There are many different varieties of Crape Myrtles but a limited number that thrive in South Texas. With the proper cultivar and proper placement, they will provide color and form to your landscape for many years. They do love the sun and need a half a day of sunlight or more. All of the below varieties are drought tolerant once established and are mildew resistant. They all bloom clusters of crepe-like blooms.
Our favorites are:
(Listing From Tallest To Shortest)
| Basham | up to 30′ tall | lavender-pink blooms |
| Natchez | up to 25′ tall | white blooms |
| Arapaho | up to 20′ tall | red blooms with maroon tinged foliage |
| Red Rocket | up to 15′ tall | ruby red blooms with dark green foliage |
| Dynamite | up to 15′ tall | fire red blooms |
| Catawba | up to 15′ tall | purple blooms |
| Zuni | up to 12′ tall | purple blooms |
| Tonto | 8′-10′ tall | dark red blooms |
| Hopi | up to 10′ tall | light pink blooms |
| Ebony Flame | up to 10′ tall | dark foliage with red blooms |
| Ebony Ivory | up to 10′ tall | dark foliage with white blooms |
*Please note – most dwarf varieties do not do well in our area without pampering.
From the above, the Basham Party Pink Crape Myrtle provides the fastest and most shade, growing up to 30′ tall.
When selecting your variety, make sure you give it plenty of space, height and width. As with all trees, trim as needed to eliminate branches from rubbing against each other and prune off lower “twiggy” growth, but do not “top” prune. If you purchase a Crape Myrtle as a young plant, you can select which trunks you want to keep and get rid of the rest to give it the form you want it to have as a mature plant.
It’s a wonder to watch Crape Myrtles go from ordinary to extraordinary in a matter of days as they start blooming in late spring. Look down most neighborhood streets to find a multiple of white, pinks, reds and purples high above homes. Crape Myrtles are a beautiful long-lived addition to your landscape. They are cold hardy, great color for summer, provide fall colored foliage and interesting bark (exfoliating), and drought tolerant once established.
We think Crape Myrtles are a winner for landscapes and will give you years of enjoyment!
-Sally & Debbie
Mary says
I am looking for a yellow crepe myrtle. I bought some clippings on Etsy and it is growing leaves, but I would like to buy an actual plant, any ideas on where to buy one. I live in Houston Texas.
James Gill says
It will be interesting to see what your cuttings come out to be. There is no yellow crapemyrtle on the market, none that I can purchase or have ever seen.
Mari says
We planted a Red Rocket six years ago. It blooms every year, but has not gotten over 2 feet tall! What did we do wrong?
Jesse says
That’s certainly unusual that it hasn’t grown more than that. The red cultivars are known to grow slower, but not that slow. If you’re confident that its getting good overhead sun and you’re fertilizing and watering well, then you may want to replace it with a different variety.