White Crepe Myrtle

White Crepe Myrtle 'Natchez' is the flowering shade tree to plant when you want something worth looking at in all four seasons. It reaches about 6m tall and 4m wide, carries trusses of pure white flowers through summer, then turns orange and red before dropping its leaves to reveal smooth cinnamon bark. A cross between Lagerstroemia indica and L. fauriei, it has the mildew resistance older crepe myrtles never had, and it is the largest of the common varieties.

Why you'll love it

• It flowers for months, not weeks. White panicles open in early summer and keep coming into autumn.
• The bark carries the winter. Once the leaves drop, the trunk peels back to smooth cinnamon and pale tan.
• The roots behave. Non-invasive roots let you plant near a driveway, path or paved courtyard without worrying about lifted concrete.
• Low maintenance is the truth here. Drought tolerant, heat tolerant and frost hardy once established, and it grows in poor soil.
• Pet friendly and good for pollinators. Safe where dogs roam, and the summer flowers pull in bees and butterflies.

Where it works best

As a single feature tree. At roughly 4m across it suits a front lawn, courtyard or small back garden. Allow 3m from a wall or fence.

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

For summer shade you can switch off. The canopy shades a patio in January, then drops its leaves and lets winter sun through.

Growing white crepe myrtle in Australia

Position. Full sun, six hours minimum. Shade is the most common reason a crepe myrtle disappoints: it cuts flowering and invites leaf problems.

Soil and water. Any reasonably drained soil suits it, including poor and sandy ground. Water deeply twice a week through the first summer, then a good soak every fortnight. After two seasons it handles dry spells alone.

Feeding and pruning. A complete slow release fertiliser in early spring is enough, and avoid high nitrogen feeds that push leaf at the expense of flower. Prune in late winter while the tree is bare: remove crossing branches, tip spent flower heads, and never cut the framework back to stubs.

By climate. It performs in subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens, so Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and south east Queensland all suit it. In cooler southern gardens flowering starts later and finishes earlier. It is not right for the wet tropics or unirrigated arid inland.

What to expect when it arrives

This tree comes in twelve sizes, from 140mm tubestock in packs of ten up to advanced 400L specimens. Smaller pots establish faster than people expect, while 45L and above give height on day one.

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

Plant care guides and related reading

• Read the Natchez four season growing guide for planting and pruning detail.
• Compare the full range in our crepe myrtle collection.
• Short on room? Pink Crepe Myrtle 'Zuni' gives the same habit at around 3m.
• Planting a run: browse trees suited to driveways and avenues.

Common questions

How fast does it grow?

Fast for a flowering tree. With reasonable water expect 60cm to 1m a year until it nears 6m, then it slows and thickens.

Will it really lose all its leaves?

Yes. It is fully deciduous and stands bare from roughly June to September, longer in cool temperate gardens. The peeling bark carries it through.

How close to paving can I plant it?

Its roots are non-invasive, so 2m to 3m from a path or driveway is fine. Just leave room for the 4m canopy.

Which size should I order?

For a single feature tree with presence now, 25L or 45L is the sensible start. For an avenue, smaller pots cost far less per tree and establish reliably.