Crapemyrtle Varieties You Should Be Growing

Crape myrtles come in a variety of size sand flower colors. Many (not all) show off an ornamental patchwork bark. Before heading to the garden center decide what flower color you want. Shop the internet or find a variety that grows (matures) to the correct height for the garden space and is winter hardy in your plant zone. Plant crape myrtles almost any time of year with spring / summer being best and fall / winter the worse seasons. 

There are over 125 varieties listed on the internet. Here is 50+ of the best:

Lagerstroemia 'Burgundy Cotton'

Miniature/Weeping: less than 3
feet tall

• Baton Rouge (red)
• Mardi Gras (purple)
• Pixie White (white)
• Pokomoke (deep pink)

Dwarf: 3 – 5 feet tall

• Centennial (purple)
• Dazzle® series (GAMAD I-VII)
• Petite Series (6) Pink Ruffles (pink)
• Tightwad (Whit V) (red)
• Velma’s Royal Delight (purple)
• Victor (dark red)

Intermediate: 5 – 10 feet tall

• Acoma (white)
• Cheyenne (red)
• Hopi (pink)
• Red Rooster (PIILAG III) (rich red)
• Siren Red (Whit VII) (red)
• Tonto (red)
• Zuni (purple)

Medium: 10 – 20 feet tall

• Apalachee (lavender)
• Black Diamond series (9)
• Burgundy Cotton (Whit VI) (white)
• Catawba (purple)
• Centennial Spirit (red)
• Comanche (pink)
• Dynamite (Whit II) (true red)
• Lipan (lavender)
• Osage (pink)
• Pink Velour (Whit III) (pink)
• Powhatan (purple)
• Raspberry Sundae (Whit I) (red/white)
• Regal Red (red)
• Seminole (pink)
• Sioux (pink)
• Tuskegee (pink)
• Yuma (lavender)

Tall: more than 20 feet tall

• Arapaho (red)
• Biloxi (pink)
• Byers Hardy Lavender (lavender)
• Byers Standard Red (red)
• Kiowa (white)
• Miami (pink)
• Muskogee (lavender)
• Natchez (white)
• Potomac (pink)
• Red Rocket (Whit IV) (true red)
• Sarah’s Favorite (white)
• Townhouse (white)
• Tuscarora (pink)
• Watermelon Red (red)
• Wichita (lavender)

Seedless (Sterile) Blooming Rose Of Sharon Shrubs

'Lavender Chiffon' althea

Rose of Sharon, aka shrub althea, (Hibiscus syriacus) is a woody hibiscus shrub that is hardy in temperate northern areas of the U.S. (USDA hardiness zones 5-9). This summer flowering shrub is exceptionally easy to grow. 

At one time,  it was a great pass-along shrub that fell out of favor. However, old fashioned varieties frequently reseeded around the garden. New cultivars strut variegated foliage, double flowers, and infertile (sterile) blooms that produce little or no seed. They are available in a wide range of flower colors including pink, purple, blue, white, and almost red. 

Blooms may be single, semi-double, and double and range in size from 2-5 inches across. They grow in average to good garden soils with moderate drainage. For maximum flowering, site plants where they receive 6 or more hours of direct sun and feed annually with a slow-release fertilizer such as Osmocote™ or Nutricote™. Blooms attract numerous bees and butterflies. Japanese beetles may damage the flowers for a few weeks in early summer, but shrubs rapidly recover.

After their first year, Rose of Sharons are highly drought tolerant. Shrubs respond well to annual pruning and to severe “rejuvenating” by pruning to a few inches above the ground.

Some gardeners opt to grow them as perennials by cutting the plant back every year or two. In late spring the “shortened” plant(s) emerge as multi-stems, grow a 2-3 feet tall, and flower.

Alternative technique: thin out emerging growth to 1, 3 or 5 main shoots to train into a small patio tree.

Utilize Rose of Sharon as a specimen shrub or small tree, as a shrub border, or set into a large container. Best of the sterile forms of Rose of Sharon (althea):

Chiffon® series feature anemone-like double blooms for low seed set and long-blooming; color choices: Lavender (purple), Blue, and White; 8-12 feet x 6-10 feet wide.

Sugar Tip® - pure pink double blooms (no seed) and variegated semi-double creamy-white blooms/ bluish-green foliage; 8-12 feet x 6-8 feet.

