Lipan Crepe Myrtle

Lipan Crepe Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica x fauriei 'Lipan') is the mid sized crepe myrtle, and the lavender one. It reaches about 5m tall and 3.5m wide, carrying full trusses of soft lilac flowers through summer, then turning orange before the leaves drop to reveal smooth pinkish beige bark. It comes from the American bred hybrid line, so the foliage stays clean where older crepe myrtles greyed over with mildew.

Why you'll love it

• Lavender flowers, not the usual pink. Full panicles in soft lilac open in early summer and keep coming for months, a colour genuinely uncommon in a small flowering tree.
• Mildew resistant foliage. One of the hybrids selected for resistance, so the leaves stay clean through humid summers without a spray program.
• A useful size. At roughly 5m by 3.5m it slots into a small garden or a driveway run where a larger tree would be too much.
• Three seasons of interest. Summer flower, orange autumn colour, then smooth peeling bark and a fine branch framework through winter.
• Roots that behave. Non-invasive roots, so it can sit close to a driveway or paved courtyard.

Where it works best

As a feature tree in a small garden. Allow 3.5m of clear width and about 2.5m from a wall. A single plant in a lawn carries the garden from December through to leaf drop.

Driveways and avenues. Plant 4m apart for canopies that meet along a drive, or 5m to 6m apart to keep each tree separate.

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

Growing Lipan crepe myrtle in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, six hours minimum. Shade is the most common reason a crepe myrtle disappoints, because it cuts the flowering right back. It performs in subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens, from south east Queensland to Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. In cooler gardens flowering starts later and finishes earlier.

Soil. Any reasonably drained soil, including poor and sandy ground. It will not accept a wet spot, so raise the bed on heavy clay and mulch 75mm deep.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then a good drink every fortnight. After two seasons it is genuinely drought tolerant. A complete slow release fertiliser in early spring is enough.

Pruning. Prune in late winter while the tree is bare. Remove crossing branches, thin the centre and tip back spent flower heads. Never cut the framework back to stubs.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in eight sizes: tube stock, 200mm in packs of six, 250mm in packs of three, then 300mm and 400mm pots, 45L, and advanced 200L and 500L specimens. Small pots establish faster than most people expect and suit a driveway run. From 45L up you get a formed head that flowers in its first summer.

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

Plant care guides and related reading

• The crepe myrtle care guide
• Compare the full crepe myrtle collection
• White Crepe Myrtle 'Natchez' for more height
• Do crepe myrtles lose their leaves

Common questions

What colour are the flowers exactly?

Soft lavender through to mid lilac, sitting between the pink and the deep purple varieties. Intensity varies with soil and season, and the blooms read more lilac in full sun and cooler weather.

How fast does it grow?

Fast for a flowering tree. With reasonable water expect 50cm to 80cm a year until it approaches 5m, then it slows and thickens the canopy instead.

Which size should I order?

For one feature tree with presence now, 45L is the sensible starting point. For an avenue, the 200mm and 250mm packs cost far less per tree and establish reliably.