I'm looking for a light pink crepe myrtle to put with my Pink Velour ones. I'd like them to be about the same size as my Pink Velour ones since I'm planning to alternate them. I'm considering either Burgany Cotton or Rhapsody in Pink because I really like the Whitcomb crepe myrtles. I've seen Burgandy Cotton in the neighborhood, but have only seen pictures of the Rhapsody in Pink. Any recommendations?
Crepe Myrtle Recommendations
Hi SB. Here's some that I found for OK. - I suspect the hardinesses vary, I didn't check that part but it says they flower pink. The 2 you mentioned (except 'Pink Velour') weren't on that list so don't know what's going on there.
They aren't hardy enuff to be a tree form in most cases here in Kansas City. I've tried 'Dynamite' and 'Acoma' and they both returned, but as shrubs.
MATURE HEIGHT IN EXCESS OF 20 FEET:
Tuscarora
Biloxi
Basham's Party Pink
Potomac
Choctow
Miami
MATURE HEIGHTS OF 10 TO 20':
Pink Velour
Griffith Pink
Comanche
Yvonne
William Toomey
Osage
Seminole
Sioux
Near East
Tuskegee
MATURE HEIGHTS OF 5' TO 10':
Caddo
Hopi
Prairie Lace
Glowing Rose
Pecos
DWARF UPRIGHT (MATURE HEIGHT OF 3' TO 5'):
Petite Pinkie
Chica Pink
Pink Ruffles
Raspberry Dazzle
Dazzle Me Pink
MINI/WEEPING--MATURE HEIGHT 3' OR LESS:
Pink Blush
Bayou Marie
Pokomoke
Delta Blush
This message was edited Aug 27, 2012 8:31 PM
I always did like the regular purple one, they get BIG and they are nice in flower, they are everywhere in Texas. Here is a photo of a couple of big ones outside my brother's house in a suburb of Dallas, TX. -
The flowers don't come in real good, that camera wasn't the best in 2004 and I bought it several years before that.
This message was edited Aug 28, 2012 9:05 PM
Thanks for your help, Shortleaf. I'll check out some of your recommendations. I actually think any of them have to be pruned/shaped to achieve the tree form--at least they do here.
I like the purple ones, too. We have several in the neighborhood, but I want pink for this particular bed. I love crepes! The first ones I ever saw were at Six Flags over Texas, and they were breathtaking.
I never gardened until we moved into this house five years ago. My pink bed was the first one I started and it is just a hodge podge of impulse buys. I've lost so many of the perennials I tried in that bed, and there is such a lack of design that I decided I was going to concentrate on plants that I like and that have done ok. Even though I've done a lot of research and intellectually know what I should do, I've made every mistake you're warned against. So, now, I'm going to gradually redo the bed and limit it to fewer plants that hopefully will flourish. The crepes will be my foundation plants, then I'll go from there.
Again, thanks for your help!
Your welcome, I love Crepe Myrtles too, I wish they'd grow here, they're too expensive to experiment on I found out. Back this one time when I was visiting, I had to get this photo of a regular Crepe Myrtle's trunk, it was real attractive. -
Will
They do grow here. I have neighbors who have them and Powell Gardens has them. With your microclimate you should be able to grow one no problem. Just mulch it to help it.
Oh really?! If I can find one cheap enuff I might have to try to find a place for it here. There really isn't any more room here but I'll campaign to have a big Mimosa removed soon, it's old and it isn't looking very good, it would open up a great big spot for a new tree though. My homeowner friend is very attached to the Mimosa's so I probably won't be able to win that one!
Yeah, that is a good deal on the setting of the property here. Not even being able to see the horizon on the North has worked out well for accidently planting marginal plants here I found out, it might be good enuff to raise up the zone hardiness a half maybe. Maybe I'll make a big ol' honking planter for one and just move it around. Here's what came up of a couple in 2007, in one, you can see the stems sticking up that it had in Florida or whereever the year before, but here it was just a pretty ground shrub. - That was when I lived by the Kansas City Int'l airport in a mobile home up North, not much in the urban heat island.
The first one is a Dynamite and the second one is the Acoma. I think the Dynamite said minimum temp. was 0F and the Acoma was -10F but it didn't say they came back as shrubs! -
In the plants' defense, they DID make pretty shrubs!
Will
Dangit, sorry, the mouse double clicked again, it is always doing crazy stuff lately.
I should say I don't remember any of them being trees, just shrubs. lol
They ARE pretty shrubs though!
That they are!!
The reason I know that was the Dynamite (before it flowered) was I had the label encased in a sandwich bag..lol, I think it says $16.98
This white flowered 'Acoma' back in the day was even kinda pretty as a shrub. -
I was terrible at that landscape edging and weed fabric back then. I had actually put about 4 inches of potting soil on top of the weed fabric. It was full of weeds! I look back and I still can't believe I did that! Oh well, you live and learn, and spend money! Those pictures up there had some weeds in there, like that red Dynamite up there, that was probably AFTER I weeded!
Will
This message was edited Aug 31, 2012 7:42 PM
Shortleaf-
Just curious if you ever found a cheap enough crepe myrtle? I just bought 2 of the dwarf Razzle Dazzles for my front landscaping. I have always had good luck with keeping (shrub-form) crepe myrtles here in St. Louis. I bought the dwarfs because the planting area I had for them isn't huge, and I know how much pruning they take once they get established. They are cute, but really tiny right now. I can't wait to see them get a little bigger. :)
No, I never did get one. Razzle Dazzle huh? I'll remember that, if it turns out nice maybe I'll get one too. Buying tiny plants is the way I do too, that way they're always cheap! lol
I'm so cheap! Although, now I've got some really nice plants that started out around $1.99, 8 or 9 years ago!
I finally got the okay to cut down that big Mimosa that I mentioned up there but in it's place we need to plant a Dogwood that we have in a pot that is a memorial tree.