Lakeshore Garden Centres Plant Finder

Other Names:  Crape Myrtle, Crepe Myrtle

Brand:  Black Diamond Crapemyrtles

Description:

This stunning ornamental shrub is crowned with masses of frilly, vivid coral-pink blooms in summer; near black foliage emerges copper, then is followed by deep burgundy fall foliage; captivating focal point for the garden or border

Ornamental Features

Black Diamond® Precious Pink™ Crapemyrtle is draped in stunning panicles of hot pink frilly flowers with coral-pink overtones at the ends of the branches from early summer to early fall. Its attractive glossy oval leaves emerge coppery-bronze in spring, turning black in colour. The foliage often turns burgundy in fall. The ruby-red stems can be quite attractive.

Landscape Attributes

Black Diamond® Precious Pink™ Crapemyrtle is a dense multi-stemmed perennial with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cut back to the ground in late winter before active growth resumes. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Black Diamond® Precious Pink™ Crapemyrtle is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Black Diamond® Precious Pink™ Crapemyrtle will grow to be about 12 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 8 feet. It tends to be leggy, with a typical clearance of 2 feet from the ground, and should be underplanted with lower-growing perennials. Although it is technically a woody plant, this fast-growing plant can be expected to behave as a perennial in our climate if planted outdoors over the winter, usually regrowing from its base (crown) the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is very fussy about its soil conditions and must have rich, acidic soils to ensure success, and is subject to chlorosis (yellowing) of the foliage in alkaline soils. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Black Diamond® Precious Pink™ Crapemyrtle is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Its large size and upright habit of growth lend it for use as a solitary accent, or in a composition surrounded by smaller plants around the base and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden. Be aware that in our climate, most plants cannot be expected to survive the winter if left in containers outdoors, and this plant is no exception. Contact our experts for more information on how to protect it over the winter months.

This plant is not reliably hardy in our region, and certain restrictions may apply; contact the store for more information.