Crepe Myrtles

[CountryQueen]

I love the really big, old crepe myrtles. The dwarf sized are pretty along the side of a house or walkway, but I like the way the big ones form a canopy. Is there a specific kind that get much bigger than the others? I want to plant a row of them along the edge of the road and along the driveway. Also, some of them seem to grow more tall and skinny where others are full. Is that done by pruning or do certain ones grow this way naturally?

 

[Marck]

Indeed, many crepe-myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica cultivars) have been bred for smaller size, but there are also full-sized cultivars available. Seek out 'Basham's Party Pink', or 'Biloxi'. The cultivar 'Natchez' can get to thirty feet or more, if you want a white crepe-myrtle. Most of the cultivars with tribal names, grow at least moderately large. Of course, it will take decades to reach full height. Doubtlessly the crown shape is also affected by genetics, though pruning can do much to alter this. If you find a tree you particularly like, but are unable to identify the cultivar, consider taking cuttings.

 

[Marck]

Addendum: The correct names for the Crepe-myrtle listed above are Lagerstroemia x 'Basham's Party Pink', L. x 'Biloxi', and L. x 'Natchez', as they are all hybrids between the widespread L. indica and L. subcostata var. fauriei (or L. fauriei), a more cold-hardy and powdery mildew-resistant species native to certain islands in Japan. Lagerstroemia subcostata var. fauriei also has smoother, more ornamental bark and often passes this trait onto its progeny as well.