Choosing The Right Crape Myrtle For Your Landscape

The Crape Myrtle continues to be one of the most cherished ornamental plants across American gardens. With their unmatched bloom time, dazzling color range, and broad adaptability, it's no wonder homeowners and landscapers alike are still smitten!

Thanks to new introductions and ongoing breeding efforts, there's a Crape Myrtle suited for nearly every garden style, from spacious Southern estates to cozy cottage corners.

Admired for their flower power, and named for their crepey flowers that appear from late spring through fall, all Crape Myrtles sold in the United States are deciduous and often wrap up the season with a vivid fall display of oranges, reds, white, pinks, and yellows. Most thrive in well-drained soils and, once established, offer excellent drought tolerance, making them a reliable choice for water-wise landscapes.

Sun & Size First - Then Color!

Choosing Crape Myrtles can be difficult because they are available in many shapes and sizes, from petite shrubs to towering trees!

First, ensure you will have enough sun for these plants - They need at least 6 hours of direct sun a day, so ensuring they receive enough sun guarantees you will have a healthy plant, smothered in plenty of blooms.

Then, select a plant that fits your space! Once you know they will be happy, healthy, and not crowded, you can finally choose flower color!

Here’s your guide to top-tier Crape Myrtle varieties at NatureHills.com:

Classic and Proven Hybrids

• The Catawba Crape Myrtle is a dependable mid-sized tree or shrub with bold purple blooms and excellent disease resistance. It grows 12-15 feet tall in Growing Zones 7-9.
• The Tonto Crape Myrtle is a small tree or large shrub with bold fuchsia-red blooms that glow against its dark green foliage. This variety features excellent disease resistance and brilliant red-orange fall color. It matures at 8-10 feet tall and thrives in Growing Zones 6-9.
• The Natchez Crape Myrtle is a tree-form classic with white blooms, red-orange fall color, and beautiful exfoliating bark. It reaches over 20-30 feet tall and thrives in USDA Growing Zones 6-9.
• The Muskogee Crape Myrtle is a statuesque tree with enormous lavender blooms from summer to frost. Its bronze-tinged green foliage turns a brilliant red in fall. Grows 15-20 feet tall in Growing Zones 6-9.
• The Sioux Crape Myrtle is a beautiful small tree with long-lasting soft pink blooms, eye-catching exfoliating bark, and red-purple fall color. It matures to 12-15 feet and thrives in Growing Zones 6-9.
• The Acoma Crape Myrtle grows as a shrub or small tree with arching branches and white flowers. It offers dark red fall foliage and does well in Growing Zones 6-9, reaching 6-7 feet tall.
• The Zuni Crape Myrtle produces violet-purple blooms and has a compact tree or shrub form. With red-orange fall color, it's suited for Growing Zones 6-10 and matures to 8-10 feet tall.

Introductions by Dr. Carl Whitcomb (Lacebark Inc.)

• The Dynamite Crape Myrtle is a bold tree form with vivid deep red flowers and an upright habit. A top choice for large spaces, it thrives in Growing Zones 6-9 and reaches up to 15-20 feet.
• The Pink Velour® Crape Myrtle is a shrub or small tree with bright fuchsia-pink flowers, wine-colored foliage, and showy orange fall tones. It matures to 6-10 feet tall and grows well in Zones 6-9.

The Black Diamond® Series

These stylish selections boast rich black foliage and bold, colorful blooms with strong mildew resistance.

• The Best Red™ has a rounded canopy and produces brilliant red blooms, growing 10-12 feet tall in Zones 6-10.
• The Crimson Red™ features a vase-shaped habit with deep crimson flowers and thrives in Zones 6-10, growing 10-12 feet tall.
• The Purely Purple™ stands upright and produces vivid purple blooms, reaching 10-12 feet tall in Zones 6-10.
• The Red Hot™ is known for its spreading form and bold red flowers, reaching 10-12 feet tall in Zones 6-9.
• The Blush™ offers soft pink flowers and an upright habit, growing 10-12 feet tall in Zones 6-10.
• The Mystic Magenta™ lights up the landscape with magenta-pink blooms and dramatic contrast foliage, maturing at 10-12 feet tall in Zones 6-10.
• The Pure White™ shines with clean white blooms atop black foliage, reaching 10-12 feet tall in Zones 6-10.
• The Shell Pink™ delivers coral-pink blooms and grows with a tidy upright form to 10-12 feet tall in Zones 6-10.

First Editions® Magic™ Collection

These compact growers are well-suited for tight garden spaces, patios, and container plantings.

• The Midnight Magic™ is a low-growing shrub with deep pink blooms and dark purple foliage, ideal for containers. It grows 4-6 feet tall in Zones 7-9.
• The Twilight Magic™ grows as a large shrub or tree with coral-pink flowers and plum foliage, reaching up to 12-14 feet tall in Zones 7-9.
• The Plum Magic™ features fuchsia blooms and plum-purple foliage in a rounded form. It can be grown as a 12-14-foot-tall shrub or small tree in Zones 7-9.
• The Purple Magic™ shows off rich purple blooms with reblooming potential when deadheaded. Its vase-shaped form grows 7-10 feet tall in Zones 7-9.
• The Coral Magic™ dazzles with salmon-pink blooms and reddish new growth, maturing to 8-12 feet tall in Zones 7-9.

The GreatMyrtles™ Collection

Big, bold, and built to impress, these supersized beauties are bred for impressive flower power and strong upright structure. Perfect for low hedge plantings or showy specimens. These are fantastic compact shrubs for USDA growing zones 5 to 9, and only top out at only at 30 inches in height and width.

• The GreatMyrtle™ French Vanilla Crape Myrtle is cloaked in masses of pure white flowers that dazzle against dark green foliage. Ideal for grand, large-scale landscape designs.
• The GreatMyrtle™ Cherry Delight Crape Myrtle commands attention all summer with vibrant pink blooms atop a short, mounded form. It brings both charm and color to sunny yards.
• The GreatMyrtle™ Red Velvet Crape Myrtle showcases cherry red blossoms that burst from its compact, stately branches, perfect as a centerpiece or low border.
• The GreatMyrtle™ Cotton Candy Crape Myrtle delivers light baby pink panicles and rich green foliage on a compact shrub. It’s both elegant and commanding.

Crape Myrtle Care Tips

Ensure your Crape Myrtle has plenty of shoulder room. Good air circulation prevents powdery mildew and keeps your Crape Myrtle blooming happily!

• Sunlight: Full sun ensures the best flowering and compact form.
• Soil: Prefers well-drained soil; tolerates a range but not soggy sites.
• Watering: Use the Finger Test to gauge soil moisture before watering new plants.
• Pruning: Prune lightly in late winter to maintain shape and remove crossing branches. Avoid severe topping.
• Mulch: Apply arborist mulch around the base to retain moisture and reduce weed competition.
• Deadheading: Encourage extended bloom by deadheading spent flower clusters, especially in reblooming varieties.

Let Crape Myrtles Work Their Magic

With centuries of charm behind them and fresh varieties still making headlines, Crape Myrtles are a reliable way to add four seasons of interest to your yard. Whether you're dressing up the driveway, adding a colorful street tree, shading your patio, or lining a fence with blooming brilliance, there's a perfect Crape Myrtle plant waiting to be planted.

Happy Planting!