Acoma Crepe Myrtle

Acoma Crepe Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica x fauriei 'Acoma') is the crepe myrtle for gardens with no room for a crepe myrtle. It settles at about 3m tall and 3m wide, one of the smallest in the group, and holds its branches in a low arching sweep instead of the stiff upright vase most people picture. From early summer into autumn the branch tips fill with crinkled white flower heads. The roots are well behaved, so it can sit near a path or a courtyard wall without causing trouble later.

Why you'll love it

• Genuinely small. About 3m by 3m, roughly half the spread of a Natchez. It fits a front garden or a large pot.
• White flowers through the hottest months. The display runs from early summer into early autumn, when most gardens have gone quiet.
• A weeping shape you rarely get this small. Arching branches give it movement, and the flowers hang at eye level.
• Four seasons of interest. Summer flowers, autumn leaf colour, then smooth mottled trunks on bare winter branches.
• Pet safe, bee friendly, non-invasive roots. Not toxic to cats or dogs, and safe to plant near paving.

Where it works best

Small gardens and courtyards. Choose this one when the space is 4m wide, not 10m. It still reads as a proper feature tree, and because it is deciduous it lets the winter light back in.

Repeated along a fence or drive. Space plants 2.5m to 3m apart so each canopy reaches full width and the weeping habit stays visible.

Pots and containers. Use a 400mm pot or a half barrel. Expect closer to 2m than 3m, which suits a balcony or a courtyard corner.

Growing Acoma Crepe Myrtle in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, all day if possible, because flowering falls away in shade. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens and is frost hardy, so Canberra, Adelaide and the tablelands are fair ground. In the humid tropics flowering is unreliable and mildew persistent.

Soil. Tolerant of poor soil, not of wet feet. On clay, plant on a raised mound. Mulch 75mm deep, kept clear of the trunk.

Water and feed. A deep soak weekly through the first two summers, after which it is genuinely drought tolerant. One complete slow release fertiliser in early spring is enough.

Pruning. Prune in late winter while it is bare. Thin the centre, remove crossing wood, and resist cutting every branch back to a stub. Flowers form on new spring growth.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in seven sizes: tube stock, 200mm packs of six, 250mm packs of three, single 300mm and 400mm pots, then 45L and 100L. The small sizes suit a repeated planting, since crepe myrtles establish fast. The 45L and 100L plants arrive with real trunk calliper and a formed head.

It is deciduous, so plants sent between late autumn and early spring arrive bare. That looks alarming and is completely normal, and buds break once the soil warms. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• How to plant, prune and feed a crepe myrtle
• Compare every crepe myrtle we grow
• Browse flowering trees for Australian gardens

Common questions

How big does Acoma actually get?

About 3m tall and 3m wide in an open garden, over roughly eight to ten years. In a pot, or in a cooler southern garden, it usually stops nearer 2m to 2.5m.

Will it flower in a cool climate garden?

Yes, given full sun. Flowering starts later than it does further north and the season is shorter, but the display is reliable through summer.

Can I keep it in a pot long term?

Yes. A 400mm pot with free draining mix will hold one for years. Water more often than a garden plant, feed each spring, and root prune every three or four years.