Crepe Myrtle Alternatives What Is A Good Substitute For A Crepe Myrtle Tree

A few alternatives to consider include American witch-hazel (Hamamelis virginiana), Ozark witch-hazel (Hamamelis vernalis) and other witch-hazels, Carolina silverbell (Halesia carolina), flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa), blackhaw viburnum (Viburnum prunifolium), sarvisberry/serviceberry ...

What is crepe myrtle related to?
Is there a difference between a crepe myrtle bush and tree?
Is a crepe myrtle a messy tree?
Is Miracle Grow good for crepe myrtles?
Which crape myrtle is the best?
What happens if you don't prune a crepe myrtle?
Can you plant crepe myrtles close to the house?
Do crepe myrtle trees have invasive roots?
Are you supposed to cut back crepe myrtles?
How do you keep crepe myrtles small?
Is crepe myrtle a good shade tree?
Do crepe myrtles need full sun?

What is crepe myrtle related to?

Lagerstroemia /ˌleɪɡərˈstriːmiə/, commonly known as crape myrtle (also spelled crepe myrtle or crêpe myrtle), 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, cultivated in warmer climates around the ...

Is there a difference between a crepe myrtle bush and tree?

The difference between the crape myrtle bush and the crape myrtle tree is that the tree is taller than crape myrtle bush. Crape myrtle bushes have multiple stems and their height is between 2 and 15 ft. ... (6 m) taller than the bushes. Some crape myrtle trees can grow up to 35 ft.

Is a crepe myrtle a messy tree?

Crape myrtles also require pruning to promote the new growth needed for blooming, to reveal the bark, and to keep the shrub or tree tidy. Moreover, with its flowers, leaves and peeling bark, crape myrtles can be messy to care for. Be prepared for plenty of raking and clean-up.

Is Miracle Grow good for crepe myrtles?

The easiest to use and most well known fertilizer is Miracle Gro. However, if you have many Crape Myrtles you wish to fertilize, using Miracle Gro can become expensive. ... When choosing a fertilizer for your Crape Myrtles, keep in mind that they are heavy feeders and are more prosperous when fed often.

Which crape myrtle is the best?

The Muskogee Crape Myrtle is the ideal choice if you want a large tree. ...
The Sioux Crape Myrtle grows between 15 and 20 feet tall and has a narrow, upright form, making it ideal for smaller gardens.

What happens if you don't prune a crepe myrtle?

Flowers are not the only virtue of this tree. Many varieties have beautiful bark and growth habits that can be enjoyed all year if trees are not heavily pruned. This unsightly, ugly pruning known as crape murder is not recommended. Once it's done, it ruins the tree's graceful natural shape for the rest of its life.

Can you plant crepe myrtles close to the house?

Often crape myrtle grows as a multistemmed small tree, with foliage limited to the upper half of the plant. ... As a general rule of thumb, plant crape myrtles of this mature size a minimum of 8 to 10 feet from a building wall, and farther if you can. This spacing gives the plant room to expand to its full size.

Do crepe myrtle trees have invasive roots?

Crepe Myrtle Root System: Are Crepe Myrtle Roots Invasive

Crepe myrtle trees are lovely, delicate trees offering bright, spectacular flowers in the summer and beautiful fall color when the weather begins to chill. ... You don't have to worry about this issue because crepe myrtle tree roots are not invasive.

Are you supposed to cut back crepe myrtles?

If you do choose to prune your crepe myrtles, pruning should take place in mid-February to avoid winter injury. Pruning should be done only to shape the tree; not to severely control plant height. ... The seed heads from last year can remain on the plant all year, and you will still get good blooming in the current year.

How do you keep crepe myrtles small?

You should prune in early or late winter when the plant is dormant but temperatures are not extremely cold. Remove extraneous or interior branches that might cross between trunks or rub against each other, cut low branches to encourage vertical growth and prune unwanted new trunks to the ground.

Is crepe myrtle a good shade tree?

Crape myrtles are wildly popular in the South for good reason. They bloom in the summer, when there are few other trees and shrubs providing that service. The larger varieties grow rather quickly, providing a bit of shade in addition to the seasonal color.

Do crepe myrtles need full sun?

CRAPE MYRTLE TIPS:

4) Crape Myrtles need at least 6 hours of DIRECT SUN for good, long summer bloom.