Purple Pillar® - slender columnar growth habit (16 feet tall x 3 feet wide), 4-inch vibrant purple single to semi-double flowers with red centers; ideal fit for small urban gardens.

Rodgersia - Bold Look In A Shady Garden

Rodgersia

Rodgersia (two forms) is an outstanding summer flowering perennial grown for its broad foliage and showy flowers. Rodgersia has one key requirement: consistent soil moisture through the spring and summer months. Don’t attempt to grow this bold perennial unless its water needs is totally satisfied. Plants prefer wet, boggy feet (roots).

Rodgersias (Rodgersia pinnata) sport bold pinnately compound leaves that emerge with a dark bronze tint. Leaves measure more than a foot wide and 3-4 foot high perennial. In early summer, white bloom panicles rise 2 to 3 feet above the foliage and bloom over 3 to 4 weeks. 

A secondary species, Chestnut-leaved Rodgersia (R. aesculifolia), is another clump form with bold green foliage and bears creamy-white flowers in mid-summer (USDA hardiness zones 5 to 8).

Varieties of rodgersia: 'Chocolate Wing' -- cherry blossom pink and cream blooms); ‘Alba’- white flowers and dark green leaves/bronze veining.

Rodgersia prosper in partial day sun tor light shade all day. Site them nearby water features like within the splash-zone of a waterfall. They grow exceptionally well along woodland creeks.

When properly sited, the foliage remains blemish-free all season long. Disease and pest problems are rare if growing conditions are ideal. Deer and rabbits rarely trouble them

.

Planting in containers: plant a single crown into a 3 to 5 gallon size container filled with humus-rich potting soil. To restrict most water loss, line the bottom of the container with plastic shopping bags. This reduces irrigation needs that saves on your monthly water bill.

Best Annuals To Try in Your Garden

Canna 'Toucan' series

If you are designing your spring/summer flower garden, here are some of the very best annuals that you should shop for at garden centers. Most bloom heavily through late spring through the summer months. They are very heat tolerant and demonstrate exceptionally good disease resistance.

                                                                                    

Alternanthera 'Purple Prince', 'Plum Dandy'

Angelonia Serena™ series 

Begonia Megawatt™ - whole color series were impressive

Begonia Whopper® series green and bronze leaf types 

Canna Toucan™ series

Canna Cannova™ series

Celosia 'Arrabona', 'Fresh Look', 'Dragon's Breath', 'Prestige Scarlet', 'Intenz'

Coleus FlameThrower™ Habernero, Salsa Verde

Hypoestes Hippo™ Rose

Impatiens New Guinea Divine™ Red, Lavender Improved, Orange 

Lantana Bandana™ series

Lantana Luscious® series

Marigold Taishan™ series Gold, Orange

Salvia 'Mystic Spires Improved'

Marigold Antigua Gold

Marigold Dune Gold, Yellow 

Marigold Moonstruck Orange, Yellow 

Marigold French Bonanza Bolero Improved, Orange, Yellow 

Ornamental Pepper Midnight Fire

Pelargonium (Geranium) Pinto series

Pentas Lucky Star™ series

Petunia Supertunia® Bubblegum, Vista Fuschia, Lovie Dovie 

Petunia Red Velour

Petunia Headliner™ Banana Cherry Swirl

Salvia Rockin'™ Playin' the Blues™

Salvia 'Mystic Spires Improved'

Scaevola Whirlwind™ series 

Thunbergia A-Peel® Lemon, Orange, Tangerine Slice 

Vinca Titan series 

Vinca Vitesse

Zinnia Profusion™ series 

Zinnia Zahara™ series

Zinnia Profusion Double™ series 

Zinnia Zahara Double™ series

Coreopsis 'Route 66' - A Riot of Color

Create a hot splash in your garden this summer. Threadleaf coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata) ‘Route 66’ is a new selection by Itsaul Nursery in Atlanta, Georgia (USDA zone 4 to 9). Coreopsis ‘Route 66’ originated in Pennsylvania (zone 5). Perennial gardeners have been planting yellow- flowered ‘Moonbeam’ and ‘Zagreb’ cultivars for over a quarter of a century.

The 2- inch wide yellow and red splotched flowers bloom continuously from June thru August. The center red pigment seems to bleed into the yellow petals. In the autumn the red tint becomes more dominant. No two blooms are ever alike. Deadheading will extend the blooming time span into October. Foliage is green and narrow (thread-like). Plant form is upright and well branched. Route 66 grows 2 to 2 1/2 feet in height, and a few inches wider than tall.

