Crapemyrtle: Flower of the South

Crapemyrtle (Lagerstroemia sp.) is a popular ornamental shrub/tree that would be a wonderful addition to any Mississippi landscape. The colorful flower clusters offer a spectacular sight from early summer through late fall. Although commonly called the “Flower of the South,” the crapemyrtle is native to China.

Crapemyrtles have aesthetic qualities other than their colorful summer flowers. The trunk color is spectacular on many cultivars and ranges from a light green-gray to a dark cinnamon. The bark on some cultivars peels (exfoliates) in long strands, exposing various colors and creating interesting patterns that enhance the winter landscape.

The foliage is another beautiful feature. While green on most cultivars in spring and summer, it offers an array of fall colors ranging from brilliant yellow to deep maroon. Seed pods develop in early fall and remain on the plants all winter, providing contrast with the exposed linear branches. All of these factors combine to make the crapemyrtle an outstanding landscape plant for all seasons.

Crapemyrtles are hardy from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Plant Hardiness Zone 7 to Zone 10. North Mississippi is in Zone 7b, and the extreme Gulf Coast area is in Zone 9a, making the crapemyrtle hardy throughout the state. It is important to note that even though extremely low winter temperatures can sometimes kill plants to the ground, they normally resprout from the roots in the spring.

Planting

Crapemyrtles are multi-use plants, which means they can be used as shrubs, small trees, specimen plants, patio/container plants, border plants, and even street trees. Select an appropriate cultivar for each use.

Where to Plant

Crapemyrtles have shallow, fibrous root systems. They grow and flower best in sunny locations with good air circulation and well-drained soil. They can grow in partial shade, but flowering is typically reduced and sometimes nonexistent. Crapemyrtles grow in a wide range of soil types but prefer a soil pH range of 5.0 to 6.5.

When to Plant

Install container-grown and balled-and-burlapped plants any time of the year. However, planting in the fall or early spring allows time for roots to establish before summer heat arrives. Install bare-root plants during the winter dormant season.

How to Plant

Prepare a planting hole three times as wide as the root ball. Set the plant in the hole at the same depth it grew in the nursery or container. Then, backfill with the amended soil and water thoroughly. Mulch the planting site with 3 inches of a mulch product or 6 inches of pine straw. Taper the mulch or straw to only 1 inch deep at the base of the tree trunk. After planting, stake large plants to prevent top movement and damage to the root system.

If it is necessary to plant in a heavy clay soil, elevate the planting site because crapemyrtle roots do not tolerate wet soils. Also, do not use finely chopped sphagnum peat (peat moss) or sand to amend heavy clay soils. Subsurface drainage tiles, or “French drains,” may be used to remove excess water from the planting area.

If lime is required to raise the pH, mix it thoroughly with the native soil. If a soil amendment is needed, incorporate pine bark or compost into the soil. When planting in sandy soils, adding peat moss helps retain moisture and fertilizer. Thoroughly mix the peat moss with the backfill soil, making sure not to use more than 1/3 by the volume of peat.

Fertilization

Have your soil tested and follow the recommendations provided when fertilizing. If you have not had your soil tested, apply 2 pounds of a slow-release fertilizer with a 2-1-1 ratio per 100 square feet of bed area. Fertilize individual plants with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of fertilizer in a circle no closer than 1 foot from the base of the plant. Sprinkle fertilizer uniformly over the area out from the base of the plant, and water the area thoroughly. Fertilize in early spring and again in early summer before the plants begin to flower.

Late fertilization or overfertilization can result in little or no flowering, excessive vegetative growth, and possible winter damage from not hardening off.

Pruning

The most attractive crapemyrtles are allowed to grow into their natural form, free of being pruned. Improper pruning can ruin this desired appearance of crapemyrtles. Pruning can stimulate new growth and increase the number of bloom clusters on the plant. If you choose to do so, prune in late winter or early spring before growth begins. The crapemyrtles will still flower because they bloom on the current year’s wood. Whether the plant will be used as a shrub or a small tree determines the pruning method. The two basic methods used are thinning and cutting back.

Thinning

Thinning is the removal of old and weak branches at their points of origin. It is used to open up plants that are pruned to tree form. This does not stimulate prolific growth and leaves the plant with a more natural appearance.

Select one main stem for a single-trunk tree or three to five stems for a multi-trunk tree. Remove all other stems at ground level. Allow the main trunk(s) to reach a height of 5 to 6 feet before branching.

