The crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia) is a native of Southeast Asia, but it has become one of the most popular flowering shrubs/trees in North Texas. It is also one of the most useful. The crape myrtle provides abundant summer color with a minimum of maintenance and can flower for as many as 120 days. Crape myrtles are used in home landscaping and as street trees in community development. They are ideally suited for parkways and roadway settings since they are long-lived, withstand droughts once established and are relatively free of disease and insect problems. The flowers range in color from red, pink and purple with an attractive exfoliating bark and can be effectively mixed with other flowering shrubs.

Considerable breeding in the past few years has resulted in a number of new crape myrtle cultivars. Height ranges from 3 feet to 25 feet, making them versatile plants that lend themselves to specimen trees and cluster planting. Many of the newer varieties have improved flower color, better fall leaf color, beautiful bark and better cold and disease resistance than the older seedling types.

The popularity and widespread use of these beautiful plants has resulted in it being classified as naturalized for our area. In 1997, the crape myrtle was designated as the State Shrub of Texas.

The crape myrtle is commonly described as a multi-trunk medium to large shrub or tree.

Bark can be smooth or peeling, fluted, pale to light brown color. Fall leaf color may have a range of yellow, orange and red. The most desirable feature of the crape myrtle is the long stem with ruffled flowers in diverse shades of white, pink, red and purple flowers. The petals generally have six broad, fringed blades with the lower portion tapering into long slender shafts. The dry fruit contains seeds that are winged at the top.

The giant crape myrtle (L. speciosa) generally grows to 25 to 30 feet and some of the eighty varieties are valuable for commercial timber. This plant is native to India and has proven to be less hardy, restricting cultivation to warmer climes such as southern Florida, California and Hawaii.

Begin by choosing crape myrtle varieties that will grow to the correct mature sizes for their planting locations. In just a few years, that lovely 5-foot shrub in the nursery display could well reach 20 feet, or that petite bloomer could block the view from a window. A crape myrtle will grow under adverse soil conditions; however it thrives and flowers more profusely in well-prepared soil. The added work spent in preparation pays off with a much healthier plant. This includes digging a hole at least twice as wide as the root ball. The crown should be no deeper than it originally grew in the container or field. Then backfill with the same soil removed from the hole, breaking up clods and removing rocks or debris. Except in the case of dwarf varieties that are part of a large prepared bed, do not add amendments, as they do not encourage outward growth of the roots into the native soil. Amendments are most beneficial when incorporated evenly throughout the surrounding soil.

Water thoroughly to settle the soil around the roots, and mulch to conserve moisture, reduce weeds and protect against extreme cold and heat. Three to five inches of shredded hardwood mulch or shredded leaves arranged over the planting hole is ideal. Mulching a larger area is even better.

Location is important to avoid stressing the plants during hot, dry summers.

For the first two months, water crape myrtles at planting and once a week in the absence of rain. A deep watering once a week is more beneficial than a light sprinkling more often.

Established plants will tolerate drought. However, flowering will be enhanced if plants are watered when dry periods occur during the flowering season.

Place crape myrtles in full sun to encourage strong growth and generous flowering. Intense shade will reduce growth and increase disease problems such as sooty mold on the leaves and powdery mildew on flower buds and new growth. Large shade trees can also compete with crape myrtles for moisture, causing poor growth and fewer flowers. Lack of sunlight and water are the most common causes of reduced growth and flowering.

Remember that frequent and hard pruning is not a satisfactory solution when a maturing crape myrtle proves to be too large for its spot in the landscape. Remove or transplant the crape myrtle, and replace it with a shrub that will mature to the correct size. Crape myrtles may be pruned to remove broken or crowded growth anytime during late winter or early spring before new growth appears. "Suckers," undesired new sprouts at the base of the plant, can be removed at any time. Avoid pruning in early fall before the first frost as this will result in new growth and prevents the plant from going dormant. Plants can be killed by severe freezes if not fully dormant.

On some cultivars, pruning to remove spent flowers will encourage new growth and an additional blooming in late summer.

