Crape myrtle

Lagerstroemia indica

Crape myrtle — *Lagerstroemia indica* bark

Crape myrtle — *Lagerstroemia x ‘*Muskogee*‘*

Crape myrtle — *Lagerstroemia x ‘*Natchez*‘*

Crape myrtle — *Lagerstroemia indica ‘*Tuscarora*‘*

Crape myrtle — *Lagerstroemia x ‘*Biloxi*‘*

Description

Crape myrtles are one of the most commonly planted trees throughout the Inland Empire in both residential gardens and public landscapes. It’s popularity stems from the many flower colors and relative small size for urban trees. Horticultural interest in this genus has resulted in a vast range of cultivars; it is best to check with local nurseries to make the best choice for home and garden. Many new cultivars are fast growing and resistant to mildew and grow 20-30 ft. tall. They can be purchased as multi-trunk or single trunk trees. All have large 3-4 in. long leaves, dense flower panicles, colorful brown, cream and gray bark and offer a variety of flower colors in the summer. Most trees produce vivid yellow to orange to red fall color with cool temperatures. They grow best when planted in full sun, in loamy soils and with moderate summer water.

The image gallery shows several Crape myrtle flower colors, including: white flowering L. x ‘Natchez’, deep pink flowering L. x ‘Tuscarora’, and light pink flowering L. x ‘Biloxi’.

Plant Type: Tree
Foliage Character: Winter deciduous
Habit: Upright, Multi-trunk, Low-branching
Growth Rate: Slow, Moderate
Foliage Color: Medium green, Yellow, Seasonal yellow, Seasonal red, Seasonal orange
Flower Color: White, Lavender, Magenta, Red, Pink
Flower Season: Summer
Soil Adaptations: Loam, Deep soil, Clay
Exposure Adaptations: Frost, Aridity, All day sun, Partial sun, Morning sun, Heat
Function: Foliage accent plant, Flowering accent plant, Civic spaces, Small spaces, Specimen, Parks and open space, Foundations
Height: 6 ft. – 30 ft.
Width: 10 ft. – 30 ft.

Watering Schedule: Medium

For most situations, we recommend watering once per week after establishment, watering very deeply in summer, less deeply in fall and spring, and even less in winter.

See our recommendations for how much water to apply each time you water, below. Note that these recommendations are intended for inland valley areas of Southern California including the Inland Empire, San Gabriel, and San Fernando Valleys. People in cooler or warmer areas may use this as a baseline but should adjust based on local needs.

Learn how to provide 1” of water to your landscape here, and adjust to provide more or less based on the recommendations above for each time of year.

Seasonal Watering Recommendations

June – August: once per week, water deeply, applying approximately 1.25” of irrigation.
September – October: once per week, water deeply, applying approximately 0.75” of irrigation.
November – February: once per week, water deeply, applying approximately 0.5” of irrigation.
March-May: once per week, water deeply, applying approximately 0.75” of irrigation.

Learn how to provide 1” of water to your landscape here, and adjust to provide more or less based on the recommendations above for each time of year.

Adjusting to your local needs

These recommendations for Medium / Moderate water demanding plants were created for Southern California inland valley areas. Southern California areas closer to the coast and along the coast will usually be able to water significantly less during the warm months of the year. For desert areas, check with local experts to be sure plants are appropriate for the area and anticipate needing to water more.

As a very general baseline, people in Los Angeles and similar areas can try setting a schedule of 80% of the in Spring, Summer, and Fall and adjust as necessary based on observation. The difference is less pronounced in the winter months, so we recommend starting with the same recommendations as above for winter. People in cooler coastal areas such as Santa Monica can try using this same approach but adjust to use 75% of the chart recommended minutes for the Spring, Summer, and Fall months.

Important Notes

These are general guidelines. Always observe and adjust as necessary for your landscape.
If it rains over 1” you will likely not need to water for at least another week, possibly longer. Before watering again, check the soil. It should be significantly dry at least 4” below the soil surface before watering again.
It is important to group plants with the same water needs together in the landscape to avoid needing to over or under water plants when running your irrigation system.
“Smart timers” or weather sensitive irrigation controllers such as Rachio and Hunter Hydrawise are ideal for watering plants in this category because they will automatically adjust how much they water based on the weather so you do not need to reprogram the timer seasonally. Rebates for these types of irrigation controllers are available through socalwatersmart.com.

Choose to plant newer, powdery mildew resistant varieties (S). Plan to prune when young as needed to establish good long-term structure. Crape Myrtles can be pruned as either a single or multi-trunk tree, but is normally seen as a single trunk tree in Southern California. This tree will send up shoots, called suckers, abundantly from both the base of the tree and fewer growing up out of the root system further away from the trunk. Prune both of these out, as soon as they are noticed, any time of the year (D). References