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)

Fall Spectacular Golden Larch Tree

Golden larch (Pseudolarix amabilis) deserves to be planted more in U.S. landscapes. A native to eastern China, this deciduous conifer is not a true larch (Larix spp.).  Golden larch appears to prosper where summer weather is warm and humid (USDA hardiness zones 4-7).

Pseudolarix amabilis in mid-October

Golden larch should be planted in full sun to light shade. It thrives in organically rich, moist, well-drained soil. A mature tree eventually reaches 50 to 60 feet in height and 30 to 40 feet in spread. A new tree tends to start out slowly, and grows at a moderate pace after 2 years. Tree form is weakly pyramidal with layered horizontal branches.

Needles range from 1 ½ to 2 ½ inches in length and are slightly curved. Spring foliage starts out light green, turns medium green in summer, and finishes golden yellow in early fall before dropping in mid-October, the time when earns its name. 

Cones are 2 to 3 inches in length, 1 ½ to 2 ½ inches wide, green during the summer, and golden brown in fall. Young trees exhibit a reddish brown bark which age to grayish brown with some ridges and furrows.

Golden larch ages to a large beautiful tree. Utilize it as a specimen tree on large properties such as golf courses, public parks, and college campuses. Disease and pest problems are as rare as finding this tree in U.S. commerce. It is listed by a few specialty on-line nurseries.

A Grand Tree Aristocrat - Southern Magnolia

Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) is native to the Southern U.S. (USDA hardiness zone 6-9). The species grows upward of 60 - 80 feet tall with a pyramidal habit when young and developing a rounded canopy at maturity. These evergreen magnolias are cherished for their attractive glossy dark green foliage and showy fragrant flowers. Large 5 to 6 inch pure white goblet shaped flowers appear sporadically from mid-spring thru late-summer. Ornate cone-like seed pods form after flowers have shed their creamy white tepals (petals). 

Young trees may not bloom for 3-5 years after planting. Its shallow roots may eventually lift sidewalk pavement as the tree ages. Southern magnolias grow 30 to 50 feet high, and some varieties need lots of room. This tree is happily suited to large commercial and residential properties, golf courses and public parks.

Four large cultivars are ideally suited for planting on wide boulevards, medians, parkways, urban parks, industrial sites and golf courses. Undersides of leaves are either green or rusty brown as noted.

• ‘Bracken’s Brown Beauty’ (50 feet x 25 feet) - rusty brown back leaf
• ‘Edith Bogue’ (40- 50 feet x 25 feet) – green back
• ‘Claudia Wannamaker’ (50 feet x 30 feet) – green back
• ‘DD Blanchard’ (50 feet x 30 feet) – brown back

Smaller growing cultivars are also available at garden centers:

• ‘Little Gem’ and ‘Hasse™  (35-40 feet in height)
• Teddy Bear® and ‘Kay Parris’ (25-30 feet in height)

Little Gem grows very shrub-like and may encompass 20 or more feet of ground area. Hasse exhibits a tree-like habit and branching is primarily upright. Teddy Bear and Kay Parris grow slowly and are better choices for small landscapes.

Leaves and flowers are proportionally smaller that the species. The glossy foliage is thick and leathery, and dark green over both the upper and lower surfaces. Kay Parris foliage is reddish brown on the underside.

Trees shed older leaves in spring as new ones emerge. Occasionally, its evergreen boughs are weighted down and snap off under heavy snow and ice loads.