Crape myrtles are ubiquitous in the South. Honestly, I’m not much of a plant person, but I do like crape myrtles; they produce beautiful blooms and are extremely low maintenance. Since the blooms are available in a variety of colors, there’s something for everyone. That said, it has taken decades for me to get the red blooming crape myrtles that I’ve always wanted.
Kenn is the plant person in this relationship. When we moved into our last house, one of the first things we did was get rid of the scraggly bushes in the narrow strip of land separating our driveway from our neighbor’s driveway. Kenn said he wanted to plant crape myrtles, which was fine with me. My only request was that we get trees with red blooms instead of the pink ones that are everywhere. Kenn bought the trees, planted them, babied them, and, in turn, they presented us with fushia (aka pink) blooms. Kenn seemed surprised to learn that pink is not red.🙄
When we moved into The Cabin, another (short lived) chance for red blooming crape myrtles presented itself. The previous owners had planted a couple of white blooming crape myrtles of the Black Diamond variety. Black Diamond crape myrtles have dark purplish foliage instead of the traditional green. At that time, what we couldn’t find was a Black Diamond variety with red blooms. So, when we decided to buy additional trees, I sighed, and gave up on my dreams of red flowers and we purchased more of the white blooming Black Diamond variety. What a mistake. Neither of us was pleased with the pre-existing trees or the new ones; they just didn’t grow or bloom.
A couple of years ago, we decided to dig up the Black Diamond trees and replace them. This time, I insisted that we get a red blooming variety. We even drove around the local area while I pointed out to Kenn all of the colors that are not red. You know, things like white, pink, and lavendar. Sometimes I wonder if the man is color blind. We did some research and found the perfect red in a relatively new variety. Meet Miss Frances!
The bright red blooms with the yellow centers are exactly what I have been looking for! I smile every time I see them. Oh, and the Black Diamond trees we replaced? I would have tossed them in the gully and let them decompose. Kenn, however, moved them to another area where they basically get ignored – and they’re doing great, LOL.
Do crape myrtles grow in your area? Have you used them in your landscaping? If so, what color blooms do you prefer?
Linda Lou's Life 
Frances looks amazing! I’ve never seen the red before. We only have purple and pink and white. Over the last decade, the city has torn down the 70-year-old trees in our neighborhood. First they planted crepe myrtles, which are doing very well. In front of my house, they planted a Brisbane box. It died, despite watering and fertilizer. Maybe they will try a crepe myrtle there next.
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I would have cried when the old trees were cut down.
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I did. I fought the city and lost and cried but lived to triumph over cop neighbor who tried to illegally cut down his city tree.
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Good for you! I just don’t understand what so many people seem to have against trees.
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I like the red, though I did not know they came in that color! There was a pink crape myrtle at Mom’s and it had to be frequently trimmed to keep it off the side of the house. The previous owners had place it way too close. The benefit was it was lovely to look out the window in the bathroom and see all that pink blooming!
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I bet that was a lovely view from the window.
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It also meant when the tree was blooming, she could leave the blinds up because no one could see through the blooms!
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Do crape myrtles grow in your area? Yes, but with not a lot of enthusiasm.
Have you used them in your landscaping? Yes, we have one.
If so, what color blooms do you prefer? It blooms a pale pink almost white. I didn’t know they came in red. Yours are beautiful.
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“Not with a lot of enthusiasm.” I love that phrase! It’s a good way to describe those frustrating Black Diamond trees.
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I’ve never even heard of crape myrtles, so no, I doubt they grow here. Tara would know!
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The growth zones for crape myrtles vary depending on the variety, but it seems they aren’t hardy enough to survive in your neck of the woods.
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That explains my lack of knowledge then!
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This is a beautiful color Linda. I have never seen a crape myrtle, nor had one in my yard. I doubt we have them in Michigan, as it gets so cold here.
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The growth zones vary for the varieties, but it looks like few are hardy enough to survive in the northern states.
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Bummer for us. Our family visited Florida years ago and we visited friends that had moved there and they had an Oleander bush. My father insisted on buying one and bringing it home, even though it was more suited for warmer climates. It didn’t make it past the first frost. I guess he could have overwintered it in the basement, but I did that once with a Mandevilla tree and it didn’t make it – not enough sun.
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