Muskogee Crape Myrtle Tree

Lagerstroemia, commonly known as the Crape Myrtle or the Crepe Myrtle Tree, is a genus of around 50 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs native to the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, northern Australia and parts of Oceania, and are cultivated in warmer climates around the world. The genus is named after the Swedish merchant Magnus von Lagerström, who supplied Carolus Linnaeus with plants he collected.

Crepe Myrtle Trees are chiefly known for their colorful and long-lasting flowers. Most species of Crepe Myrtle Tree have sinewy, fluted stems and branches with a mottled appearance that arises from having bark that sheds throughout the year. The leaves are opposite, simple, with entire margins, and vary in size. While all species of Crepe Myrtle are woody in nature, they can range in height from over 100 feet to under one foot; most, however are small to medium multiple-trunked trees and shrubs. The leaves of temperate species provide autumn color.

Flowers are born in summer and autumn in panicles of crinkled flowers with a crepe-like texture. Colors vary from deep purple to red to white, with almost every shade in between. Although no blue-flowered varieties exist, it is toward the blue end of the spectrum that the flowers trend, with no sight of orange or yellow except in stamens and pistils. The fruit is a capsule, green and succulent at first, then ripening to dark brown or black dryness.

Seasonal Information: Crepe Myrtle Trees are a great all year tree which flowers in the summer. Showcase your tree somewhere you can enjoy its blooms. Crapes are known as the “harbingers of summer” as they are their most stunning in the hot season.

Location: They require six to eight hours of full sunshine every day in order to grow flowers. Be sure you’re avoiding any heavily shaded areas.

Planting Instructions:
1) After you have found your planting area, make your hole twice as wide as the root ball and just as deep. 
2) Carefully remove the myrtle’s root ball from the container. Lightly tapping the container around the bottom will help free it up without causing too much damage to the root system. 
3) Lightly comb your hands over the root ball to free up the roots a bit before planting.
4) Place your tree in the hole and make sure that the root crown (where the root ball meets the trunk(s) of the tree) is level with the soil surface. Crapes need to be able to pull oxygen into their root systems so covering them too much may inhibit their growth. 
5) Tamp down the soil lightly as you back fill the hole to prevent air pockets from forming and then water after you’ve finished to settle the soil.
6) Mulch the area around the tree to conserve water moisture and deter competing weeds and grasses from growing.

Watering: Crepe Myrtles are drought tolerant, but during dry periods require some water to continue flowering. Mulching can greatly reduce the amount of times you need to water and will also deter any competing growth from getting around the base of the tree.

Fertilization: Crepe Myrtle are fertilized with high nitrogen fertilizers. Take care not to feed them going into the summer as excess nitrogen is great for limb and foliage growth but can inhibit bloom growth. 

Pests and Disease: Crepe Myrtle pests include Aphids and mold. Aphids need to be washed off with a forceful water bath or spray. You can use an environmentally safe pesticide or insecticide to wash the tree along with water. Sooty mold may appear but doesn’t harm the tree and will go away by itself so long as you control the Aphids.

Pruning: When pruning your Crepe Myrtle you should be careful not to heavily prune the tree. Thin out young trees to 3-4 main branches. After blooming in spring, clip the tips of the branches. Make the cut just above the point where a pair of leaves attaches to the stem. (The Razzle Dazzle series of Crape Myrtles do not require pruning).

Pollination: Depending on variety, crape myrtles bloom anytime from very late spring to midsummer, sometimes producing small flower clusters again four to 10 weeks after the primary flowering display ends. Once flower petals drop away, fertilized flower ovaries swell into round, green seed capsules. By late summer, the capsules are mature and begin to turn from green to red or tan, but remain plump and firm. In autumn, as the foliage turns color and drops away, the capsules dry completely, turning deep brown and split open to shed seeds. Some capsules may not split open until early winter.