Tree · Lythraceae
Crepe Myrtle
Lagerstroemia indica
Give it sun and a gentle hand, and the crepe myrtle rewards you with summer-long blooms and beautiful peeling winter bark.
Full sun
Every 7–14 days
USDA 6–9
15–25 ft · 4.6–7.6 m
Overview
If you have ever wanted a tree that flowers all summer, the crepe myrtle is a kind place to start. From July into September it opens crinkled, crepe-paper blooms in white, pink, lavender, and deep red, and come winter it quietly drops its bark to reveal the smooth, mottled wood beneath. It grows fast and forgives a lot, taking heat, dry spells, and many kinds of soil in stride once its roots have settled.
Think of this as a tree that wants sun and a little elbow room. A grown crepe myrtle can reach 15 to 25 feet tall and spread almost as wide, which is how it earned its sweet old name, the lilac of the south, blooming where true lilacs simply give up. Offer it space to find its own shape, and you will find it asks for very little in return.
The good news for a first-timer is that the most common mistake is doing too much. Your crepe myrtle blooms beautifully on its own and only really wants sun, soil that drains, and a light trim now and then. Skip the heavy chopping and you get a graceful little tree, not a stubby stump, and any small slip you make is easy to grow past.
Care
The short version: give it full sun and well-drained soil, and water deeply only while it is young. Trim it lightly in late winter to shape it, keep the nitrogen modest, and let air drift through the branches so mildew and scale stay away.
Light
Find your crepe myrtle a spot in full sun, ideally 6 or more hours a day. It will get by with a bit of shade, but it tends to flower less and catch more powdery mildew there, so a sunnier home really does make it happier.
Water
Water a young tree steadily through its first year so the roots can reach down deep. After that it becomes wonderfully heat- and drought-tolerant and seldom needs your help, wanting a good soak only during a long dry stretch. An easy guide is to let the top half of the soil dry out before you water again.
Soil
You really do not need to fuss over the soil here. This tree settles into clay, loam, sand, or shallow rocky ground as long as the water drains away, and it copes with a wide pH range from 5.0 to 8.0, so most yards will suit it just as they are.
Temperature
The crepe myrtle was made for warm places and takes summer heat up to 100°F (38°C) without complaint. It is hardy down to about -9°F (-23°C), which keeps it dependable through zone 6, though a truly hard winter may take the top and let fresh growth rise again from the base.
Humidity
Everyday outdoor humidity is nothing to worry about, so there is no number you need to chase. What matters far more is airflow, because still, damp air trapped among crowded branches is exactly what tempts powdery mildew and leaf spot.
Feeding
Feed in spring with a balanced fertilizer, and let a simple soil test tell you what the ground is really missing. Be gentle with the nitrogen, since too much of it nudges the tree toward leaves instead of the flowers you are hoping for.
Pruning
Prune lightly in late winter or early spring. Take out any crossing limbs, suckers, and leftover seed heads, and slowly limb up the lower branches to coax a tidy tree shape. Please never top it hard, which spoils the form and brings on weak, whippy regrowth.
Repotting
Crepe myrtle is meant for the open ground and rarely stays in a pot for long. If yours is container-grown, it needs repotting only now and then, and the signs it is time are roots circling the drainage holes and soil that dries almost the moment you water it.
Size & spacing
Picture a grown tree of roughly 15 to 25 feet (4.5 to 7.5 m) tall with a spread to match. Give it that full width to settle into so air can move freely through the canopy, which makes it much harder for disease to take hold.
When to plant
Crepe myrtle is happy from zone 6 through 9 and lives for the warm months. Set a new tree out in spring or fall so its roots can get comfortable before the heat or the cold arrives, and then simply enjoy the show of flowers from July through September.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: spring or fall
- Harvest: July to September
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 6–9
Temperature: down to -23°C
Troubleshooting
Most crepe myrtle worries are fungal or insect troubles, and they tend to appear first on the leaves or the bark. The reassuring part is that catching them early usually means a quick, easy fix and a tree that keeps blooming. Find what matches your plant below, then step in gently before it travels through the canopy.
A white powdery film on leaves, with buds that never open
Do not panic if you see this, it is powdery mildew, a fungus that turns up in the mild, damp days of spring and fall and can stop buds from opening. Open the plant to sun and a little breeze, gently clear away the crowded sprouts at the base, and only reach for a labeled fungicide if it truly gets ahead of you.
Fix:
- Site in full sun with good air circulation
- Remove basal sprouts and crowded growth to improve airflow
- Apply a labeled fungicide such as myclobutanil, propiconazole, or thiophanate-methyl if severe
Yellow spots on the leaves with an early leaf drop
Those little yellow spots that arrive in warm, muggy weather are usually Cercospora leaf spot, which can leave a tree bare by late summer. Try to keep water off the leaves, give the canopy some breathing room, and rake up the fallen leaves so the fungus has nowhere cozy to spend the winter.
