New, smaller crape myrtles fit better in most gardens while providing lots of flower power and sometimes colorful purple leaves too. Older, large types like Natchez, Muskogee, and Tuscarora grow into ...

Although native to eastern Asia, crape myrtles (Lagerstroemia) are almost indispensable in the Southern landscape. Their vibrantly colored flowers in shades of pink, purple, red and white from May to ...

Speaking as a “plantaholic” who likes just about all things with foliage, fronds or needles, one plant I started to salivate over in the 1990s was crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia sp.). For us in northern ...

We often add flowering annuals and perennials to our landscapes to introduce color but flowering trees are sometimes overlooked. There are many great flowering trees throughout the year, but the one ...

Also known as "Lilac of the South" due to its popularity in zones 7 to 9, crape myrtle is a deciduous shrub or small tree that explodes with white, deep rose, or magenta blossoms from July to ...

Coral Magic: Impressive dark coral pink blooms; grows 6 to 10 feet tall and wide; reddish new growth becomes glossy green in summer. Purple Magic: Large, dark purple blooms; grows 6 to 10 feet tall ...

How dull our summer streetscapes would be without the luscious blossoms of crape myrtles. Be they white, purple, pink or almost red, the plump clusters of blooms set off visual fireworks from April ...

So far, 2025 has been the best year I've seen for crape myrtles in the past 15 or 20. Many of us feel they're the best flowering shrubs and small trees for the South, and this year is certainly ...

Perhaps no plant is better suited to deal with a future of increasingly warm Northwest summers than crape myrtles, once described by Al’s Garden Center owner Jack Bigej as being around “since dirt was ...

correctionIn an earlier version of this article, the last name of a Smithsonian Gardens arborist was incorrectly stated. He is Jacob Hendee, not Jacob Hender. The article has been corrected. Spring ...