CRAPEMYRTLE CORNER – Aug., 2013
By: Carolyn Rodgers
Aren’t the crapemyrtles beautiful this year? With the additional rain that we’ve received it helps newer plants get off to a good start. The older more established plants love the moisture too. All in all, it’s been a great summer for crapemyrtles. The grasshoppers have decimated many of our vegetable garden plants, but they don’t seem to bother crapemyrtles. That’s a lucky break!
NOW is truly a good time to plant crapemyrtles. We recently purchased and planted a crapemyrtle that has dark leaves and beautiful red blooms, it’s called Black Diamond, True Red. It also comes in a blush color. We had to make a new bed and I’m amazed at how well the plant is doing. It’s getting more new blooms and it looks healthy. You do have to water more often when planting in August, but they’ll establish good root growth and be off to a nice start by next spring. Using a root stimulator helps too. Hand water every two to three days as a sprinkler system will not provide enough water for a new crape planted in August.
Crapemyrtles with dark purple foliage adds extra interest in your garden and they contrast nicely with the blooms. Black Diamond will get approximately 8 to 10’ tall. Other crapes with dark foliage include Midnight Magic (dark pink), Moonlight Magic (white), and Delta Jazz (bright pink). Depending on variety, they get 5 to 10 feet tall and wide.
When purchasing a crape, make sure you know the mature height of the plant. A tag on the plant will usually tell you, but if one is missing ask the person working at the nursery. Measure the space that you have available, both in height and width. Buy a plant that will not outgrow the room you have for it. Taller types should be 8 to 10’ out from the house. Personally, I prefer them further away so they have room to grow and it will showcase the plant better. This especially applies to the medium and tall varieties because they get 20’ or taller.
Hope you’re clicking away to take photos of crapemyrtles for our contest. The deadline for submitting your photos is September 19th. Drop your 8 x 10 photos by the Duncan Chamber or directly to me. We have a limit of 5 photos per person. Be sure and put your name, address, phone number, and email address on the back of each photo.
I’d like to put in a good word for our recycling program. It’s amazing how much we can recycle. In fact, at our house we have less trash and more recycling materials. Unlike many areas, we don’t have to separate them. If you haven’t called to get your cart, please do. It’s another way of helping our world stay healthier and greener.