CRAPE MYRTLE GROW GUIDE

Shop Crape Myrtle Trees

Black Diamond® Pure White™ Crape Myrtle Tree

$ 64.95

Black Diamond® Best Red™ Crape Myrtle Tree

$59.95

Arapaho Crape Myrtle Tree

$ 49.95

Red Rocket® Crape Myrtle Tree

$ 54.95

Crape Myrtles (Lagerstroemia indica), often referred to as the “lilacs of the South”, are among the favorites of the South due to their early spring showy flowers, colorful autumn black foliage, and, in many cases, their attractive bark. Let us not forget the other wonderful features they possess, such as crape myrtles being drought tolerant, mildew resistant, fast growing and deer not usually be interested in them.

Crape myrtles can be used as a large deciduous hedge or screen, if planted together, or as a distinctive focal point framing a gate warmly welcoming visitors. Does great framing a driveway or a fence! While growing crape myrtles is not an issue in areas they are hardy too, for your crape myrtle to truly flourish we’ve created this guide to steer you in the best route. They are slightly cold tolerant for some southern states.

Use this Crape Myrtle Grow Guide as a handbook for planting, growing, and caring for your Crape Myrtle trees.

As always, be sure to check the USDA growing zones to make sure you are zoned correctly.

Crape Myrtle Variety Selection

Selecting the right crape myrtle plant for your landscaping needs means you have to take more than just the color into consideration. When choosing your crape myrtle, make sure to pay close attention to the plant’s mature height and width and if that fits the look you hope to achieve. This step will save you backaches and heartaches in the future. One question we are always asked is: How fast do crape myrtles grow? Check out this crape myrtle chart below for each cultivars specifics. Take note that the black diamond crape myrtle growth rate is about the same even though these dwarf varieties are mostly bush-like shrubs and trees. In general, crape myrtles grow at a medium to fast growth rate at about 1-2 feet per year. Hence where they get their nickname – fast growing trees!

Cultivar	Mature Height	Mature Width	Flower Color	Bark Color	Fall Leaf	Days of Flowering	Growth Habit	USDA Zone	Special Features
Arapaho	20 feet	10′		Cinnamon Brown	Orange	120+	Upright		Showy flowers Pest & disease resistant Attractive bark Fast growth rate
Miami	8-12′	10-12′		Chestnut Brown	Orange to Dark Russet	100	Upright		Grows like Natchez Attractive bark Attracts butterflies & hummingbirds
Muskogee	25-30 feet	15-25′		Light Gray	Crimson  red hot Orange	100	Broad-spreading		Disease resistant Blooms all summer Drought tolerant Fast growing
Natchez	25-30 feet	15-25′		Cinnamon Brown	Crimson Red-Orange	100	Broad-spreading		Attractive white blooms Exfoliating, cinnamon colored bark Fall color Fast growing
Sioux	15-20′	10-15′		Coral Pink	Maroon	90	Upright; narrow		Showy pink flowers Fast growing Drought tolerant Fall color
Tonto	8-15′	6-10′		Taupe	Bright Maroon	75	Compact globose		Showy flowers Drought tolerant Disease resistant Semi-dwarf size
Tuscarora	18-25′	15-18′		Light Brown	Red-Orange	70	Vase; broad crown		Showy flowers Fast growing Drought tolerant Fall color
Red Rocket®	20 to 30 feet	10-15′		Gray/Cinnamon	Bronze Red	120	Bush-like		Showy red flowers Repeat bloomer Low maintenance Fast growing
Black Diamond® Pure White™ Crape Myrtle	10-12′	8′		Light Gray	Black  foliage	90	Bush-like		Uniquely colored foliage Bright white blooms Drought tolerant Great size for smaller gardens
Black Diamond® Best Red™ Crape Myrtle	10-12′	8′		Light Gray	Black foliage	90	Bush-like		Deep red blooms Uniquely colored foliage Drought tolerant Great size for smaller gardens
Black Diamond® Shell Pink™ Crape Myrtle	10-12′	8′		Light Gray	Black foliage	90	Bush-like		Uniquely colored foliage Bright pink blooms Drought tolerant Great size for smaller gardens

Check out this video on the Black Diamond Crape Myrtle varieties!

