Description
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Pink Crepe Myrtle
Pink crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) bushes abound across the country and grow everywhere, from highway medians to state parks to front lawns and courthouse lawns. Their delicate-looking crepe paper blooms, colorful fall foliage, exciting trunks, and hardy nature make them a highly prized shrub for growing in drought-prone regions or landscapes with poor soil.Â
Use these tips to plant and grow these bushes successfully.
Pink Crepe Myrtle Are Hardy
They thrive in direct sunlight and are hardy in U.S. growing zones 2-6, with cold hardy varieties thriving up to zone 9. The bush is not picky about soil conditions but won’t grow well in heavy clay unless the soil is amended with organic matter. Since the mature size of crepe myrtles varies greatly, it’s essential to read the plant label and buy the appropriate size bush for the space in which it is grown. A Standard-size bush will reach up to 30 feet in height and 10-12 feet in width if left unpruned.
They are typically planted as anchor shrubs in a flower garden, or a row is used to line a driveway or delineate a property line. They will produce their delicate flowers in mid-summer and bloom until late summer. The bush also has berries (non-edible) that attract a variety of birds. A spectacular fall foliage display follows the summer blooms. Pruning is recommended for crepe myrtles to keep them looking neat and confined to their allotted growing space.Â
Rapid-growing bushes need yearly maintenance and severe pruning every 5-10 years, depending on variety and space. The bush develops many side shoots during its lifetime, which must be pruned off throughout the growing season. If allowed to grow, the side shoots make the bush look unkempt and remove moisture and nutrients from the main trunk.
They are a gorgeous tree prevalent in the South, but you don't need to be a Southerner to swoon over this awing specimen. The towering tree can grow very tall, over 100 feet in some cases, and comprehensive with vivid, delicate flowers reminiscent of crepe paper, for which they are aptly nicknamed. The darling flowers have little yellow seedheads, making them even more adorable up close. The tree can quickly grow more than a foot per year, sometimes several.Â
It is a deciduous tree that begins blooming in Summer, with an average of a hundred days of flowering through Autumn. It thrives well in hot and warm weather and requires little attention aside from admiration and perhaps a thirst-quenching watering occasionally, though it is resistant to drought.Â
Beneath the shrub is the perfect place to plant yourself, relax, read a book, or have a lovely picnic on a sunny afternoon. Upon shedding the generally hardy albeit lacy blossoms, the wind carefully carries the little flowers to the ground, offering further yard decoration. The root system extends multiple times as wide as its above-ground tree.Â
Still, the roots are usually not problematic or greedy underground, and they are unlikely to disrupt or be a concern for nearby plants, pavement, or house structures like some other trees may be. They are as innocent and sweet as trees can come.
Pink Crepe Myrtle Are No Trouble To Care For
The trees do not require pruning to grow well, though; for the adventurous and extra romantic at heart, they would look wonderful pruned into a giant heart shape, but they give off an aura of love even without the shape.
The Pink Crepe Myrtle tree will make your heart sing all year long with its precious pink petal flowers and lovely green leaves turning red closer to Winter.
