Colored by the sun

By Ginger Hogan
Special to the Coastal Point

	Coastal Point • SUSAN LYONS Above, the ‘Dynamite’ crape myrtle reaches its peak in the heat of summer. Below, the crape myrtle can grow to be more than 25 feet and the bark peels off during the warm months.

One such plant is the crape myrtle, Lagerstroemia indica. This is one of the most versatile of all flowering trees and shrubs, blooming for months from late June into September. It produces large clusters of blooms in a wide range of vibrant colors including red, white, pink, purple and magenta. They can range in size anywhere from 2 to more than 25 feet.

This is a plant with nearly year-round interest. In the spring, the new growth of many varieties is a beautiful burgundy. The summer flowers speak for themselves. Autumn brings out the brilliant fall foliage in a range of oranges, reds and golds. In the winter, after the leaves fall, the graceful form and beautiful peeling bark are exposed.

The wide range of sizes available makes them useful in a variety of settings. The dwarf cultivars can be used as foundation plantings. Medium size varieties are useful in perennial and shrub borders. The full size cultivars make excellent shade trees or specimen plantings. Their tolerance of drought and poor soil make them useful in street or island plantings.

Crape myrtles are not demanding plants. Their main requirements are full sun and acid soil. They will grow in a wide range of soils, from sandy beach conditions to heavy wet clay. Once established, crape myrtles are surprisingly drought tolerant. And they show remarkable tolerance to salt spray, a major plus for this area.

Since flowering occurs on the new growth of the season, pruning can be done at any time in winter or spring without the loss of flower buds. Pruning may be necessary to affect the shape or density, or to create a tree-like effect on larger specimens. This is done by gradually removing the lower branches until the canopy reaches the desired level, exposing the graceful trunks.

Crape myrtles are completely hardy in zone seven, which allows those of us who live here to enjoy them to their full size. But every year I have customers who fall in love with them here and want to take them to points north. In zone six, gardeners have a good chance of having them survive, but they are not likely to reach the full size they would in the south. In zone five, crape myrtles may survive, but would probably die back to the ground each year like a perennial. Plant breeders at the National Arboretum have been working to improve hardiness by crossing Lagerstroemia indica with Lagerstroemia fauriei, a slightly hardier species. Among their introductions is “Velma’s Royal Delight,” one of my favorites, with magenta blooms on a compact plant.

Some others of particular note are: “Acoma,” a mid-sized white bloomer with a graceful cascading form; ‘Catawba,” a deep purple that grows ten to fifteen feet and features fiery orange-red fall color; ‘Raspberry Sundae,” a bicolor that bears hot pink blossoms edged in white; ‘Dynamite,” a large variety, 20 feet or more, featuring brightest red of any variety; and “Pink Velour,” a medium growing cultivar with lush pink blooms and burgundy-red foliage.

With the dog days of summer upon us, crape myrtles can be a ray of sunshine in an otherwise tired garden. Why not add a splash of color to your summer garden?

Ginger Hogan is a Certified Nursery Professional and nursery manager at Lord’s Landscaping.