Lagerstroemia (Crepe Myrtles)

Common Names: Crepe Myrtle, Crêpe Myrtle, Crepemyrtle, Indian Crape Myrtle, Lilac of the South, Crape Myrtle, Crepe Flower,

Origin: India, China, Korea, Japan

• Colourful & abundant flowers
• Feature bark and autumn foliage
• Hardy feature tree

The Crepe Myrtle is one of the most talked about trees in Melbourne. We get bombarded every year with questions asking “What is this amazing tree in my street?” More often than not it’s the Crepe Myrtle! And it’s no wonder why. Crepe Myrtles can been seen all across town absolutely smothered in colour in both summer and autumn.

They flower for weeks and weeks in the hottest part of the year. Deep purples and reds through to soft mauve, baby or hot pink and white. Not long after the blossoms finish, the tree starts to change colour from rich greens to burgundy and scarlet colours. During the winter mature trees exhibit smooth, mottled bark. New varieties ‘Diamonds in the Dark‘ boast rich, Merlot coloured foliage, making a stark contrasting backdrop for the flowers. They are compact large shrubs or small to medium trees that, with a tiny prune, can be kept artistically shaped and quite compact. Crepe Myrtles make a beautiful feature tee and are very hardy, happily adapting to poor soil, heat, drought, frost and exposed sites. 

Plant Type: Tree

Uses: Feature Tree, Avenues, Driveways, Screening, Bird Attracting

Garden Types: Modern, Hampton, Cottage, Woodland,

Care

Sun Requirements: Prefers a full sun or part to full shade position. Flowers best in full sun.

Water Requirements: Water regularly until established. Once established they are drought-hardy.

Soil Requirements: They prefer a good quality, reliably moist yet free-draining soil with added organic matter, but it will perform well in regular garden soil. In pots, use a premium-quality potting mix.

Fertilizing: Slow Release or liquid general-purpose fertilizer in spring and again in early autumn. It’s not necessarily required once established unless soil lacks nutrients. Water younger plants during extended dry periods.

Pruning: Pruning a crepe myrtle is really simple when done right. Wait until the flowers have finished and then cut it back at least 30 centimetres. Pruning the branches like this will allow new growth in spring. One very important thing to do is to not prune it back too hard as it will lose its natural graceful shape. Bad pruning a crepe myrtle is known as ‘Crepe Murder’ among arborists because it is such a common mistake that makes the plant look terrible. Here is a diagram showing the best pruning method.

Tolerances: Drought, sun, poor soils, pollution, and frost.

Diseases: Powdery Mildew, Fungal Leaf Spot

Key Features

Flower: Flowers form in panicles with crinkled petals that look almost like crinkled crêpe paper! Crepe myrtle flowers come in white, soft pink, soft purple, hot pink, violet and reds.

Foliage: Simple, ovate and opposite leaves. Deep to medium green, in new varieties ‘Diamonds in the Dark‘ they are a deep purple. In autumn they change to oranges, yellows and reds.

Bark: The bark regularly sheds throughout the year, which gives it its mottled appearance. Mature trees have a wonderfully, smooth appearance like smoothed clay.

Seeds: Small green capsules in clusters that gradually turn brown, split open and release small winged seeds

Edible: No

Toxicity: N/A

Attracts: Bees, Butterflies and Birds

Which Crepe Myrtle To Choose?

With more and more varieties coming into the market, there is a Crepe Myrtle for every situation. But it also means it can be difficult to choose which is the right one for you.
Check out all the varieties below with our handy comparison table at the end!

Red Flower

A range of rich red flowers on green or purple foliage.

Pink Flower

Pink flowers ranging from soft baby pinks to vibrant hot pinks against green or purple foliage.

Purple Flower

Stunning purple crepe like flowers against either green or purple foliage.

White Flower

Stark white flowers on a background of green or purple foliage.

Still having trouble deciding which Crepe Myrtle is right for your job? Check out our quick comparison chart below!