Crape myrtles first arrived in Europe from China and India. Myrtle cultivars were later introduced in America, by the 18th century. The name "crepe myrtle" comes from the thin crepe-like blooms. Myrtles have been used as specimen shrubs or trees, planted in groupings, used as hedges, screens and masses. They are beautiful during the spring and summer months with showy flowers, but also have a range of foliage color throughout the fall and maintain excellent showy bark. They can grow in the warm climates of Florida as well as the coastal areas of New England (zones 6 through 9). The bark is somewhat ornate with light grey and brown spots. The limbs are susceptible to breakage and need to be trimmed back during the winter for further plant growth. Be careful about excessive pruning. At maturity the crepe myrtle can reach 10-30 feet in height and 15-25 feet in spread. Crepe myrtles are deciduous and will lose their foliage during winter.
Flower buds display showy colors from mid-July through October. Common colors include pink, lavender, red, white, and purple. The cultivar 'Acoma' is a pure white flower with red-purple foliage during the fall. It grows approximately five to twelve feet, multi-stemmed trunk and is a semi-dwarf shrub. This cultivar is mildew resistant and cold hardy. Another multi-stemmed cultivar 'Sioux' can be trained as a large shrub or small tree. This cultivar is also mildew resistant and grows from thirteen to twenty feet in height. Dark pink blooms are contrasted with dark green foliage turning red-purple in the fall. The 'Muskogee' can grow up to twenty feet high, with showy light lavender blooms, red foliage during the fall, and is mildew resistant yet has problems with aphids.
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There are a few diseases and insects to look out for such as: powdery mildew, black spot, sooty mold, tip blight, leaf spot, root rot, aphid, and Japanese beetle. To control aphid insects, try "Safer's Soap" for a less toxic spray program and reapply each consecutive day you see a living aphid infestation. To control tip blight, fertilize during the fall and spray with fungicide labeled tip blight, during the spring. Certain cultivars of crepe myrtle have also been known to attract bugs that deter other pests from eating pecan trees. Applying a consistent fungicide spray throughout the pest infestation, should control the development of more insect problems.