , course or driveway .
How To Plant Crape Myrtle
Unfortunately , crape myrtle does not transplant well , so plants are commonly purchased as big specimens with well - evolve source balls .
plant can be purchase and planted in former leap or other summer , as soon as all risk of frost has passed in your area .
If you have seen an awe-inspiring crepe myrtle in a friend ’s or neighbor ’s garden , you might also be able-bodied to get aplant of your own by take cuttings .
Crape myrtle does not usually set seminal fluid successfully in the UK , but the plant can be propagated by means of softwood cuttings take in late spring , or by substance of semi - ripe cuttings ( given some bottom heat in a disseminator ) in the summertime month .
Dwarf cultivar and other small cultivar to be grown indoors or moved undercover during the wintertime months are best planted in former springtime or early summer too .
These should be placed in a container with good drainage , in a multipurpose peat - free growing medium with added grit .
Ongoing Plant Care
Crape myrtle grow out of doors in a worthy spot is fairly drought kind once established , but it will require even watering until established .
Although they need free - draining circumstance , moist soil will be best for speedy growth .
try on to check that that ground remains moist throughout the year while avoiding the conception of waterlogged conditions .
Remember that if you are grow crape myrtle in a container , you will need to irrigate it more frequently , especially over the summer months .
When produce in the earth , crape Vinca minor will not command veritable feeding .
The plus of organic mulch around the base of the tree diagram or shrub each spring should provide sufficient fertility .
However , in containers , it may be beneficial to feed your plant with an constitutive melted industrial plant provender which is equilibrise in the spring , and a potassium hydroxide - full-bodied feed in the summertime to promote flowering .
A thickheaded atomic number 6 - rich mulch can help oneself toprotect plant roots in winter .
As borderline hardy plant , crepe Vinca minor not brought indoors or under covering fire may also require to be protect with a covering such as horticultural fleece when impenetrable frosts menace , especially when they are fairly young and the woodwind instrument has not ripened as much to meliorate hardiness .
French pancake myrtles are inRHS pruning chemical group 1 , which think of they of course form a well - ramify framework and unremarkably only require light pruning if they take any pruning at all .
Light pruning should be undertaken in the spring .
However , these works are large-minded of harder pruning if required .
Some gardeners traditionally hard - pruned French pancake myrtles in a process known as Crepe Murder.2Crepe Myrtle Pruning – Why , When , and How to do It . ( 2022 , December 21 ) . Trees.com . Retrieved March 14 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.trees.com/gardening-and-landscaping/crepe-myrtle-pruning
cut a French pancake Vinca minor back very heavily , and lopping off all the tops , advance the bush or tree to put vigor into bring about unexampled subdivision and leaves rather than flowers .
This is said to give larger flush the following season .
However , this practice is not commend , for a number of reasons .
For one affair , prominent flowers on new branches in cornucopia can cause them to flag and they may pause .
For another affair , the knobbly development this creates at the pointedness where cuts were made makes the plant more susceptible to disease and can also look unsightly .
Also , fresh new ontogeny is far less hardy than seasoned Ellen Price Wood , so plants treat in this means are far less likely to make it through the wintertime in the UK mood , and you will escape out on the smasher of the older wood .
If you are hear to make a Mediterranean - style garden , then a crape Vinca minor could be a in effect choice .
crepe myrtles put to work well withbougainvillaea , hibiscus , Mediterranean fruit tree diagram , and a range of Mediterranean vegetables and herbs .
If you have a suitably gay and tender garden , French pancake myrtle could be an attractive ornamental option to weigh .
