Lagerstroemia - Crape Myrtle
Small tree or large shrub with scaling bark that reveals the reddish-brown glabrous
wood. Sessile leaves or shortly petiolated, elliptical or elongate, 2-7cm long, almost
always pointed, dark green turning reddish-purple in autumn. Flowers: clustered in
very dense terminal racemes, 10-20cm long. Requires fertile, loose, well drained soil.
Tolerates pollution in town centres where it is often used as a street tree or planted in
groups in parks. The Lagerstroemia can be included in all size gardens, either planted
singly or in groups. Flowering occurs on current year’s wood and therefore it should be
pruned hard but never before the second fortnight of February.