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Crape Myrtle Trees

Crape Myrtle Trees are a staple in many Southern landscapes!

They offer a showy display of cone-shaped flowers, colorful foliage, and attractive cinnamon, peeling bark. In addition to that, their fast growing nature is another reason why they are favored by gardeners all around.

They are easy to grow and can offer a tall height quickly with up to 2-4 feet per year. Lagerstroemia indica is often grown as a focal piece in landscapes, a row of flowering hedges, or as a shrubby bush for smaller dwarf crape myrtles.

Crape Myrtle trees can be trained to grow with one trunk as a central leader or more often have multiple trunks that end with cascading branches where the flowers appear. Their flowering period can last for up to 120 days. The flower stems appear on new wood so pruning will encourage more flower blooms.

Our crape myrtles are selected based on mature size, bloom color, and USDA growing zones. These trees are suited for warmer temperatures but a select few may be slightly more cold hardy than others. The crape myrtle zones are 5-10.

Check out our Crape Myrtle Grow Guide for more information on planting and growing these Southern gems!

Shop our flowering Crape Myrtle Trees for sale.

Is it Crepe Myrtle or Crape Myrtle?

Whether you spell it Crepe Myrtle or Crape Myrtle both are technically correct. Crepe Myrtle spelling is mostly used in the Southern States since the flowers resemble crepe paper hence the spelling Crepe Myrtle. Most other places use the spelling Crape Myrtle, even the American Horticultural Society.

How to Plant a Crape Myrtle

Crape Myrtles require full sun and well draining soil. Water well the first year of planting to establish a strong root system. The biggest cause of crape myrtle death is not enough water!!

When to Plant Crape Myrtle

The best time to plant crape myrtle is early spring or late fall. The weather conditions during these times give ideal temperatures.

How to Prune a Crape Myrtle Tree

Crape Myrtle pruning begins with waiting for your tree to go dormant for winter. The best months to start crape myrtle trimming is between December and February. Once it’s the optimal time to prune you will want to get sanitary, sharp scissors and cut away any dead, diseased, broken, or crossing branches.

When to Prune Crape Myrtles?

The best time to prune crape myrtles is in the winter when the tree is dormant. The best months to prune your crape myrtle is from December to February.

When Is It Too Late to Prune Crape Myrtles?

If you miss the prime pruning season for your crape myrtles (December- February) it’s not too late to prune in the spring or fall, but you want to avoid pruning in the Summer due to the heat and you’ll prevent blooms.

How Much Can You Prune a Crape Myrtle?

Ideally, you only want to have 3-7 main trunks and you’ll want to prune the others that are skinny, diseased, or broken. Crape Myrtles can take heavy pruning, but it's not recommended to cut them down to their knees every year (also known as crape murder).

When Do Crape Myrtles Bloom?

The crape myrtle bloom time is mid to late summer. The crape myrtle flower varies on the type of crape myrtle you have and can range from a milky white to a deep purple.

How Fast Do Crape Myrtles Grow?

With ideal conditions, the crape myrtle growth rate is fast and steady. With the growth of 2 feet or more per year, your tree will quickly reach its mature height.

Best Fertilizer for Crape Myrtles

The best crape myrtle fertilizer is a fertilizer with a ratio of 10-10-10, 8-8-8, 12-4-8, or 16-4-8. When fertilizing your crape myrtle make sure to fertilize in early spring to increase new growth for the growing season. We took the hard part away from you with our Slow Release Fertilizer that is perfect for crape myrtle trees!

Crape Myrtle Winter Care

Crape myrtle care in winter includes putting a two-inch layer of mulch down at the base of the tree. This will keep the roots warm and safe from freezes. Crape myrtle varieties are hardy down to zone 7, if you are out of this zone you may want to take extra precautions for winter by using burlap and covering it.

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