Other Names:  Crape Myrtle, Crepe Myrtle

Description:

This attractive upright, vase shaped variety is covered in lovely lavender-pink blooms in summer, followed by red-maroon fall foliage; a captivating focal point for the garden or border

Ornamental Features

Wichita Crapemyrtle is smothered in stunning panicles of lavender frilly flowers with hot pink overtones at the ends of the branches from early summer to early fall. It has attractive dark green deciduous foliage which emerges coppery-bronze in spring. The oval leaves are highly ornamental and turn dark red in fall.

Landscape Attributes

Wichita Crapemyrtle is a dense multi-stemmed deciduous tree with a more or less rounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance tree, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Wichita Crapemyrtle is recommended for the following landscape applications;

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

Planting & Growing

Wichita Crapemyrtle will grow to be about 30 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 25 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 4 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 50 years or more.

This tree 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 particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.