Other Names:  Crape Myrtle, Crepe Myrtle

Group/Class:  Rikki Tikki Series

Brand:  Proven Winners

Description:

This stunning dwarf crapemyrtle produces volumes of cherry red frilly blooms, over unique silvery green foliage that creates a shimmering effect on the landscape; a captivating focal point for the garden or border; also good for container planting

Ornamental Features

Rikki Tikki™ Rouge Crapemyrtle is bathed in stunning panicles of cherry red frilly flowers at the ends of the branches from early summer to early fall. It has attractive green foliage with hints of silver which emerges burgundy in spring. The glossy oval leaves are highly ornamental but do not develop any appreciable fall color.

Landscape Attributes

Rikki Tikki™ Rouge Crapemyrtle is a dense multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a mounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep. Trim off the flower heads after they fade and die to encourage more blooms late into the season. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Rikki Tikki™ Rouge Crapemyrtle is recommended for the following landscape applications;

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

Planting & Growing

Rikki Tikki™ Rouge Crapemyrtle will grow to be about 5 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 5 feet. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.

This shrub 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.

Rikki Tikki™ Rouge Crapemyrtle makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants 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 grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.