At this height, tip prune to encourage branching. Remove all growth that develops below the desired branch height.

Cutting Back

Cutting back is done to maintain the plant at a certain height. Only use this method with shrub forms because it stimulates heavy branching. It also destroys the natural, balanced form of the plant. If the plant is too big for the landscape, the easiest thing might be to cut it back to the ground and let it regrow, or simply remove it.

General Pruning Tips

You can prune fading bloom clusters to encourage the development of additional blooms and to extend the flowering season. Occasionally, heavy bloom clusters and branches have to be removed during the growing season to keep limbs from breaking. Limit this type of pruning to only what is necessary.

Do not prune crapemyrtles in the fall following leaf drop. This may stimulate new growth and make the plants susceptible to winter injury. Heavy pruning also destroys the natural appearance and form of the plants, which will be obvious during the winter months until growth resumes in the spring.

More information on pruning crapemyrtles is available on the Extension website.

Cultivar Selection

There are crapemyrtle cultivars suited to most situations in today’s landscapes. Some are dwarf and are adapted to growing in containers; others may grow more than 20 feet tall. Some cultivars are upright and narrow in form, while others have a more spreading form. Bark characteristics, flower color, fall color, plant size, plant shape, and disease resistance have been greatly improved in recent years as the result of private, state, and federally funded breeding programs. See Table 1 for cultivars for Mississippi landscapes. It should be noted that the Ebony series of crapemyrtle is also sold under the Black Diamond product line.

Diseases

Powdery Mildew

The major disease affecting crapemyrtles is powdery mildew. This fungal disease reduces flower performance and weakens plants by attacking flower buds, growing tips, and young leaves. It is most common when cool nights are followed by warm days and occurs most often in crowded landscapes with poor air circulation. The fungus overwinters in dormant shoot buds, sheltered places on the plant, and diseased plant debris on the ground.

Powdery mildew infection appears as a grayish-white powdery fungal growth. As leaves expand, they become curled and distorted. On older leaves, large white patches of the fungus appear without much leaf distortion. Flower buds covered with the fungus either fail to open or open improperly. The infection may also spread to mature flowers and cause flower blight.

Crapemyrtle cultivars released in recent years with Lagerstroemia fauriei in their parentage are resistant to powdery mildew. Cultivar selection is an effective way to control the disease. These cultivars are noted in Table 1.

Cultural methods for controlling powdery mildew involve sanitation procedures and applying fungicides. In the fall, remove and destroy all diseased twigs. In late winter, proper pruning will improve air circulation and reduce the possibility of disease development.

Begin applying recommended fungicides in the spring when growth begins and immediately after the first sign of disease infection. You may also apply fungicide during the flowering period to prevent blossom blight. It is best to alternate applications of a systemic fungicide with one of the protectant fungicides. Use sulfur only at temperatures below 85°F to avoid leaf burn.

Sooty Mold

Sooty mold is a black, powdery coating that develops on leaves and twigs during cool, moist, cloudy weather. Several causal fungi grow in the sugary honeydew deposited on the plants by small sucking insects, such as aphids and white flies. If you control the feeding insects that produce the honeydew, you can control sooty mold.

The fungi that cause sooty mold do not attack the plants but derive nutrients from the honeydew deposited by the insects. Although sooty mold does not directly attack crapemyrtles, its presence destroys their beauty and can weaken the plants by shading the leaves from sunlight. Heavy infestations of insects that secrete honeydew weaken crapemyrtle plants.

Several insecticides are approved for use on crapemyrtles to control sucking insects. More about sooty mold can be found in Publication 4035 The Plant Doctor: Sooty Mold and Publication 2369 Insect Pests of Ornamental Plants in the Home Landscape.

Anthracnose

This disease causes the leaves to fall off the crapemyrtle and is most common in late summer. Leaves will have black spots and may turn reddish or yellow, then fall off. The black spot is the fungus. Spraying is seldom needed unless the crapemyrtle is in a high visibility area. Leaf removal is the best management tool for this disease.

Crapemyrtle Bark Scale

Crapemyrtle bark scale (CMBS) is a pest that can cause heavy damage to trees. Soil-drench insecticides allow for the most efficient control. See Extension Publication 2938 Crapemyrtle Bark Scale Identification and Control for more information.

Table 1. Recommended crapemyrtle cultivars for Mississippi.