Fix:
- Improve air circulation and avoid wetting foliage
- Rake and remove fallen infected leaves
- Apply thiophanate-methyl or myclobutanil if needed
Felty white crusts on the bark that bleed pink
Those white, felt-like bumps on the trunk and limbs are crapemyrtle bark scale, and pressing one releases a telltale pink fluid. The insects drip honeydew that turns the whole tree black with sooty mold, but it is fixable. Gently scrub the bark with mild soapy water and a soft brush to lift the scale and grime, then plan a systemic soil drench in spring and a dormant oil spray in late winter to break the cycle.
Fix:
- Wash trunk and branches with mild soapy water and a soft brush to remove scale and mold
- Apply a systemic soil drench (e.g., imidacloprid) in spring per label
- Use dormant horticultural oil sprays in late winter
Sticky leaves going black with a sooty coating
The stickiness is honeydew left by crape myrtle aphids feeding under the leaves, and the black sooty mold is a harmless fungus living on that sugar. Rinse the aphids off with a firm spray of water, follow up with insecticidal soap or neem oil, and let helpful lady beetles and lacewings handle the rest. Once the aphids are gone, the black film clears on its own.
Fix:
- Spray plants with a strong stream of water to dislodge aphids
- Use insecticidal soap or horticultural/neem oil
- Encourage predators such as lady beetles and lacewings
Toxicity
Here is a real comfort for pet owners and parents: the crepe myrtle is safe through and through. The ASPCA lists it as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, and there is no known harm to other animals or to people. The only thing to tidy up is the petals that may stain a walkway or a parked car.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
The ASPCA lists crepe myrtle as non-toxic to cats, so a curious nibble on a leaf or a fallen bloom is truly nothing to worry about.
Dogs None
Your dog can mouth the leaves, flowers, or bark without coming to harm. It is safe if a low branch gets a chew, though a very big helping of any plant might pass an upset tummy.
Horses None
Horses grazing near a crepe myrtle are perfectly fine. The plant is not poisonous to horses, and you will not need any special fencing.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits are at no risk from the leaves or stems. The plant carries no known toxin, so a stray bite will not hurt them at all.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep can browse around a crepe myrtle without any trouble, since the foliage holds nothing toxic for them.
Birds Safe
Garden and wild birds are in no danger here. They often pick at the seed capsules, and the plant is safe for them to do so.
People Safe
Crepe myrtle is harmless to people, children included. None of its parts are a known food, so there is no reason to eat it, but a tasted petal or leaf will do no harm.
No special toxicity precautions are needed; fallen flowers may stain walkways or vehicles.
Varieties
There are hundreds of crepe myrtles for sale, which can feel overwhelming, but the easiest ones to love are the disease-resistant hybrids. These four come up over and over for very good reasons.
Natchez
A strong indica and fauriei hybrid that grows to about 30 feet, offering white flowers, cinnamon-brown bark that peels in winter, and dependable resistance to powdery mildew.
Muskogee
Another indica and fauriei hybrid that climbs past 20 feet, loved for its soft lavender flowers, a long season of bloom, and good mildew resistance.
Tuscarora
An indica and fauriei hybrid that brings coral-pink to dark pink flowers, holding up well against both powdery mildew and Cercospora leaf spot.
Sioux
A mildew-resistant indica and fauriei hybrid that pairs cheerful pink summer flowers with eye-catching red-purple color come fall.
How to propagate
Crepe myrtle can be multiplied in a few gentle ways, and the right one for you depends on whether you want an exact copy of a tree you adore or are happy to be surprised.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Softwood cuttings in late spring to summer; hardwood cuttings in winter · 4 to 8 weeks to root
Cuttings are the most reliable way to copy a named tree, since the new plant grows up just like its parent. Take softwood cuttings in late spring or summer, or hardwood cuttings over winter, and you can expect roots in 4 to 8 weeks.
SeedModerate
Collect ripe seed in fall and sow · One or more seasons
Gather the ripe seed capsules in fall and sow them, though it helps to know that seedlings come up variable and will not match a named tree. Give it time, because a seed-grown plant needs a season or more before it really becomes something.
LayeringModerate
Growing season · Several months
If a branch sits low enough to reach the ground, you can pin it down during the growing season and let it root right where it lies. Layering takes several months, and afterward you simply cut the new little plant free from its parent.
Myths
Crepe myrtles need a hard yearly chop, the so-called crepe murder, to bloom well.
Cutting a crepe myrtle back hard does nothing kind for its flowers and a great deal of harm to its shape. The tree already blooms generously on its own, while heavy cuts spoil that lovely form and push out weak, whippy shoots. A soft shaping in late winter is truly all it ever needs.