The illustrated growing guide
Crape Myrtle
Lagerstroemia indica hybrids
Family Lythraceae
Est. zones 6-10
The South's 100-day summer bloom machine with winter trunks like polished muscle. The entire care manual: full sun, right-size cultivar, and put down the loppers.
FULL SUN — shade = mildew + no bloom
Low water
Fast growth
Attracts bees
From the print shop
Growing crape myrtle? Hang it.
Our Flowering Trees collection carries crape myrtle — Lagerstroemia indica, print Nº 14, “Crape Myrtle.”
16 designsfrom $21.99white or black groundmatte poster, unframed
I
Overview
Will crape myrtle suit your garden, and what goes wrong.
Will it fruit where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what crape myrtle actually needs.
Hardy inZones 6-10Crape Myrtle at a glance
Common crape myrtle problems
- Crape Myrtle Bark Scale (sooty trunks — newish pest)
- Aphids
- Japanese Beetles
- Powdery Mildew (old varieties; Natchez-era hybrids resist)
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Growing
Light, water, soil, propagation and the season’s jobs.
How to grow crape myrtle: light, water & soil
How to plant & propagate crape myrtle
When to spray crape myrtle
Dormant season. Dormant oil if bark scale arrives.
Growing season. Mildew-resistant hybrids solved the old plague.
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The year
What crape myrtle asks for, month by month.
The crape myrtle year, month by month
BloomPruneWhat each band means
- Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.
- Prune — shape it now — cuts heal cleanly and structure is visible.
The crape myrtle year as text
- Jan quiet month
- Feb pruning
- Mar pruning
- Apr quiet month
- May quiet month
- Jun bloom
- Jul bloom
- Aug bloom
- Sep bloom
- Oct quiet month
- Nov quiet month
- Dec quiet month
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
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Ecology & uses
What it does for the garden, and what it is grown for.
Crape Myrtle in the garden system
- Understory layer tree
What crape myrtle is grown for
✓ Commonly eaten
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
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Cultivars
Named varieties of crape myrtle, ruled as a catalogue.
Best crape myrtle varieties & cultivars
'Natchez' (white, 25 ft, cinnamon bark); 'Muskogee' (lavender); 'Dynamite' (red); 'Pocomoke' (2 ft dwarf!)
VI
Sources & plant ID
Where the care distinctions come from, and how the plant is filed.
Research basis
Sources behind this profile
No extension citations are attached to crape myrtleyet. The care figures below come from the library's own catalogue rather than a traced primary source.
Plant ID
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Where to buy
Third-party nurseries — not Story Thyme Farms.
Third-party nurseries, not Story Thyme Farms. Prices are theirs.
Story Thyme Farms may earn a small commission from these links, at no cost to you — it never changes what we recommend.
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Questions
Crape Myrtle questions, answered straight.
Is crape myrtle safe for kids and pets?
Crape Myrtle is commonly eaten and isn't considered toxic, but "commonly eaten" isn't a guarantee for any particular person or animal — allergies, quantity, and which part you eat all matter. Never eat a plant you haven't positively identified, and check with a vet before letting pets or livestock graze anything new.
How do you propagate crape myrtle?
Seed (stratify), cuttings, or layering.
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Elsewhere
Where crape myrtle sits in the library.
Flowering Dogwood
Eastern Redbud
Maple
Flowering Cherry