Crape Myrtle

Growing & care

• Sun: full sun, minimum 6 hours. Anything less reduces flowering and worsens powdery mildew.
• Water: moderate the first two years; established trees are drought-tolerant.
• Soil: any well-drained soil. Tolerates a wide pH range and even moderate compaction.
• Hardiness: USDA zones 6–10. In zone 6, treat as a die-back shrub that resprouts each spring.
• Mature size: 6–25 feet depending on cultivar. Choose for your space at planting — heavy pruning ruins the natural form.
• Pruning: late winter, light shaping only. Removing dead wood and crossing branches is the right approach.

Propagation

Softwood cuttings in early summer root readily in moist sand under intermittent mist. Hardwood cuttings taken in late winter also work but root more slowly. Suckers from the base can be lifted with a spade and replanted. Seed-grown plants vary widely in color and habit.

Common problems

'Crape murder' — the practice of cutting trees back to stubs each spring — is the single most common mistake. It produces weak whip-like growth, weak flower display, and ugly knuckled trunks. Choose a cultivar sized for the space instead. Crape myrtle bark scale, a sap-sucking pest introduced from Asia, leaves black sooty mold on bark; horticultural oil and dormant sprays help. Powdery mildew shows on cultivars not bred for resistance — select 'Natchez', 'Tonto', 'Tuscarora', or other resistant types.