Black Diamond® Red Hot™ Crape Myrtle Shrub

We love the Black Diamond® series of Crape Myrtles (Lagerstroemia BLACK DIAMOND 'Red Hot') and the Black Diamond® Red Hot™ is a standout among standouts. Not only does the fiery red bloom shine atop this shrub but it also shows off big time with eye-catching black foliage that won't fade all summer!

Hummingbirds and butterflies adore the masses of gorgeous red blooms that keep coming from spring to fall! The stunning black foliage of the Black Diamond® series is a perfect complement to the red blooms and doesn't look like any other shrub on the market!

Every garden needs a little drama! The unique look of Red Hot™ Crape Myrtle brings a very dynamic display to the landscape. From early spring through fall, the nearly black foliage sets the stage, and it holds that high-impact color all season.

Red Hot™ gives you much more flexibility as you decide how you want to maintain it in your yard! You can train these shrubs into tree-form accents, or keep them as shrubby naturally tidy bushes. Hardy throughout USDA growing zones 6 to 10 and growing into a rounded 10-12 foot tall shrub!

Planting and Application:

Add Red Hot™ as a conversation starter in your patio planting, front porch steps, or as a crown jewel to your landscape beds! A single fiery red flowering ornamental really shows off on front yard berms and as foundation accents and anchors!

Create an upscale specimen tree-from by removing the lower limbs and exposing the lovely, smooth bark to keep it as a small landscape accent tree!

Or, allow the lower branches to grow to the ground for a perfect privacy screen. Red Hot™ is a truly unique hedge plant or backdrop so the dark foliage highlights everything else planted before it! It makes a terrific naturally shaped flowering screen along the pool deck, or adding privacy around a patio.

Several planted together will make a traffic-stopping fence, walkway, or driveway lining hedge. If you want a really different look in your garden that turns the typical hedge on its head, prune Red Hot™ hard every winter to 3' tall. You'll be the talk of the neighborhood with this shrub lining the sidewalk to screen your front yard from the street!

Use Red Hot™ as a vibrant living fence or outdoor garden room. This sun lover can take hard pruning to keep it shorter! Try it along the length of your property line, or plant it along driveways or fences. How nice to boost the height of your hardscaped fence and gift your family a very welcome feeling of respite from prying eyes!

• Hot Red Flowers All Summer!
• Dark, Near-Black Foliage Won't Fade
• Hummingbird & Pollinator Magnets!
• Versatile Tree or Shrub Form
• Annual/Seasonal Accent In Cold Climates
• Privacy & Definition Hedge, Backdrop, Specimen & Accent

#ProPlantTips for Care:

Plant this flowering shrub in full sun for the most blooms, we recommend that you select a planting site that receives plenty of morning sunlight and good air circulation. Plant Crape Myrtles in well-drained soil but they adapt to a wide range of soil types as long as the drainage is good. If you need to improve drainage in your planting site, create a raised bed or mound up supplemental soil to 18 inches high and plant in that mound if poor drainage is suspected.

Crape Myrtles are drought tolerant once they are established in your landscape. For the first season, give young plants a moderate amount of water on a regular basis. Top the soil with a 3-4 inch thick layer of mulch to provide shade to the root systems. You'll cut down on soil moisture evaporation and extend the periods between watering.

Blooming on new wood, prune to shape in early spring to remove crossing branches and control size. Remove the oldest wood at ground level periodically when renewal pruning every 3-5 years. Deadhead any spent flower clusters as they fade to encourage more blooms during the active growing season. Apply a slow-release fertilizer in early spring and again in the mid-summer.

In Zones 7 - 10, this hardy shrub is a super easy, low-maintenance beauty. No matter where you live, or where you use it - it will add the perfect touch of color and mystery to your garden! In Zone 6, this versatile plant will behave as a perennial in the ground and regrow from the roots in the spring. Simply trim off any old wood in spring to prepare for new growth.

Gardeners in colder Zones can try this as an incredible "Thriller" as an annual seasonal container plant. Try moving the container (12" or larger) into an unheated garage or other well-lit, protected location for the winter. You might be surprised to see this exotic plant regrow from its roots the following year.

All of the Black Diamond® plants are low maintenance, highly resistant to mildew, and are relatively drought tolerant once established.

• Radiant in Full Sun
• Fast Growing in Any Well-Drained Soil
• Moderate Moisture Needs - Drought Tolerant Once Established
• Can Be Kept Much Shorter with Pruning in Spring
• Foliage is Resistant to Disease & Powdery Mildew
• Deer Don't Prefer the Taste

The fiery Black Diamond® Red Hot™ Crape Myrtles are easy to care for and disease-resistant. They are also drought-tolerant once established! You will be in love with the amazing contrast this shrub brings to your landscape. Don't wait to order yours at Nature Hills!