This column by former Miami Herald writer Georgia Tasker has run in earlier editions.

Name: Crape

myrtle

Botanical name: Lagerstroemia indica

Des-

cription: Summer is in full swing when the crape myrtles are in full flower. Originally from China, Japan and Korea, crape myrtles used to come down with powdery mildew in South Florida, but years ago, the National Arboretum hybridized a line that resists that disease. Muskegee, Natchez and Tuscarora are among them. The plants are leafless in winter, and so work best in a mixed, informal landscape where other shrubs steal your eye away from them. However, they have quite lovely peeling bark to make up for their nakedness. They also may turn lovely autumn colors before losing leaves in the late fall.

Height: 20 feet

Light: Full sun

Culture: Allow enough room for this large, vase-shaped shrub, and resist the temptation to whack it back every winter. When pruned back hard, the new growth comes up thin and wobbly. Remove only small branches when shaping, but pinch new growth in spring to encourage development of more twigs because flowers are terminal. Use a controlled-release fertilizer, and in November, consider using a bloom booster such as 4-6-8 for more flowers in the spring. Once established, the shrub can grow without much supplemental irrigation. Mulch the root zone, but away from the trunk.

Join the discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.repliedToText@

@Nyx.replyAnswerText@

Reply to this Comment @Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@