PlantFiles: Japanese Crepe Myrtle, Crape Myrtle
Lagerstroemia x fauriei 'Muskogee'

I bought my Muskogee last Fall, at the local Home Depot. It was horribly pot-bound, and was about 4' tall.
Planted it immediately in full sun, cut the roots on the sides, amended the soil (we have clay), and put 4 stakes around it.
Placed some thin twine around the stakes to give it support - it is exposed, especially with the west wind. Near the road, so can get road salt. I pruned the whip-like branches a bit.
This Spring, it grew about 9," and lots of new branches. Beautiful, glossy leaves. Now, mid-June, it has buds all over!

My front porch was frying in the Texas summer sun! I bought 2 of these and planted them with a straight western exposure. I've been watering them like mad for the past 2 months and they are doing beautifully, even with a string of 100 degree days lasting nearly all summer. I fed them weekly with Miracle Gro (and lots of it!). The flowers are gorgeous, abundant, and a bright pinkie-lavender (too much Miracle Gro?) Growth rate has been 13 inches per month!

I bought 6 of these from an online vendor 2 years ago, they were little more than 3 ft long whips. They have grown well and had a few flowers even their first year (planted them in July) and bloomed profusely their first full year. Now they are leafing out well after their second winter. I was concerned a little because I am right on the northern border of their reported range, and no one else around here appears to have Muskogees - only Natchez. But they are doing fine and get a lot of compliments.

Saw a beautiful Crepe Myrtle growing in (hot) Gilroy, California and decided I wanted to plant one out front in (cool, windy) San Francisco.

What a struggle! After five years of fighting bugs and mildew, picking it up off the ground and replanting it after a freak wind storm, pampering, babying, coddling, and even THREATENING the tree, my Crepe Myrtle is finally thriving!!! It put out lush, healthy bug free foliage and magnificent pink purple blooms this summer!

San Francisco is a city of many microclimates, and Lagerstroemia was probably not the best choice for a street tree; but it looks wonderful now and the struggle to get it established was worth it!.

This is a wonderful crepe myrtle, that blooms light lavender. It does not have the dramatic, bright blooms of the newer reds, pinks and purple, BUT it has the longest bloom period - 120 days! We bought these on clearance at the end of summer at HD two years ago,2 each, planted 3 to a 10 gal pot. We worked and worked to wrestle the 3 trees apart, the roots were very interwoven. We then planted them separately at the end of a hot August - hoping for the best. Well, they flourished and bloomed that 4 month period the very first year. I love Muskogees.

It has taken me three years to take this plant from a dieback shrub to tree form (via some winter protection). This is the first year it has flowered for me. I live in zone 6 south west of Boston just outside of the normal hardiness zone for this plant. Hopefully, since it is established now, it will retain wood hardiness over a good portion of the plant without protection.

I have a seedling 'Muskogee' in my back yard. Houston has a lot of crepe myrtles - they do very well here. This variety is supposed to be highly resistant to powdery mildew and black sooty mold. I have so far found that to be true. They have a nice lavender bloom. According to my research they will grow to around 20'.

This tree i had delievered to a client,and did not like the
shape and went to pick one out for her.
I sank the out-of-shape tree in my yard last summer.
It's got a nice light lavender color to it. I tipped it back
in mid march and will post image when in bloom.

I just bought this at Lowes. I bought a 30 gallon. It is already 6+ feet & it appears to have lavender & white blooms. The tag said Pink which is what I originally wanted. I only have it 2 weeks and I find if I do not give it a good water at least 2x's per week it wilts very quickly. I just hope I do not over water & kill it. I think once it gets established it should do just fine. This is suppose to be a Tree with a height of 10-12 feet. Will post a picture once it finds it place.