Lagerstroemia, Crape Myrtle, Japanese Crepe Myrtle 'Sarah's Favorite'

It does fairly well here in zone 7a, but may not get as big as it does farther south. It has nice bark, attractive foliage, and lots of w...Read Morehite flowers at a time when almost nothing else is in bloom. The leaves turn a beautiful orange-red in fall. I also planted a similar variety - Natchez - and would say Sarah's Favorite is better looking overall, especially the leaves.

I planted 3 in different conditions around our house. The one that gets full sun didn't bloom or grow much for the first 4 years, probably because it was baking in poor clay soil. So I mulched around it, and the next year had three feet of new growth loaded with flowers. The one I planted in half-day sun was surrounded by other trees, and grew to a narrow 15 feet. It was the first to mature, but the flowers are nearly out of sight on the tips of the upper limbs. The one that gets about 3 hours of sun at mid-day has only grown to 6 feet and hasn't bloomed in the 5 years it's been there.

For beekeeping, Sarah's Favorite isn't my favorite at all. Although it blooms during the late-summer dearth, this is a hybrid that doesn't seem to produce nectar. It is at least a source of pollen for honey bees. But many non-hybrid crape myrtles apparently do produce nectar, so why not plant those instead? And consider planting yours in morning sun because crape myrtles only produce nectar in the morning, and bees usually only visit flowers in the sunshine.

This is the hardiest of the six varieties of crape myrtle I have in my yard in suburban Cincinnati. All have been in the ground three yea...Read Morers and were five to six feet tall. The long 2017-2018 winter killed my Dynamite, Hopi, Catawba, Tonto and Pink Velour crape myrtles to the ground. I was surprised Pink Velour was hit so hard. The Sarah's Favorite, which unlike the others is located in an unprotected spot in the front yard, lost only a foot or so off the top and is starting the growing season with five feet of height. I'm looking forward to seeing if I can grow this one into a nice small tree.

I live in San Antonio, Texas. We have Crepe Myrtles everywhere. It seems the most brilliant examples of color are in the front yard of sm...Read Moreall homes and almost appear neglected. Whatever those owners are putting in the ground I
would like to know what it is?
Does anyone have a secret soil amendment or mystery plant food story?

Just received my plant today and am going to plant it this weekend. I live in Zone 6b (Blacklick, OH). I plan on planting it on the south...Read More side of my home in full sun. Will it just grow as a shrub or is there hope that it will become a tree?