Crapemyrtle Blooms

I’ve normally seen the name as two words “Crape Myrtle” instead of a single word. However, the reference material from Clemson University used it as one word as do other on-line sources, so I’ll use it as one word for this post.

A popular ornamental tree in this area is the Crapemyrtle and it’s the prime season for blooms.

There are many species of Crapemyrtle and most of these are native to Asia. We grow two different species here in the United States. The common Crapemyrtle, Lagerstroemia indica, was introduced in 1747 and has been planted all over the South. You can find many aged trees around old home sites. Over the years there have been literally hundreds of selections named with variations of flower colors, growth habits and mature sizes. …In the 1950’s, the Japanese Crapemyrtle, Lagerstroemia faurei, was brought to the United States… – Clemson Extension

Crapemyrtle trees come in sizes from dwarfs to large trees and in colors of white, shades of pink and red. The Crapemyrtles in our back yard are light pink and I can remember a pink Crapemyrtle tree in the yard at my childhood home.

My favorite color is perhaps the one in these photos I believe is the Tuskegee variety–yes, it looks like a hot pink.

I saw these particular trees yesterday while out driving and I made a special trip this morning to make these photos. The blooms seem exceptionally large and heavy this year.

While the blooms are beautiful at their prime I find the trees to be messy when in yards, especially when the blooms fade and fall off.

For this area these are very common sights this time of year but perhaps in other areas of the country and world, not so much.