To develop a tree, select several evenly spaced shoots growing from ground level as the primary trunks. Remove side branches from these shoots approximately halfway up. As the plant matures, additional lower branches should be removed until the canopy is 3-4 feet above ground level. It may be necessary to remove suckers from the base to retain a tree shape. Some landscapers advise applying a synthetic plant growth regulator (naphthalene acetic acid) to prevent suckers from re-growing.

Experts often describe such severe pruning as "crape murder."

To restore a damaged or distorted crape myrtle, cut the shrub back to ground level. This severe measure will not kill or damage a healthy plant; just make sure that pruning is done before spring growth begins. Many new sprouts will emerge; simply choose and train the strongest as desired.

Do not cut large limbs back as this will encourage an overabundance of new growth near the cut, resulting in unattractive clusters of vigorous growth along the stalk. In addition, this will cause them to be more vulnerable to aphids. This type of extreme pruning, shown at left, is often called "Crape Murder."

Read more about Pruning:
Aggie Horticulture - Crape Myrtles for Texas
Gardening with Skip
CrapeMyrtles.com
Stop the Crape Murder
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In Collin County soils, choose a fertilizer high in nitrogen for crape myrtles. They produce their flower buds on active new growth, and nitrogen stimulates that growth. Fertilize as new growth begins in late March or early April. Fertilize again in late May or early June, and again, if you wish, in August. Follow manufacturers’ recommendations (usually one pound per accumulated trunk diameter or, for dwarf types, one pound per 100 square feet of bed space). Avoid over-fertilization as it will result in excess growth and a reduction in flowers. Just before it rains is the best time to fertilize. In dry weather, water in fertilizer after application. There is no need to remove mulch.

Semi-hardwood cuttings removed during the growth season can easily be propagated. Be sure to make your cuttings from new growth and leave 3 to 4 nodes and several leaves on each cutting. As a general rule, rooting hormone is not necessary. Cuttings should be placed in a well-drained rooting medium in a shaded area. Retain moisture by placing them in a clear plastic bag. Cuttings should begin to root in three to four weeks.

To start cuttings in an outdoor bed, thoroughly prepare the soil. Cultivate the soil 10 to 12 inches deep and then add 4 to 5 inches of organic material mixed well into the soil. Peat moss, leaf mold or pine bark works well. Insert cuttings ½ their length into the soil and 6 inches apart. Mist regularly and mulch with an additional 2-3 inches of organic matter.

Young plants can be moved to a permanent location during fall or winter.

Some varieties of crape myrtle are susceptible to diseases like powdery mildew. Crape myrtle is susceptible to several diseases including powdery mildew. This will normally develop in late spring and fall with warm days and cool nights with high humidity. A powdery white mold coats young shoots and flowers. Flower buds may not open and severely infected leaves and buds often drop prematurely.

Read more about diseases:
Clemson University Extension
Mississippi State Extension (.pdf file)
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Leaf spot caused by Cercospora lythracearum fungus is the other most damaging disease to crape myrtles. Dark brown spots develop on lower leaves and work upward in the humid weather of summer. Sometimes even one spot will cause leaves to drop on certain cultivars and can cause premature defoliation before the first frost.

Both of these diseases can be controlled by applying fungicides when they are first noticed. Be careful to follow directions on the container. However, the best prevention is to plant-disease resistant crape myrtle cultivars for low-maintenance landscapes.

Sooty mold is usually caused by the excretions of insect pests such as aphids on crape myrtle. The dark brown or black coating on stems and leaves can be removed by rubbing. This mold seldom causes serious damage but can reduce the vigor of a plant. Again the best protection is to grow resistant plants.

In recent years, azalea felt scale has become a problem on some crape myrtle varieties in our area. For information on these and other pests, visit http://crapemyrtletrails.org/pest.

The Crape Myrtle Trails of McKinney, TX
Auburn University College of Agriculture
The United States National Arboretum
U. of Florida College of Agriculture
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