Crapemyrtle (Crape Myrtle)

Lagerstroemia indica

Fast-growing shrub
Striking pink flowers, handsome bark, and attractive fall foliage
Great for hot and sunny climates
Considerable drought-tolerance once established
Great for hedges and screens
Zones 7 to 9
Can't ship to: AK, AZ, HI

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Zones 7 - 9

Hardiness Zones: Zones 7 - 9
The Common Crapemyrtle can be expected to grow in the zones shown in color in the arborday.org zone map.VIEW MAP

flowering tree

Type of tree:
The Common Crapemyrtle falls into the following type(s): Flowering Trees, Shrubs

15' - 25' High

Mature Height:
The Common Crapemyrtle grows to be 15' - 25' feet in height.

6' - 15' Spread

Mature Spread:
The Common Crapemyrtle has a spread of about 6' - 15' at full maturity.

Fast Growth

Growth Rate:
This tree grows at a fast growth rate. [More about this.]

Full Sun

Sun:
This crapemyrtle does well in full sun.

Various Soils

Soil:
Tolerates a wide variety of soils from slightly alkaline to acidic, dry, but prefers moist, well drained sites.

Vase Shape

Shape:
This crapemyrtle has vase shape.

More Info

Attributes:
Striking flowers, handsome bark, and attractive fall foliage all combine to make the crapemyrtle a favorite landscape shrub. It is particularly well suited for the hot, sunny climates of the southern and southwestern United States. Once established, it will tolerate considerable drought. A beautiful specimen tree, it is often used in groupings, containers, hedges and screens, urban settings, and as a small street tree. A great abundance of cultivars have been selected for size, flower color, disease resistance, and cold hardiness.

Wildlife Value:
Attracts birds

History/Lore/Use:
The common crapemyrtle is a native of China and Korea. It is called the "lilac of the South." The number of cultivars is enormous. Among these, the U.S. National Arboretum introductions are important for their disease resistance, good flowering, and ornamental bark.

Moisture:
Prefers moist soil but has good drought tolerance

Leaves:
The leaves are opposite or the upper alternate, simple, 1-2 3/4" long, 3/4-1 1/2" wide, oval to oblong, lustrous medium to dark green with showy, yellow, orange or red colors in the fall. White flowered trees produce yellow fall color.

Flower Color:
Pink 6-8" long, 3-5" wide showy panicles on new growth.

Bloom Time:
late spring and summer into fall.

Striking pink flowers, handsome bark, and attractive fall foliage all combine to make the Crapemyrtle a favorite landscape shrub. It is particularly well-suited for the hot, sunny climates of the southern and southwestern United States. Once established, it will tolerate considerable drought. A beautiful specimen tree, it is often used in groupings, containers, hedges and screens, urban settings, and as a small street tree. A great abundance of cultivars have been selected for size, flower color, disease resistance, and cold hardiness. (zones 7-9)

		Spring Shipping		Fall Shipping
Color	Zone	Approximate Ship Dates	Order Deadline	Approximate Ship Dates	Order Deadline
	2	04/15–05/30	05/14	11/01–11/26	11/12
	3	04/15–05/30	05/14	11/01–11/26	11/12
	4	04/15–05/30	05/14	11/01–11/26	11/12
	5	04/15–05/30	05/14	11/01–11/26	11/12
	6	03/19–05/12	05/07	11/01–12/03	11/19
	7	03/11–05/07	04/30	11/05–12/10	11/26
	8	02/26–04/30	04/23	11/05–12/10	11/26
	9	02/26–04/30	04/23	11/05–12/10	11/26
	10	02/26–04/30	04/23	11/05–12/10	11/26

We're sorry, but this tree can't be shipped to AK, AZ, HI , territories, or countries outside the U.S. This is due to the agricultural laws within these locations.

When you order trees from The Arbor Day Foundation, your order is guaranteed to arrive in a good, healthy condition or we'll replace them at no charge. Your trees will be shipped at a suitable time for planting.

Each tree is guaranteed to grow, or we'll replace it at one half the original price, plus shipping and handling.

The benefits of bare-root trees

Our trees are delivered with natural bare roots which have been dipped in hydrating gel prior to shipment to keep the roots moist and healthy. As their abundant, fibrous roots aren't confined by a container, bare-root trees get off to a more vigorous start compared to containerized roots which typically need more time to adjust to transplanting. Bare-root trees typically surpass the size of larger containerized trees in only a few years.

	Standard		Dwarf
	Mature Height	Space Needed	Mature Height	Space Needed
Apple	20' - 25'	35' x 35'	10' **	10' x 10' ++
Peach	20'	20' x 20'	8' - 10'	10' x 10'
Sweet Cherry	30'	20' x 25'	12' - 15'	10' x 10'
Sour Cherry	20'	20' x 20'	8'	10' x 10'
Pear	20'	20' x 20'	12' - 15'	12' x 12'
Apricot	20'	20' x 20'
Plum	20'	20' x 20'	8' - 10'	10' x 10'
			** semi-dwarf 12' - 15' ++ semi-dwarf 12' x 12'

Natural Root and Containerized Trees

Natural root (also called bare root) trees are shipped without soil around their roots. They are shipped when dormant in the spring and fall seasons. We dip the roots in a hydrating gel to keep them moist during shipping.

There are a number of advantages to natural root trees:

They are very affordable.
Their roots re-establish themselves well once they are planted in their permanent location.
They are easy to plant at the correct depth.

The Urban Horticulture Institute at Cornell University has an interesting article about the benefits of planting natural root trees. Look for the PDF entitled Creating the Urban Forest: The Bare Root Method

Potted (also called containerized) trees come in 4" containers.

If you have questions, please call (888) 448-7337 or E-mail Member Services.

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