Crape Expectations

Myrtles offer beauty beyond blooms

One of the most ubiquitous plants in the Southern landscape is the crape myrtle, and it’s in its prime right now. A true Southern plant, it loves sun, can take heat and humidity, is drought-tolerant and blooms all summer. There is little wonder why it is so common in our landscapes. With a wide range of mature plant sizes and several colors to choose from, there is a crape myrtle variety for every sun garden.

While long considered almost bulletproof, other than the common practice of “crape murder” — cutting them back to their knees every year — crape myrtles have faced a new pest in recent years that has reared its ugly head again this year.

The crape myrtle bark scale attacks the stems or trunks of the tree. It first appears as small white specks, but with continued feeding, the scale insects give off sticky honeydew, which can lead to black sooty mold covering the stems. If you see the problem, here is a link to a fact sheet with more information on how to control it: tinyurl.com/CrapeBarkScale.

When choosing a crape myrtle for your yard, know you have options from large trees to dwarf, almost groundcover varieties. Choosing one that fits your location can greatly reduce your maintenance chores and give you a better-looking plant. Here is a link to a database of varieties by color and size: tinyurl.com/CrapeDatabase.

Crape myrtles need a minimum of six to eight hours of sunlight a day, and once established, usually don’t need an excessive amount of fertilizer or watering. Crape myrtles offer color in every season, with beautiful flowers from summer through early fall, great fall foliage and, on standard varieties, beautiful bark color.