Lagerstroemia, Crape Myrtle, Japanese Crepe Myrtle 'Muskogee'

I bought my Muskogee last Fall, at the local Home Depot. It was horribly pot-bound, and was about 4' tall.
Planted it immediately ...Read Morein full sun, cut the roots on the sides, amended the soil (we have clay), and put 4 stakes around it.
Placed some thin twine around the stakes to give it support - it is exposed, especially with the west wind. Near the road, so can get road salt. I pruned the whip-like branches a bit.
This Spring, it grew about 9," and lots of new branches. Beautiful, glossy leaves. Now, mid-June, it has buds all over!

My front porch was frying in the Texas summer sun! I bought 2 of these and planted them with a straight western exposure. I've been wat...Read Moreering them like mad for the past 2 months and they are doing beautifully, even with a string of 100 degree days lasting nearly all summer. I fed them weekly with Miracle Gro (and lots of it!). The flowers are gorgeous, abundant, and a bright pinkie-lavender (too much Miracle Gro?) Growth rate has been 13 inches per month!

I bought 6 of these from an online vendor 2 years ago, they were little more than 3 ft long whips. They have grown well and had a few flo...Read Morewers even their first year (planted them in July) and bloomed profusely their first full year. Now they are leafing out well after their second winter. I was concerned a little because I am right on the northern border of their reported range, and no one else around here appears to have Muskogees - only Natchez. But they are doing fine and get a lot of compliments.

Saw a beautiful Crepe Myrtle growing in (hot) Gilroy, California and decided I wanted to plant one out front in (cool, windy) San Francis...Read Moreco.

What a struggle! After five years of fighting bugs and mildew, picking it up off the ground and replanting it after a freak wind storm, pampering, babying, coddling, and even THREATENING the tree, my Crepe Myrtle is finally thriving!!! It put out lush, healthy bug free foliage and magnificent pink purple blooms this summer!

San Francisco is a city of many microclimates, and Lagerstroemia was probably not the best choice for a street tree; but it looks wonderful now and the struggle to get it established was worth it!.