Crepe Myrtles

How to choose a crepe myrtle

Start with mature height. It is where most people go wrong. The compact selections top out near 3m and stay about 2.5m across: Acoma, Zuni, Hopi and the dark leaved Diamonds in the Dark range suit courtyards, small front gardens and large pots. Comanche and Tonto sit in the middle at 3.5m to 4m. For a small shade tree or a driveway avenue, look to Miami, Sioux, Tuscarora, Biloxi or Kiowa, which reach 5m to 7m with a 4m spread.

Colour is the easier decision, and every variety here flowers for months rather than weeks. Whites read as the most formal: the White Crepe Myrtle 'Natchez' is the tall choice at 6m, Acoma the small weeping one. Pinks run soft to deep coral through Tuscarora, Miami and Biloxi. Reds make the strongest statement: Grande Red at full tree size, the Diamonds in the Dark reds compact against near black foliage. Yuma and Lipan carry the lavenders.

Why they suit Australian conditions

Few flowering trees handle our summers this well. Crepe myrtles are heat tolerant, drought tolerant once established and untroubled by poor soil, and most varieties here are frost hardy, so they perform from subtropical gardens through Sydney, Perth and Adelaide down to cool temperate Victoria. Tuscarora and Slender Black also handle arid and semi arid conditions. The roots are non-invasive, which is why they are planted so freely near paving, driveways and pools. Flowering is less reliable in the humid tropics.

Like all deciduous trees, they drop their leaves, and that is a feature rather than a compromise. Autumn turns the foliage orange, red and bronze before the leaves fall, letting winter sun through and revealing smooth cinnamon to mahogany bark.

Planting and spacing

Full sun is not negotiable: six hours minimum, eight is better. In shade you get leggy growth and half the flowers. Plant into free draining soil, water deeply twice a week through the first summer, then taper off. Space the larger varieties 3m apart for an avenue, and the compact Diamonds in the Dark types 2m apart for an informal screen. Feed once in early spring with a complete fertiliser. Heavy feeding buys leaves, not flowers.

Pruning, and the mildew question

Do not cut the tree back to knuckled stubs each winter. It destroys the vase shape, hides the bark and produces weak whippy growth that flops under the weight of the flowers. Prune in late winter before growth starts, because the flowers form on the current season's wood. Remove dead and crossing branches, lift the lower limbs to expose the trunks, and tip back last season's growth lightly. Our crepe myrtle care guide covers it step by step.

Powdery mildew is the other regular complaint. Older straight Lagerstroemia indica forms are prone to it in humid weather. Nearly everything here is either an indica x fauriei hybrid or a modern bred selection, both chosen for mildew resistance, so in full sun with air movement you should not need to spray.

Common questions

How fast do they grow?

Around 30cm to 50cm a year once established. Natchez, Tuscarora, Miami and Grande Red are the quickest.

When do crepe myrtles flower?

Summer into early autumn, roughly December to March, shifting a few weeks either way depending on how far south you garden.

Can I grow one in a pot?

Yes, with a compact variety and a large container. Acoma, Zuni, Hopi and the Diamonds in the Dark range all do well in a 60cm pot with good drainage and regular summer water.