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Arlene Wright-Correll |
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Arlene Wright-Correll |
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Crape Myrtle© by Arlene Correll |
| 06-26-03
Dear Friends,
When your crape myrtle starts to
flower, the hot weather is setting in.
I do not know a lot about crape
myrtle and I have two large bushes that I keep doing things to that
probably defies all the laws of gardening, but they keep coming back.
I live in zone 6 and my daughter
Glynis has just moved here from 7 and the street she lived on was
loaded with crape myrtle in the form of sidewalk trees of all colors.
It is a lovely street. So the note below about zone 7 may or may
not be correct. Perhaps all those houses on that city street keep the
air warm in the winter time for the crape myrtles.
So here is the research I have done
on crape myrtles.
After the first flush of blooms fade,
cut off the flowers and apply a light fertilizer for a repeat (but
smaller) bloom. If crape myrtles fail to bloom for you, it could be
due to too much shade, hard winter-type pruning performed too late in
the season, or having too short of a growing season.
Depending on your personal tastes, consider these options: - They are normally multi-trunked and respond well to pollarding, an old European way of hard pruning that produces a beautiful umbrella-like effect. However, once started, you must continue this method for the remainder of the life of the tree. - They can be grown as standards with a rounded top, and will reach from 10 to 20 feet high. They are effective in groups, or as specimens. - Mildew resistant varieties usually bear Indian names, such as 'Catawba' (purple), 'Cherokee' (bright red), 'Muskogee (light lavender), 'Potomac' (pink) , 'Powhatan', 'Seminole', 'Tuscadora' (coral pink), and 'Natchez', my favorite (white, 25 ft). - Semi-dwarf varieties (6 to 10 feet) are 'Acoma' (white), 'Hopi' (pink), 'Pecos' (pink), and 'Zuni' (lavender). And dwarf varieties are also available to 4 feet. Vibrant fall color and lovely winter bark are a bonus. If you're at the northern end of zone 7, your crape myrtles could die to the ground. Most crape myrtles are root-hardy as far north as Massachusetts if well mulched in winter, however, expect vigorous growth and blossoming by late spring to early summer. Select a planting site with a southern exposure, and/or a protected area such as a wall or steep embankment. Lagerstroemia 'fauriei' is a newly developed hybrid that performs much better in colder climes, and blooms earlier in the season. Propagation via seed is easy, and seedlings often bloom the first year. You'll need a month of cold stratification (a ziplock baggy kept in the fridge will do it) for easy success. Cuttings are easily rooted, and will be true to parent varieties; but may not bloom until their second year. Crape myrtles are being planted in pecan orchards for their properties of attracting and sustaining beneficial insects, and can serve the same purpose in the home landscape. Contrary to many resources that claim these plants to be disease and pest-free, if you're in a humid climate expect powdery mildew and aphids. However, don't jump the gun on insecticides; the crape myrtle aphid is host-specific to only crape myrtles, but is the preferred diet of 30 or so of our best beneficial insect predators. To destroy the crape myrtle aphid is to deprive your garden of a host of natural predators. Touted by entomologists as probably the most important landscape plant in the southeastern U.S., crape myrtles are being planted in pecan orchards for their properties of attracting and sustaining beneficial insects, and can serve the same purpose in the home landscape. Flowering occurs on new growth, so winter pruning is necessary for best results. Vigorous root systems wreak havoc on anything but the most persistent perennial underplantings and groundcovers. Liriope 'Big Blue' makes a lovely ground cover underneath, blossoming simultaneously. If you're lucky enough to grow crape myrtle, look forward not only to weeks of hot weather and colorful bloom, but a safety net of predator insects.
"Tread the Earth Lightly"
and in the meantime
may your day be filled with... Peace, Light and Love, Arlene About
the author, Arlene
Wright-Correll (1935-
), free lance writer, award winning artist and avid gardener
is mother of 5 and the grandmother of 8.
For almost 40 years she was an International real estate
consultant and during the last 20 years of her career traveled to
many parts of the world. She
has been a cancer and stroke survivor since 1992.
While working and raising her children she had many hobbies
including being a very serious home-vintner for approximately 14
years while residing in upstate New York in St. Lawrence County
producing 2,000 to 3,000 bottles of wine a year.
She was the president of the St. Lawrence County chapter of
the American Wine Society in
"Tread the Earth Lightly" & in the meantime
may your day be filled with... Peace, Light, and Love, Arlene Wright-Correll www.learn-america.com
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