Canopy Crepe Myrtle

Canopy Crepe Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica 'Canopy') is the small shade tree for a garden that does not have room for a big one. It reaches about 4m tall and 4m wide, spreading into a broad umbrella head rather than growing upright, so it throws summer shade over a patio at a height you can walk under. Pink flower panicles cover it through summer, then the leaves colour and drop to let the winter sun back in.

Why you'll love it

• Shade you can switch off. A broad canopy in January, bare branches in July, so one tree cools a patio in summer and lets winter sun through.
• It flowers for months. Pink panicles open in early summer and keep coming into autumn.
• Fast for a flowering tree. A reasonable canopy in three to four years rather than a decade.
• Roots that behave. Non-invasive roots make it safe near a paved courtyard, path or driveway, and it is frost hardy, drought tolerant, heat tolerant and productive in poor soil.

Where it works best

As a shade tree for a small block. One tree covers a seating area or a section of lawn. Allow 4m of clearance from the house so the mature head sits clear of the roof and gutters.

As a feature tree. The spreading form is the point, so give it space to be seen from all sides rather than crowding it into a border.

Along a driveway or avenue. Plant 4m to 5m apart for canopies that meet overhead, or 6m apart to keep each tree separate.

Growing Canopy Crepe Myrtle in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, six hours minimum. Shade is the most common reason a crepe myrtle disappoints, cutting flowering and encouraging leaf problems. It performs in subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate, Mediterranean and arid gardens, so most of the country apart from the wet tropics.

Soil. Any reasonably drained soil, including poor and sandy ground. It will not tolerate waterlogging, so raise the planting on heavy clay and mulch 75mm deep, kept clear of the trunk.

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

Pruning. Prune in late winter while the tree is bare. Remove crossing branches and lift the lower limbs to build headroom under the canopy, but never cut the framework back to stubs, which destroys the spreading shape.

What to expect when it arrives

This variety is currently supplied in one size, tube stock, grown to order, so allow time for it to be prepared before dispatch. Tube plants are young and single stemmed, often knee height or less, and they establish faster than people expect. Plan on three to four years before it reads as a shade tree.

Because it is deciduous, stock sent between late autumn and early spring arrives bare or nearly bare. That is normal, not a fault, and the buds break as soon as the soil warms. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Read the complete crepe myrtle care guide.
• Compare varieties in our crepe myrtle collection.
• Browse other fast growing shade trees.
• Wondering about winter? Do crepe myrtles lose their leaves.

Common questions

How much shade will it actually give?

A mature head around 4m across shades a small patio or garden setting through the middle of the day. It is a dappled shade rather than the dense cover of a large evergreen.

How close to the house can I plant it?

Roughly 4m, which keeps the mature canopy off the roof and gutters. The roots are non-invasive, so paving is not the concern here, the branches are.

Does it really lose all its leaves?

Yes. It is fully deciduous and stands bare from roughly June to September, longer in cool districts. That is what lets the winter sun reach the space underneath.