Plant in well-drained soil in full sunlight. Route 66 is a garden performer, a low maintenance perennial to enjoy in your garden for many years ahead. Route 66 exhibits exceptional plant vigor and flower power. One year old established plants demonstrate exceptional heat, drought and cold hardiness.

Culver's Root (Veronicastrum)

Photo: new cultivar ‘Fascination’ with lavender purple flowers

Midwest native Culver’s root (Veronicastrum virginicum) starts the summer flowering season in my perennial garden. It naturally grows in open woods and meadows and thrives in fertile to moist soils. However, this deep rooted plant hasn’t complain about the current dry period in the Southern Appalachian region (USDA zones 6-7).
Culver’s root can be somewhat aggressive. Over a decade in my garden, a single plant now occupies 18 square feet. It prospers in infertile clay soil. When grown in full sun, it does not require staking. I grow it in the rear of the flower bed next to another favorite - goldenrod (Solidago spp.).
The narrow floral spikes stand 3-5 feet tall, depending on the variety. White flower spikes are most common, and attract large numbers of butterflies and bees. Flowering continues over 4 to 6 weeks, the terminal blooms first and secondary laterals in late July. Floral designers love the keeping quality of the bloom spikes and lovely narrow leaves which are arranged in whorls around the branchless stems.
Culver’s root is a low maintenance perennial. It will re-bloom if old flower spikes are deadheaded. There are no disease or insect problems.

Try 'Fireworks' Gomphrena in Your Garden

'Fireworks' gomphrena was a sensation in the University of Tennessee Gardens at both the Knoxville and Jackson locations in 2009. Gomphrena (globe amaranth) is a great summer annual that asks for very little care. It is heat, humidity and drought tolerant. Gomphrena hold up to the wind, blooming from day of planting in May (after danger of spring frost has passed) until first hard frost in autumn. No bug or disease touches them.

By fall most gomphrena cultivars grow 18 inches to 2 feet in height and 12-15 inches in width. Add another 12 inches for more the vigorous 'Fireworks'. Can't find 'Fireworks', try another cultivar favorite- 'Strawberry Fields'. Gomphrena attracts large numbers of butterflies and are great as cut and/or dried flowers.

Buy plants at local, independently-owned garden centers. Generally, "big box store" garden centers carry more common summer annuals and not gomphrenas.

Lo and Behold 'Blue Chip' Buddleia is a Winner

photo taken at JC Raulston Arboretum in June 2009

Lo & Behold® ‘Blue Chip’ is a very dwarf butterfly bush (buddleia) for the summer garden. Take advantage of its compact 3 x 4 foot height and width by planting it in the garden or in a container on a sunny patio deck or patio by itself . In large containers mix in shorter growing summer annuals such as trailing petunia, scaevola or alternanthera.

Lo & Behold® ‘Blue Chip’ maintains its clean growing habit all season long. Gardeners with limited space can attract butterflies and hummingbirds to their garden with this colorful buddleia. It produces loads of fragrant blue flowers which bloom continuously. It thrives in the summer heat and humidity and the foliage stays blemish-free.

'Blue Chip' is non-invasive. It's self-cleaning and will bloom from mid-summer to frost without deadheading. Each proceeding spring, you won’t need to drastically prune 'Blue Chip' as you would the larger growing buddleia varieties. Plants are deer resistant and drought tolerant.
‘Blue Chip’ was still blooming in my Southern Appalachian garden in late October .

Angelonia in the Summer Garden

Tired of marigolds and petunias? Angelonias (A. angustifolia) are superior summer garden annuals. Angelonias require very little care. They possess superior heat and drought tolerance.

I prefer the Serena series (seed produced type) because local greenhouse growers produce and sell them more cheaply. Vegetative (cutting) type angelonias grow taller, are heavy bloomers, and are more pricey at garden centers.

Varieties of 'Serena' angelonia come in white, pink lavender, lavender, and purple flowers. Plant them after the danger of spring frosts in your gardening area is low. After planting, follow-up with a few early waterings. Then, sit back and enjoy angelonas in constant bloom from late spring to the first hard frost of autumn.

Serena angelonias grow 12-15 inches in height and 14-16 inches in spread in my zone 6-b garden.

photo: pentas (front) and 'Lavender Pink Serena' angelonia (rear)