Diamonds in the Dark Lavender Lace Crepe Myrtle

Diamonds in the Dark 'Lavender Lace' (Lagerstroemia indica x fauriei) is the softest colour in a series of crepe myrtles bred for foliage as much as flower. The leaves come through near black and hold that colour all season, and against them the lavender purple summer panicles look lit from within. It settles at about 3m tall and 2m wide, roughly half the size of an old fashioned crepe myrtle.

Why you'll love it

• Black foliage, all season. The dark leaves hold their colour from spring through summer rather than greening off in the heat.
• Lavender flowers for months. Panicles open through summer and keep coming, and the contrast against near black leaves sets this series apart.
• Small garden scale. At 3m by 2m it works where a full sized crepe myrtle would not, including courtyards and narrow side beds.
• Fast and hardy. Frost hardy, drought tolerant and heat tolerant, so it copes with a Canberra winter and an Adelaide summer alike.

Where it works best

As a feature. One plant carries a courtyard or a front bed on its own, because the dark foliage reads as a block of colour even out of flower.

Small gardens. Allow about 1.5m clear of a wall for the 2m canopy and it will not crowd a boundary.

Driveways and avenues. For a repeated run, space plants 2.5m to 3m apart, a little more than the mature width, so canopies just touch.

Growing Lavender Lace crepe myrtle in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, six hours a day minimum. Shade costs you flowers and dulls the foliage, which is the whole reason to grow it. It performs in cool temperate, warm temperate, subtropical and Mediterranean gardens, with flowering later and shorter the further south you go.

Soil. Any reasonably drained garden soil. Dig the hole twice the width of the pot, backfill with compost through the soil you took out, and mulch 75mm deep clear of the trunk.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then every fortnight in dry spells. A complete slow release fertiliser in early spring is enough, and high nitrogen feeds push leaf at the expense of flower.

Pruning. Prune in late winter while it is bare. Take out crossing branches and shorten spent flower wood, but never cut the framework back to stubs. It flowers on new wood.

What to expect when it arrives

This variety is currently sold in one size, 200mm pots in packs of six, which suits a driveway run or a repeated planting rather than a single specimen. Plants at that size are young, well branched and quick to establish.

Because it is deciduous, stock sent between late autumn and early spring arrives bare or nearly so. That is normal: buds break as soon as the soil warms. Delivered Australia wide, delivery from $29.95, with advanced and large stock freighted at cost and our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Read the Diamonds in the Dark growing guide
• Compare the range in our crepe myrtle collection
• For white flowers, try Diamonds in the Dark 'Pure White'
• Browse more plants for small gardens

Common questions

How big does it actually get?

About 3m tall and 2m wide in a home garden, well short of the 6m to 8m of older crepe myrtles. A light prune each winter holds it lower again.

Does it really lose all its leaves?

Yes. It is fully deciduous and stands bare through winter, for longer in cool temperate gardens than in the subtropics. The autumn colour before leaf drop is part of the appeal.

How far apart for a driveway planting?

Two and a half to three metres apart. That gives each 2m canopy room to fill out while still reading as a continuous run once the plants mature.

Will it flower in its first summer?

Often lightly, yes, but the display builds. Expect a modest first season, a better second, and the full effect from the third summer once the framework is established.