Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)

Crepe myrtles (aka Lagerstroeomia Indica) are a deciduous tree and are beautiful trees that can add a lot of interest to your landscape. These trees are available in a wide range of colors, and they have an attractive bark that peels away in layers. Crepe myrtle trees produce large flowers in summer that attract bees and butterflies. Crepe myrtles are also deciduous, vase-shaped trees. If you are looking for a tree that is easy to care for and provides year-round interest, then crepe myrtle is a great choice.

Common name	Common Crape Myrtle, Crape Flower, Crape Myrtle, Crepe Myrtle, Indian Crape Myrtle, Lilac of the South
Botanical name	Lagerstroemia indica
Family	Lythraceae
Species	indica
Origin	Central Himalaya to S. China and Indo-China, Philippines, Japan
Life cycle	Woody
Plant type	Perennial
Hardiness zone	6, 7, 8, 9
Sunlight	Full Sun
Maintenance	Medium
Soil condition	Clay
Soil ph	Acid
Drainage	Well-Drained
Growth rate	Fast
Spacing	12 – 24 ft.
Harvest time	Fall
Flowering period	Summer
Height	6 ft. – 30 ft.
Width	6 ft. – 30 ft.
Flower color	Pink
Leaf color	Green
Fruit color	Brown, Copper
Stem color	Brown, Copper
Fruit type	Capsule
Leaf benefit	Showy
Flower benefit	Good Cut
Garden style	Asian Garden
Uses	Container

I. Appearance and Characteristics

Lagerstroemia indica, the crape myrtle (also crepe myrtle, crêpe myrtle, or crepeflower) is a species of flowering plant in the genus Lagerstroemia of the family Lythraceae. It is native to the sub-tropical regions of the Himalayas and northern India (hence the species epithet indica), also to Southeast Asia, and southern China. The genus name honors Swedish botanist Magnus von Lagerström. It is an often multi-stemmed, deciduous tree with a wide spreading, flat topped, rounded, or even spike shaped open habit. The tree is a popular nesting shrub for songbirds and wrens.

The bark is thin and about 2mm. thick, smooth, pinkish-gray and mottled, shedding each year. Leaves also shed each winter, after spectacular color display, and bare branches re-leaf early in the spring; leaves are small, smooth-edged, circular or oval-shaped, and dark green changing to yellow and orange and red in autumn.

Flowers, on different trees, are white, pink, mauve, purple or carmine with crimped petals, in panicles up to 9 cm (3+1⁄2 in). Flowers give way to 6-capsuled, brown dehiscent fruits.

Frequently L. indica is root hardy to Zone 5 (−10 °F or −23 °C), meaning it will be killed back during harsh winters but regrow from the roots and flower in summer. As such Northern gardeners treat it more like a perennial than a tree or shrub. Too much watering and over-fertilizing can decrease the cold hardiness because it stimulates new growth late in the season that does not have time to harden off.

Lagerstroemia indica is frost tolerant, prefers full sun and will grow to 6 m (20 ft) with a spread of 6 m (20 ft). The plant is not picky about soil type but does require good drainage to thrive. Once established it is also quite drought hardy, though it benefits from the occasional deep watering during the summer months.

15 hybrid cultivars have been developed between L. indica and L. fauriei by the US National Arboretum for increased cold-hardiness and resistance to disease, all given the names of Native American tribes. There are also dwarf cultivars of indica × fauriei cross-breeds and regular L. indica species, which grow 2–5 ft (0.61–1.52 m).

II. How to Grow and Care

Sunlight

Crepe myrtles thrive in full sunlight, so your planting location should receive sunlight the majority of the day but also have enough room for the tree to grow to its intended height properly. Shaded areas will likely result in crepe myrtles not blooming, and partial sunlight will yield poor results.

Leave enough horizontal space for the crepe myrtle’s roots to expand, but be aware of the varieties’ maximum height because porch ceilings or other overhanging elements could prevent its proper growth. It’s best to have an unobstructed space, such as a driveway or fence line, to plant these trees because it receives sunlight while not competing for space.

Temperature and Humidity

Crepe myrtles may suffer from cold damage in cooler climates, so if you live in the Upper South, be sure to plant cold-hardy selections such as ‘Acoma,’ ‘Centennial Spirit,’ or ‘Hopi.’ If you live in areas that are constantly wet and humid from midsummer to fall, plant varieties that are found to be more resistant to the leaf spot damage caused by the fungus Cercospora lythracearum such as ‘Tonto’, ‘Catawba’, ‘Sioux’, or ‘Tuskegee’.

