Planting Site. The ideal planting site would be one with well-drained soil, full sunny exposure and good air drainage. Crape myrtles do not flower well in partial shade and not at all in heavy shade. Powdery mildew is a serious disease problem, but can be minimized by locating the plant in an open area where air movement will not be restricted.

Crape myrtle grows well in most heavy loam and clay soils in North Carolina, and it tolerates a pH range of 5.0 to 5.6. Nutrient requirements are generally minimal. Two light applications of a complete fertilizer in spring and summer are adequate. With heavy fertilizer applications, the plants flower less, produce lush vegetative growth, and are subject to winter injury.

Crape myrtles have a shallow fibrous root system and should be planted at a slight elevation. Nursery-grown container crape myrtles should have organic matter mixed with the backfill. The best planting times are spring, summer, and early fall. Some problems have been experienced with planting late in the year in the piedmont and mountain areas of the state, because the root system does not become established before freezing temperatures. In these areas, it is best to plant before fall.

Small plants can be transplanted any time. Early spring or summer, when the plant is growing actively, is acceptable. It is important to water during the establishment period. Large specimen tree forms are best transplanted balled-and-burlapped in their dormant period.

Pruning. Crape myrtles can grow as large shrubs or as small deciduous shrubs. Typically developing several main stems, the crape myrtle is a multi-stem tree that is most valuable in contemporary landscape plantings. The lower, weaker branches can be removed in the early stages and grown as a single-stemmed plant. The flowers are borne terminally on the current seasons's growth.

Basic pruning should be performed between late fall and early spring. Stump pruning is the most drastic of the pruning practices; it simply involves cutting the entire plant back to several feet each year. This type of pruning ruins the natural graceful effect of the crape myrtle which is never regained. Stump pruning promotes bloom-type growth with long shoots and flower trusses which arc awkwardly. Even more severe pruning is performed to form lower, rounded, shrub-type plants. This plant has an amazing ability to rejuvenate itself each spring.

Flower colors range from dark red, rose pink, and lavender, to white.

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