Crape Myrtle Planting

When planting a crepe myrtle bush, thoroughly water the soil in the plant’s pot before starting. Dig a hole larger than the pot, twice as wide if possible. Place the pot on its side and slide the plant out. If the plant is stuck, you can slip a long-bladed knife around the inside edge to loosen it. Gently loosen some of the roots along the sides and bottom, and pull them outward so they are not encircling the root mass.

It shouldn’t be necessary to prune any of the roots.The exception is large root(s) wound around the circumference of the pot. In this case the offending root should be shortened so that when it is in the ground it will grow outward and not continue growing in a circle.
Wound roots – BEFORE & AFTER
Build up a mound of soil in the middle of the planting hole. Place the new tree’s root crown on top of the mounded soil so that the stem will be at the same depth as it was in the pot. Spread the side roots out over the mounded soil while backfilling the hole.

Work the soil in and around the roots. When the hole is half filled, give it and the roots a good soaking of water. When the water has drained, readjust the depth of the stem if necessary and finish filling the hole. Gently tamp the soil down with your hands.

Use your hands to build up a 3-6 inch high dike of soil around the outside of the root zone. This will help impound water over the roots while it sinks into the soil. Water thoroughly. Spread 3-6 inches of an organic mulch over the top of root ball to help hold in soil moisture. You can use hay, straw, leaves, pine needles, or grass clippings. You might look into doing a soil test to see what nutrients are lacking from your soil and what type of fertilizer you should use as well as the soil pH. This will also help with diseases such as leaf spot.

You may need to stake the new crape myrtle until its roots become established enough to keep it from falling over in strong wind. Drive 2 or 3 stakes into the ground 2-4 feet out from the trunk and use wire or twine to hold the trunk upright. Cover the wire where it attaches to the trunk with a section of old garden hose, cloth or other material to prevent it from damaging the bark.

The attachment on the trunk should be loose enough to allow some movement; if the trunk is not allowed to move a little in the wind it will become weak. The supporting stakes are just to make sure the young plant doesn’t fall over completely. Supports usually can be removed after the first year.

Keep the young tree well watered during its first growing season. They do like well drained potting soil. If planted in the winter months, you can water once a week. Crepe myrtles trees are cold hardy to some extent but be sure to check each varieties USDA plant hardiness zone to make sure it will survive in your area.

Planted during the growing season, a crape myrtle should get watered every 2 or 3 days for 3 or 4 months. If you’re having a dry spell, or your soil is sandy, you should water every day for the first 3 or 4 months. The most common reason for a newly planted crape myrtle tree to die is the lack of enough water. 

Crape Myrtle Care

Maintenance

Crape Myrtle Pruning

• Some like to cut them back all the way to a few of the largest limbs, leaving just a stubby skeleton. When growth resumes, these flowering trees sprout numerous shoots from each stub and develop a rounded, lollipop-like shape that is covered in flowers. Crapes pruned this way are good for borders and hedges where uniform height is desired. However, this “crape murder”, as some call it, results in thin, arching stems and destroys the architectural beauty that characterizes a free-growing crape myrtle.

• Most gardeners prefer to allow their crapes to grow into a more natural form, and very little pruning is ever needed. Limbs that cross and growing branches that are too long or too crowded can be pruned out to maintain a desirable shape. Cut the unwanted branch back to a branch that has at least ¹/₃, but preferably ¹/₂ or more, the diameter of the one you are cutting. This is called a thinning cut. If you merely lop off a branch anywhere (a heading cut), the plant will respond with numerous weak and unsightly shoots just below the cut. Pruning all the way back to a branch at least ¹/₃ the diameter allows the remaining branch to grow normally.