Crape myrtle
Showy flowers in a wide range of colors, spectacular bark and good fall color make Crape myrtle one of our favorite small trees and shrubs for the PNW. We offer many, but only varieties proven to bloom in our mild summers.
Many consider Crape myrtles exotic plants for the South, California, and other hot places and that they don’t do well in our climate. The truth is that ALL do not, BUT selected varieties have been grown in the PNW and have proven year after year that they are hardy to cold, disease resistant, reliable bloomers and are GREAT plants. Superb small trees and shrubs for the urban garden they absorb blasting heat, tolerate clay soil, and drought when established. Most importantly they come in a wide range of sizes and are excellent for confined spaces. So many small trees are available in our climate, including an innumerable variety of Japanese Maples that we think Crape myrtles are a welcome alternative. If you have a small garden in full sun, Crape myrtles offer the powerful triple allure of great bark, beautiful flowers (at a great time of year) and a range of spectacular fall color. The varieties we offer have all been proven to grow and bloom in the Willamette Valley and are resistant to powdery mildew.
Variety Flower Season Bark Fall Color Height Width
Burgundy Cotton TM white/pink Aug.-Sept. tan Red/Orange 10’ 6’
Pink Velour TM shocking pink Aug.-Sept. tan Red 12’ 6’
Siren Red TM oxblood red Aug.-Sept. taupe Red/Orange 10‘ 5’
Arapaho red Aug.-Sept. tan Deep Red 20’ 8’
Catawba purple July-Sept. taupe Orange/Red 12’ 8’
Hopi Pink July-Aug. taupe Orange 8’ 8’
Miami dark Pink Aug.-Sept. mahogany Orange 16’ 8’
Muskogee light Lavender July-Sept. taupe/gray Red-Yellow 22’ 12’
Natchez white July-Sept. mahogany Red-Yellow 22’ 12’
Osage light Pink July-Sept. mahogany Red 16’ 10’
PDX-tra Early Red red July-Sept. tan Maroon 6‘ 4’
Pecos dark pink July-Sept. mahogany Maroon 14’ 8’
Tuscarora coral Pink Aug.-Sept. champaign pink Red/Orange 8‘ 9’
Tuskeegee cranberry Aug.-Sept. sandalwood Red/Orange 16‘ 12’
‘Pecos’
‘Natchez’
‘Hopi’
‘Muskogee’
‘Tonto’
‘Zuni’
‘Osage’
‘Tuscarora’
‘PDX-tra Early Red’
‘Catawba’
‘Arapaho’
Lagerstroemia
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Lagerstroemia ‘Osage’
Wichita bright lavender Aug-Sept. mahogany Orange/red 18‘ 8’
Zuni light purple July-Sept. taupe Red/Orange 14‘ 8’
Tonto magenta Aug.-Sept. sandalwood Red/Orange 12‘ 6’
Plants for problem areas