Cultivar	Flower color	Mature height (feet)	Growth habit	Hardy	L. indica or fauriei	Tree form	Exfoliating bark	Mildew resistant	Fall color	Date of first flower	Days of flowers
Pixie White	white	3	rounded	good	indica	no	yes	good	red yellow	June	90
Hope	white	4	open dwarf	good	indica	no	no	good	yellow	mid-June	65
Delta Moonlight	white	10	upright	very	×	no	yes	high	burgundy	June
Ebony & Ivory	pure white	10	upright	very	×	yes	yes	high	burgundy	June
Acoma	white	14	umbrella	very	× fauriei	yes	yes	high	purple red	late June	90
Sarah’s Hardy White	white	20	upright	very	indica	yes	yes	high	yellow	late June	90
Natchez	white	30	broad tall tree	very	× fauriei	yes	best	high	orange red	mid-June	110
Chickasaw	pink	2	miniature	good	× fauriei	no	yes	high	orange red	early July	90
Ruby Dazzle	pink	3	dwarf spreading	very	no	no	no	high	red	late June	90
Hopi	medium pink	7	low spreading	very	× fauriei	no	yes	high	orange red	late June	100
Pecos	medium pink	7	low spreading	very	× fauriei	no	yes	high	maroon	early July	100
Delta Jazz	bright pink	8	upright	very	×	small	yes	high	purple brown	June	90
Ebony Glow	light pink	10	upright spreading	very	×	yes	yes	high	burgundy	June
Delta Breeze	light pink	10	upright	very	×	no	yes	high	burgundy	June
Tuscarora	dark pink	16	broadvase	good	× fauriei	yes	yes	high	red orange	early July	70
Tuskegee	pink	16	broad spreading	very	× fauriei	yes	yes	high	red orange	late June	100
Potomac	clear pink	20	upright	good	indica	yes	no	high	orange	late June	90
Miami	dark pink	20	upright	very	× fauriei	yes	best	high	orange	mid-June	110
Biloxi	pale pink	25	vase shaped	very	× fauriei	yes	yes	high	orange red	July	80
Pocomoke	red	2	dwarf compact	good	indica	no	no	good	bronze red	June	90
Victor	dark red	4	dwarf compact	very	indica	no	no	good	yellow	late June	85
Raspberry Dazzle	raspberry red	4	dwarf compact	very	no	no	no	high	red	late June	90
Ebony Flame	dark red	6	upright spreading	very	×	no	yes	high	burgundy	June
Ebony Fire	crimson red	6	spreading	very	×	no	yes	high	burgundy	June
Delta Flame	red	10	upright	very	×	no	yes	high	burgundy	June
Ebony Embers	deep red	10	upright	very	×	yes	yes	high	burgundy	June
Tonto	red	12	compact globose	good	× fauriei	small	yes	best	bright maroon	mid-July	80
Centennial Spirit	wine red	16	upright	very	indica	small	yes	good	red orange	late June	110
Dynamite	red	20	upright round	very	indica	yes	no	good	orange red	mid-June	100
Red Rocket	cherry red	20	upright	good	indica	yes	no	high	bronze	early June	100
Arapaho	bright red	20	broad upright	very	× fauriei	yes	yes	high	red	late June	85
Carolina Beauty	dark red	20	very upright	fair	indica	yes	yes	poor	orange	mid-July	65
Centennial	bright purple	3	compact dwarf	good	indica	no	no	good	orange	mid-June	70
Velma’s Royal Delight	purple	4	compact	good	indica	no	no	good	yellow orange	June	90
Delta Eclipse	lavender	10	upright	very	×	small	yes	high	burgundy	June
Sioux	light purple	15	dense upright	very	× fauriei	yes	yes	high	maroon	late June	110
Catawba	violet purple	15	upright vase	good	indica	yes	no	good	red orange	mid-July	70
Lipan	medium lavender	15	upright globose	very	× fauriei	no	best	high	orange	mid-July	80
Twilight	purple	18	upright	good	indica	yes	yes	fair	yellow orange	early June	75
Muskogee	light lavender	20	broad tall tree	very	× fauriei	yes	yes	high	red orange	mid-June	120

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Publication 2007 (POD-08-24)

Revised by Jeff Wilson, PhD, Assistant Professor, North Mississippi Research and Extension Center, from an earlier edition by David Tatum, PhD, former Extension Horticulturist; Alan Henn, PhD, Extension Professor, Agricultural Science and Plant Protection; and Blake Layton, PhD, Extension Professor (retired).