Crepe myrtle does something that few other blossoming trees do – they bloom in high summer. It’s worth learning how to grow crepe myrtle in your garden for their fabulous crepe-like flower heads in shades of pink, red, mauve, purple and white. They bloom through January and February and they are native to southern and eastern Asia, but they grow well in most parts of Australia.
Crepe myrtles make excellent summer shade trees yet they have lots to offer through the other seasons of the year, with brilliant foliage colour in autumn and attractive smooth bark when they’re leafless in winter, which creates an elegant silhouette in the garden landscape.
Where do crepe myrtles grow best?
Crepe myrtles make ideal feature trees for home gardens, because they’re compact in size, and respond well to pruning. All crepe myrtles need to be grown in an open sunny position, and young trees should be watered generously through summer. Because of their compact size, they make very good street trees.
Crepe myrtle varieties in Australia
In recent years, the Indian Summer range of crepe myrtles has been released, offering a fabulous range of brilliant colours and excellent resistance to powdery mildew disease, which can effect some of the older varieties during humid summer weather.
Each cultivar in the Indian Summer range is named after an Indian tribe, and the trees range is size from a compact 3 metres, up to about 6 metres in height.
We’ve got the best crepe myrtle varieties to look out for.
01
Zuni
Lagertroemia
A hardy variety that blooms with pink/purple flowers
02
Sioux
Lagerstroemia
Produces pale pink flowers and is suitable for small gardens
03
Natchez
Lagerstoemia
The only white flowering crepe myrtle available, and it’s the tallest of the range. It begins flowering in mid-summer before the dark green foilage transitions into rich browns and reds, before falling.
Dwarf crepe myrtle varieties in Australia
There are also dwarf forms available, which are more shrub-like in habit, and are suitable for growing in large tubs, such as:
01
Hopi dwarf
Lagerstroemia
Perfect for creating a hedge or as a border plant, this dwarf crepe myrtle produces a stunning display of pink flowers. It is drought tolerant and will grow up to 2 metres in height.
How to prune crepe myrtle
Crepe myrtles respond well to pruning, which is best done in mid-winter, when trees are bare of leaves. To keep them compact, trim back branches by about 30cm all over.
If you wish, you can cut them back much harder than this – they’ll send out long arching branches from the site of the cut when spring arrives. However, if you’re not into pruning, and you have enough space for them to develop their naturally appealing shape, just leave them alone – they’ll flower well in any case.
Are crepe myrtles easy to grow?
Crepe myrtles are relatively easy to grow as they are drought-hardy.
How to care for crepe myrtle in Australia?
Crepe myrtles require a sunny patch to grow in, well-drained soil and regular watering. They can grow quite large, up to 6-8m high,
What is the downside of crepe myrtles?
Crepe myrtle can contain leaf diseases like powdery mildew, mark scale and beetles.