Watering

The best recipe for crepe myrtle success is to start with moist, well-draining soil and water consistently throughout the first year of the growing season to prevent air pockets or to dry out the roots. After initial growth, you don’t want to over-water these plants, which can be reasonably drought-resistant, as long as it sees water about once every other week. Make sure the soil drains well to prevent root rot.

Soil

Crepe myrtles grow best in partly acidic soil. Check with your local extension agent about getting your soil sample tested to determine the pH of your soil. Home testing kits and soil testing tools are also available but may not offer the follow-up steps needed to amend soil that the extension services provide. If the soil pH is over 6.5, garden sulfur is the best option for lowering the pH. Be sure to read the application instructions because too much garden sulfur can be detrimental. Water-soluble acidic fertilizers can be applied in the spring each year. This soil should be well-draining.

Fertilizing

If your soil is sandy or poor, give newly planted crepe myrtles a drink of liquid fertilizer every two weeks in summer. After its first growing season, crepe myrtles should only need fertilizer once a year—usually in spring before new growth begins.

Pruning

Crepe myrtles bloom on new growth and should be pruned in late winter or early spring. Dwarf and short types need only minor, cosmetic pruning. On medium and tall types, prune to a tree form. Remove suckers at the base, twiggy growth, crossing branches, and branches growing toward the center of the plant. Also gradually remove side branches on main trunks up to a height of 4-5 feet. The tree should be open enough that a bird could fly through unimpeded. This exposes the handsome bark and also improves air circulation, making leaf diseases such as mildew and leaf spot less likely.

When pruning a crepe myrtle, don’t chop your large crepe myrtles down to ugly stubs each spring just because your neighbors do. This practice—often called “crepe murder”—ruins the natural form and encourages the growth of spindly, whiplike branches too weak to hold up the flowers. To reduce a crepe myrtle’s height, use hand pruners or loppers to shorten the topmost branches by 2-3 feet in late winter, always cutting back to a side branch or bud. For branches more than 2 inches thick, always cut back to the crotch or trunk. Don’t leave big, ugly stubs.

During the growing season, clip off spent flowers to promote a second, lighter bloom. Also, prune dwarf forms periodically throughout the growing season, removing spent blossoms and thinning out small, twiggy growth.

Propagation

It is illegal to propagate patented cultivars. Older cultivars that have been on the market since the early 1990s can be propagated because the patent expires 20 years after the original filing with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. With this in mind, Crepe myrtle can be easily propagated by taking semi-hardwood cuttings during the growing months of December, January, and February. You can easily follow these steps:

• Take cuttings from the season’s new growth, leaving three to four nodes and some leaves per cutting.
• Keep cuttings wet by wrapping them in a clear plastic bag and placing them in a well-drained rooting medium in a shady environment. Cuttings can also be planted in ready-made outdoor rooting beds.
• Cultivate the soil thoroughly to a depth of 10 to 12 inches and add 4 to 5 inches of peat moss and carefully mix it into the soil.
• Place the cuttings about 6 inches apart and insert them into the dirt halfway up their length. To conserve moisture, mulch with 2 to 3 inches of pine straw and mist them frequently.
• Cuttings should root in 3 to 4 weeks without the use of rooting hormone.
• Finally, during the Autumn or Winter months, the new rooted plants can be transferred to their permanent environment.

Transplanting

If you’ve already planted a crepe myrtle that’s overgrowing its boundary, you might want to move it. These trees may be easily transplanted, and only a small root ball is needed for success. It’s best to move them in late fall or winter, when they’re leafless and dormant. See our guide to planting crepe myrtles for step-by-step planting directions.

Overwintering

Crepe myrtles need little overwintering care. A light 1-2 inches mulch layer of pine fines or pine straw can help to hold moisture around the roots during drier winter months. Make sure the mulch is not mounted around the base of the tree and that a gap is left around the trunk for air circulation.

Pests and Diseases

Occasionally aphids, a sap-sucking insect, attack plants but can be controlled through insecticides or a soap and water solution for a less harsh preventative. For more on aphid control as well as how to handle the associated issue of sooty mold, see our guide to common crepe myrtle problems.

Another complication occurs to trees planted in a shady area with damp or humid growing conditions. Powdery mildew is a fungus that grows on leaves, preventing new growth and damaging leaves.

Fortunately, crepe myrtles tend to be deer resistant so you won’t have to worry about them munching on tree leaves.

III. Uses and Benefits

If you are trying to create a Mediterranean-style garden, then a crape myrtle could be a good choice.

Crape myrtles work well with bougainvillea, hibiscus, Mediterranean fruit trees, and a range of Mediterranean vegetables and herbs.

If you have a suitably sunny and warm garden, crape myrtle could be an attractive ornamental option to consider.

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