Crape Myrtle, Lagerstroemia
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By Glory Lennon
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Lagerstroemia, is the botanical name for the tall shrub or small tree, native of Asia commonly called the Crape (or Crepe) Myrtle. This plant gets its common name from the flowers which have the crinkled appearance of crepe paper but what makes this plant particularly outstanding for the landscape is its year-round appeal and the fact that it blooms continuously for up to six months out of the year.
A very common occurrence especially in the southeastern United States, Crape Myrtle can be seen profusely planted along highways, around many commercial buildings, predominantly displayed at botanical gardens and in virtually every home garden. And with good reason. It is a lovely sight to behold whether in or out of bloom. Its flowers coming in all shades of pink, lavender, red and white can last an astonishing length of time and if that weren’t enough it has a lovely smooth grey bark which exfoliates to reveal striking colors of pink, orange and brown. The foliage is a bright green and in the warmest places, though it is technically deciduous, may never lose them.
The Crape Myrtle can be pruned into almost any shape desired and is particularly suited to the gardening arts of espalier and Bonsai. When young it assumes a shrub like shape with long arching branches. If carefully pruned it can be maintained this way for foundation planting or even for a hedge but for the most part it does best as a single specimen in a sunny location and allowed to assume a very attractive V-shaped multi-stemmed tree form . Some Crape Myrtle can grow upwards of 30 feet but many modern cultivars sold today are considerably smaller, some only reaching 2 -3 feet tall, perfect for the small garden with limited space.
The Japanese Crape Myrtle, L. fauriei, is cold hardy in USDA zones 7-9. This forms an upright growing tree 20-30 feet tall with very graceful arching branching and white flowers growing in 2-4 inch long clusters. The 4 inch long, 2 inch wide leaves are a light green which turn a pretty yellow in autumn. The bark is smooth and grey but as it matures it flakes away to show the glossy cinnamon colored bark underneath. This one is also resistant to mildew.
L. indica is a much showier Crape Myrtle with large clusters of blossoms in a wide range of vibrant colors. The foliage is a dark green and about half the size than of those of the Japanese Crape Myrtle, only 1-2 inches long and not as wide. They do have a rather lovely red first-spring color which can turn a bright orange or red in autumn. The flowers are 1-2 inches wide growing in dense clusters that cover the entire plant for months and months of endless color. If left on the tree these will become green capsules in which grow the tiny seeds. When the seed pods turn brown they erupt sending the seeds any-which-way. They do not, however, become invasive.
L. speciosa, the Queen Crape Myrtle, is called this for a very good reason. It can grow as tall as 80 feet high, the leaves are 8-12 inches long and 4 inches wide and the white to purple flowers grow in clusters a whopping 16 inches long. Not as cold hardy as the others but extremely impressive looking.
Some Crape Myrtle plants have been successfully grown in colder zones as herbaceous perennials much like the Peony. These mostly die down to the ground yet can bloom on new growth. Some recently developed cultivars were created specifically for colder regions making it now possible for gardeners in Zone 5 to have this wonderful plant.
As Crape Myrtle blooms on new growth it is advisable to trim back the branches by a foot or so. This also helps keep the plant from becoming leggy. In the case of the small shrub some people like to cut it down right to the ground to maintain this smaller shape as they grow rather swiftly. All Crape Myrtles like full sun but can take some dappled shade. Where summers are on the cool side flowering can be stunted and mildew can be a big problem. There are, however, many varieties that are resistant to mildew for these regions. Crape Myrtle grows best in well drained soil but is not particularly picky otherwise growing in all sorts of soil types with little problem.
All in all there is hardly a better, more attractive and versatile plant out there than the Crape Myrtle for the true plant connoisseur. Run out and get one if you know what’s good for your garden.
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Author Bio Box: Glory Lennon
 Articles @ Helium: http://www.helium.com/users/32782/show_articles
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