Black Diamond® Shell Pink™ Crape Myrtle Shrub

Make people happy by choosing this beautiful flowering shrub. Decorate your landscape with a lavish, long-lasting display of coral-pink blooms. The Black Diamond® Shell Pink™ Crape Myrtle shrub (Lagerstroemia BLACK DIAMOND 'Shell Pink') is showy for months each summer and fall!

The deliciously dark foliage is a perfect contrast to the clusters of blooms. It emerges a lush purple-black and stays that color through the growing season! No need to fuss or muss over it, either.

This stunning plant naturally develops into an upright shrub. It features colorful foliage and an abundance of vibrant blooms from mid-summer through fall. In some areas in certain years, your flower show may even start early. Even when not in bloom, Shell Pink™ Crape Myrtle is a beautiful shrub. When it is in bloom, though, it's breathtaking!

The heavily crinkled fuchsia-pink flowers bloom exuberantly and stand out so well from the rich foliage. Make sure you plant this where it can be seen and enjoyed. You'll stop traffic!

There will be admirers, and not just humans, either. Crape Myrtles are a pollinator and hummingbird's favorite plant, and they'll have plenty of charmingly crinkled blooms to choose from!

This improved cultivar from the Black Diamond® line of Crape Myrtles is highly resistant to powdery mildew. Hardy throughout USDA growing zones 6 to 10 and can be grown as a fantastic annual accent in zones 5 and under!

Planting and Application:

Black Diamond® Crape Myrtle selections are well-known for their unique beauty. Use them at the corner of your home as a great addition to your foundation planting. You'll enjoy interest all year with many lovely ornamental features. You'll love the look, whether from foliage, flowers or the smooth, attractive bark. Invite your friends over for a stylish party! These shrubs make a colorful backdrop for party photos!

Grow these out to their full height and width for a hard-working privacy fence. You'll keep your neighbors out of sight, and on good terms! They can be used as a hedging plant, as well. The naturally rounded shape needs little pruning to look good, Shell Pink™ Crape Myrtle takes hard pruning without any trouble. Create flowering walls of a garden room, or define your driveway.

For a low patio hedge, plant them two feet apart and trim them down to four inches tall in late winter. They grow three feet tall in a season!

They can also be used as a tall backdrop on the north side of your mixed border. Jazz up the sunny side of mature evergreen trees, too. Use along your property line, or to extend the height of existing fencing. Plant them 12 feet apart on center, measuring from the center of one to the center of the next. Stagger a second row if you want to see faster results!

Shell Pink™ Crape Myrtle is a stand-out wherever you put it in your landscape. It is so versatile and can be kept to any size with some annual pruning. You can even grow it in a large container!

You can also grow these in outdoor containers! March a matching series of them along your patio or poolside deck. Northern gardeners? Create an eye-catching seasonal display with these beautiful shrubs as a long-blooming "Thriller" in your large outdoor containers.

Place one as a beautiful specimen to accent the start of a path, walkway, or trail. Use two, planted on either side of the entrance to your outdoor entertainment area!

• Masses of Crinkled, Coral-Pink Blooms that Last for Months
• Dramatic Burgundy-Black Foliage!
• Upright Growth Habit
• Attracts Hummingbirds & Beneficial Pollinators
• Versatile in the Landscape, Flowering Privacy Screens, Hedges & Specimens

#ProPlantTips for Care:

Plant in full sun, where it will receive at least six hours of direct sunlight a day. Morning sun is best, as it dries off overnight dew from the foliage quickly. Plant in well-drained soil and apply a three-inch layer of pine straw or pine bark mulch. Pull the mulch at least six inches away from the stems for proper air circulation. You'll definitely want to keep your young plants watered regularly with soakings every few days. Move to a weekly soaking after a month, and keep it up the first season.

Black Diamond® Crape Myrtles are low maintenance, highly disease resistant, and become moderately drought tolerant once established. We do recommend that you apply a medium amount of supplemental water to protect your investment. Apply a 3-4 inch deep layer of mulch around the entire root system to keep the roots cool and hold in moisture.

Apply a slow-release fertilizer meant for flowering plants in early spring and again in mid-summer. Follow application rates on the label. Please watch out and keep lawn fertilizers that are heavy on nitrogen away from Shell Pink™. They may reduce the amount of blooms on your Crape Myrtle bush.

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.

Crape Myrtles are seldom severely damaged by deer. In areas with heavy deer pressure, we recommend you spray repellent on all new plants. Reapply according to the label directions.

Move container plants in hardiness zones 5 and lower into an unheated garage for the winter. Bring it back out once the weather warms up in the spring. These exotic plants can regrow from the roots the next year with proper protection … even in frigid winters.

• Most Blooms in Full Sun
• Moderate Moisture Needs - Drought Tolerant Once Established
• Vigorous & Easy-Care Any Well-Drained Soil
• Can Be Kept Much Shorter with Pruning in Spring
• Foliage is Resistant to Disease & Powdery Mildew & Deer Don't Prefer the Taste
• Grow as an Outstanding Seasonal "Thriller" in Containers in Zones 3, 4 & 5

With black foliage and masses of coral-pink blooms, the Black Diamond® Shell Pink™ Crape Myrtle shrub makes a big impression on your landscape. You can't go wrong with the amazing look of Shell Pink. Voluptuous clusters of coral-pink colored blooms start in summer and last through frost. Order yours from the expert growers at Nature Hills today!