Plant Profile: Lagerstroemia indica (Crepe Myrtle)

[M Farooq]

Botanical Name	Lagerstroemia indica
Family	Lythraceae
Genus
Specie
Local Name in Urdu	Does not exist
Common Name	Crape myrtle
Life Cycle	Evergreen
Cultivar Name	NA
Category(Bush/Vine/Tree)	Tree
Height	7-8 feet
Spacing	Can be trained as a bush, usually solitary
Flowering Months	Summer
Flower Color	Local plant, purple, but new varities have purple, pink and white
Growing Areas	Throughoout Pakistan except where temperatures are low
Frost Tender	No
Exposure	Full sulight, will not tolerate shade
Soil pH	No specific issues
Propagation	Cuttings, air layering
Uses	Ornamental
Other Details	Crape myrtle is a very handsome tree that can be trained as solitary showy tree or as a bush of medium height (~ 5 feet) in any garden. It flowers profusely during the summer. The only problem is that aphids usually attack this tree and some insects bore large holes in the leaves. Flowers are not fragrant at all, however the showy flowers open in the morning and continue to remain open all day long

[Muhammad Imran Khan]

excellent

[M Farooq]

Lagerstroemia is one of the most beautiful medium height trees suitable for Pakistan. However, in other countries, crepe myrtle is somehow trained into a very spherical canopy which looks like a natural bouquet of flowers from far away. I am not sure how this is done, since one cannot see any trimming of branches or the woods. I have not seen this growth style in our local gardens. Is it different Crepe myrtle in the pictures or just a matter of age?

[khabbab]

Most heat tolerant plant in IMO in Lahore and much under rated too.

[newton]

I have seen it combined with the taller Jacaranda and it truly looks magnificent as the two colours seem to complement each other very pleasently

[Muhammad Arif Khan]

I think it is growing them with a little imagination.
Two pictures from my last visit to USA




Arif

[UMARKHANMARDAN]

I love this little flowering tree & every one can understand why who lives in our hotter climate.Extremly drought tolerant & very floriferous tree is,t it.

[Muhammad Arif Khan]

A single trunk tree looks better than multiple trunk bush, the trick again is in keeping it compact by proper pruning
Example of drastic pruning,


Arif