Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) Seeds

Crape Myrtle is a deciduous, upright, spreading, multi-stemmed shrub. Features dark green foliage turning dull reddish-orange in fall, grayish-brown bark which exfoliates with age and terminal. Beautiful, inflorescence white, pink, red, or lavender flowers that bloom on 6 to 12-inch long panicles in mid-June and last up to 120 days. Flowers give way to round seed capsules which often persist well into winter.

From the showy flowers to the superb bark and foliage, the Crape Myrtle is a favorite landscape plant throughout the South. Crape Myrtles are found as far north as Baltimore, Maryland, but they are better suited for warmer regions of the country. In the North winter, injury is a problem, and plants will grow much smaller. It must have full sun or powdery mildew will become a problem.

Crape Myrtles are a valuable landscape plant that can be used as a shrub or small tree, ranging in size from 18 inches to over 25 feet. As an asset to almost any landscape, the Crape Myrtle is a very beautiful specimen shrub or tree, often used in groups underplanted with a ground cover. The dark green foliage contrasts the gray to tan shades of the handsome bark. Crape Myrtle can be used as hedges, screens, or in masses. Planted in this manner, Crape Myrtle offers a grand display of color throughout the summer months.

Common Name: Crape Myrtle
Zone: 6 to 9
Growth Rate: Fast to Medium
Plant Type: Deciduous flowering shrub or small tree
Family: Lythraceae
Native Range: China and Korea
Height: 10 to 30 feet
Spread: 15 to 25 feet
Bloom Time: 120 days, June - September
Bloom Color: white, pink, red, or lavender
Flower/Fruit: Very showy 6 to 12-inch-long clustered blooms (panicles). The fruits that follow are brown or black. When mature they dry and split releasing disk-shaped seeds.
Fall Color: Showy orange, red and yellow.
Sun: Full Sun
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Medium
Drought Tolerance: High
Soil Tolerances: clay; loam; sand; acidic; alkaline; well-drained
Site Requirements: Full Sun, well-drained soil; protect from drying winds.